Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-06-21
UNCLE SAN SOME
TRAVEL EXPENSES
Every Dollar Spent by Gov.
eminent Being Analysed
and Located

! account for the government? There is
no item of entertainment Of custom
ers," nothing for incidental expenses,
nothing for taxicabs or theaters. To
pass q padded account successfully
through the censors of a government
bureau at Washington is a feat that
few employees In Uncle Sans estab-
lishment can boast of.
Most of the departments pass upon
every travel account at least four
times before it is finally approved and
the bill paid. There are bureaus in
those departments where much travel
ing occurs equipped with all the latest
passenger fare tariffs and with the
rates Of the Pullman company between
all points.
When an expense account comes In
the items for tickets are carefully
checked up on these rate sheets.
When the rate clerk finally approves
the expense statement it is proof that
the charges for the tickets and Pull
man have agreed exactly with the
published rates between the points
named.
Then there is a definite standard OF
expense allowed for each legitimate
item. You may have your laundry
done once a week at government ex-
pense in some departments when you
are travelling. but you may not have
your trousers pressed ION Uncle Sam"
Clean laundry is considered a neces-
sity, carefully creased trousers a lux
ury. Other departments do not allow
ha tott
item OF legitimate expense.
You may use a cab from the depot
to destination in strange city. The
employee who lives in Washington.
however. ana takes cab from his
home to the depot there will find that
the vigilant eye of the censor Of ex-
pense accounts has cut out this item
and allowed only 8 cents for a street
car ride to the depot The traveller Is
supposed to journey as he would at
his own expense.
A tip OF Is cents a day is allowed
for the Pullman porter. II tips are
given to walters they must be included
in the price OF the meals, and these
must always be within reason Tips
to the courtroom boy, a dime to the
bootblack and similar little items come
out of the employees pocket and not
out of Uncle Sans.
In view of these rigid interpretations
of travelling expenses that have pre-
vailed for some time in most of the
departments in Washington, President
Taft's desire that the first test OF econ
omy be made on the travelling ex-
penses Of the government has aroused
some CONSERVATION among the men
who travel regularly in the service of
the government. These include the
revenue, postoffice. treasury and Gus
toms inspectors. pension examiners, Sc
cret service men and special agents Of
the department of justice and others
whose duties keep them on the road
most of the time
Sources Of Waste.
The blow is not likely to fall here.
however. The real waste In govern
ment travelling expenses. according to
leading officials of the government,
comes from two primary causes-frst,
trips that are NOT vitality necessary,
and. second. travel that could be pur
chased for a less figure than Is actual
~ paid for it.
Suppose we find that one OF the bu-
reaus is spending $1,5OO.oOO for travel
ing expenses" said Norton, land we
find that there are ten or fifteen or
twenty ways IN which travelling ex-
pense money can be spent-frst class
single trip tickets, mileage, round trip
tickets. etc.-and we put an expert to
work and he finds that the bureau