Omaha daily bee., 1910-05-24

| in the form of an unbroken interview or
series of conversations had with the writer,
George Kible Turner, who explains in a
foreword that-''This statement is neces-
| sarly not verbatim reproduction, but
It gives substantially what he said"
With characteristic frankness the presi-
dent discusses the Payne-Aldrich tariff law
along the lines familiar to readers of the
presidents speeches, emphasizing his con-
victon that the schedules were not all that
he wished for in the line of reduction. but
the best he could get from congress. II did
not secure all the reductions thRt l be-
lieved should be made" the president Is
quoted as saying. The wooden schedule
should have been lowered 1t was not, be-
cause a combination Of representatives from
the manufacturing and wool-growing sec
lions of the east and west thad am ajority
in congress which was overwhelming. Not
only would 1t have been useless to try to
beat It, but a reopenlng OF the old fight
between the growers and the manufacture
ers settled by the present schedule would
have unfastened a Pandora's box that
might have defeated the whole bill.
The democratic south, with the northern
numbering states, prevented free lumber;
another combination of the same section
nade impossible the lowering of the much
criticized cotton schedules. AS has always
been the case in making tariffs in this
country, certain combinations of sectional
interests in congress-formed irrespective
OF parties, upon purely industrial lines
had majorities, which were a matter Of
fact and must be recognized as such,
The clause in the tariff law authorizing
the appointment of persons ito secure in
formation to assist the president in the
discharge OF the duties imposed on him"
by the maximum and minimum sections, is
regarded as a long step in the direction Of
scientific tariff. When 1 signed the
BILL" he says, IT announced that 1 held
this paragraph to give the president the
right to secure the statistics covering the
prices and costs of production of goods at
home and abroad, upon which scientific
tariffs must be built. In September 1 APP
pointed u tariff board, headed by Prof. H.
C. Emery, the Yale economist, to take up
this work. At my instruction, they pre-
pared an estimate of the cost of CON-
prehensive investigation of the kind
wanted. l have now asked congress for an
appropriation of $25OO0O for this investiga-
ton I certainly hope 1t will grant It,
"A thorough investigation OF this kind
will take between two and three years. II
| is not unlikely that, in the light of accur-
ate statistics, we may find that certain
schedules in our tariff arc too high. II
We do, I shall at that time not hesitate i'm
mediately to recommend their revision"
Supervision of corporations, the railroad
regulation policies embraced in the Wick
ersham bill. conservation of national re-
| sources, postal savings banks reform OF
| land laws and the Ballinger- Pinchot con-
| troversy are discussed with marked candor
These policies are now being whipped into
forms of law by congress and naturally
command more attention than the
measures of administrative economy which
department officers are gradually putting
into effect. These measures do not attract
the press megaphones at Washington be-
cause they are not topics of congressional
debate, yet they are of first Importance
in view of the great increase in national
expenses. Regarding the plans for insti-
tuting business methods in the executive
departments the results achieved and an
ticipated, the president is quoted:
During the last ten years the ordinary
disbursements for running the federal gov.
| eminent have increased 500, 900, 900, an aver,
age of s90,0O000O year. The appropriation
for the year ending June 80, 1910, were al
ready made when / took office. My cabi.
net. however. Immediately began making
their estimates, at my request, for the
year ending June 30, 1911. BY concentrat.
ing their attention on this, and beginning
six months earlier than had been custom
airy, they presented to congress this winter
estimates that were sS4. OOo.0 900 lower thar
those for the year before. With the ex
penditures on the Panama canal excluded
as they should be to make any comparison
of value-these estimates showed a SIS, 900,
900 decrease below the appropriation Of
the year before.
To make cuts OF this kind. IL was nee.
essary to make a thorough study of the
governments whole system of doing bust.
ness. It was found to be very singular
one. full of Anticipated survivals. reaching
| back, in some cases, as far as the eigh-
| teenth century. Government business Is
conducted by bureaus; 1t has grown, when.
ever new work has been taken up, by add
ing one bureau to another; and there
has been no thorough attempt-as there
must be-to take up this aggregation and
examine it as a whole. But during the
past year, two or three of the department
heads have made cross-sections OF their
own systems that are illuminating.
The overhauling of the. various bureaus
of the Navy department.. relics of 1S40 and
the aboltian and consolidation of divisions
of the Treasury department are iustanced
to show what may be done to increase ef,
ficiency and decrease expenses. In the lat.
ten department cut of s., 900 In annual
expenses has been effected. In conclusion
the president says: There has been loss
to the government by dishonesty. as was
shown last year in exposing the spectacu.
lar customs frauds at New York; there
has been loss by incapscity of public en-
ployes; but the greatest loss has come from
i the lack OF proper modern business organ
iEation and methods--so far as they can be
applied to government work. To show how
little of this there has been. It is only
necessary TO say that in all the Industrial
operations of the government-involving the
expenditure of teLs of millions of dollars
. every year--there was found not one mod.
ern system OF cost-accounting that would
give the cost of the articles produced.
! 1.-THE United States now has an expendl.
ture. all told. of over 81 900, 10000 a year
The savings that have been reported as
possible by the different departments In
various branches OF the work run from
l5 to 40 per cent. Men who have beer
sctiva In tha "A 81 tion's affo,-ta 70,