Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-29

to reorganise the government on basis
which shall produce the work needed at
the cheapest cost and make 1t most ef-
fective.
I'm other words. when the commits
| sion begins really at the bottom, 1t has
| to go into each department and find
out what 1t is doing, and by charging
the department heads and other OFF,
| GERS with making report as to what
| lawful duties are, and what their du-
| ties are under the regulations. acquaint
themselves with some things they did
not know before they had to make
that collection Of facts, and arranged
| them IN such a way that they can be
constantly consulted, find out from
them where the applications Of func-
lions are. how the bureaus may be
| united. how one bureau should be
taken In from one department and put
| In another.
Reorganization First Step.
I'm other words. how the government
| ought to be reorganized in the rear
rangement Of departments and bu-
reaus as first step in the real coon
omy OF government. After that 1t is
possible to study the economy Of
method. and one Of the great instru-
ments Of that is comparison between
departments in doing the same thing
and the cost OF doing the same things.
In correspondence, for instance, to
detect the extravaganza in one de-
partment over another, and introduce
a competition which makes always
for better results. The method of pur-
chasing the great supplies that the
government needs. the best way of
paying for travel, are instances where
economy can be effected-when we
know how much each department
spends for travel how much 1t ought
to spend and compare the mileage OF
travel of one department with the
other to see which is the more econ
omical way, and why
"All this leads ultimately to the forma-
| ton of budget of expenditure. as well
as OF income. 1 suppose that every OTHER
government in the world - certainly all
conducted on any modern principles-has
budget. We have not Perhaps the
reason is that 1t is so easy to raise money
to run this government.
IF we had to tax the air we breathe
In order to- meet expenses to pay for
governmental Injuries, we would intro
duce better system; but when 1t is as
easy as Just passing a law to add to our
income. what's the use? I have always
been anxious to talk with some of the
chancellors of the exchequer of England,
with some OF the financial ministers of
the continental countries. and explain how
easy it is to raise money in this country,
and then watch their mouths water.
Credit Has It's Disadvantages.
But that ease Of raising money, while
it has its advantages in the comfort Of
running a government, has it's. disadvan-
tages, too. in the lack of care with re-
spect to which we do run our govern
ment and conduct our financial affairs.
''Of course, the budgets of the old world
relate quite as much to the income as to
the expenditures. because they have to
look here and there and elsewhere. With
us we don't revise our tariff as often as
Mr.. White thinks we ought to, but our
legislation as to income comes along only
once every five years. poss bly,. so that
really the only change that there is Is the
change in the matter Of expenditures. and
it is with reference to the matter of ex-
penditures that the reforms are SO posi-
BILE in this country.
II don't know whether any OF the
economists present-that, of course. in
cludeS everybody-has ever examined es-
Inmates Of this government as they are
presented to Congress. If you have done
so, you carried away no impression OF
any sort except that for the conveying
of information there was great waste or
money at the public printing office.
Now, what this commission proposes
to do is to rearrange the expenditures
with reference to the objects of the ex-
penditures; to state them generally un-
der the subjects, so that you may know
by a glance how much we are spending
for military purposes; SO that you may
know how much we spent last year fcr
military purposes, how much this year,
and how much 1T is proposed to expeni
for military purposes. Then now mucn
for civil purposes, and IN that now much
for education, how much for health. how
much for transportation. how much for
agriculture. for labor. for mining, and
for such other objects as 1t seems proper
under the general welfare clause Of the
Constitution to eXpend federal money.
Fears Money Will Be Lacking.
when that is done the member of
Congress who votes on the expenditures,
the press which comments on them AMI
the people at large, who have to pay the
taxes, will understand, in some degree,
where their money goes, and will have
some idea where the knife of economy
can be put in. But it is going TO be
hard work for the commission to Justify
this method Of economiZing, of prepar-
ing the forms that are needed, and Of
making the recommendations for the re-
organization of the various departments
of the government-the combining of he
bureaus that may be combined without
loss of efficiency and the improvement
in the different methods of governmental
work.
Il am afraid--I have heard rumors-
that we are not going to have an APP
preparation to continue the work of this
economy commission. 1t Is only a year
DID,. and, as ] say, 1t ought to last for
five years, in order that we may have laid
before Congress q rational, scientific
method Of changing the organization of
this government for financial work and
for economy and efficiency in the doing
of the work.
"Now 1t is said it won't amount to any
thing because 1t Is merely theoretical
don't agree with that in the slightest, and
hope you don't. l hope you will under
stand that after a government has lived
l2O-o odd years, under a system by which
when we needed new bureau We just
built it and slapped it on to the main
structure, the way to reform that Struct-
use is to rearrange 1t with view to
economy in reaching one room from an
other when the two rooms ought to be
together and the functions performed in
those two rooms are Of such a character
that proximity will make for economy.
Work for Trained Economists.
THAT cannot be done by a committee
on appropriations or by a Joint committee
on expenditures. 1t has got to be done by
men who are trained In the business Of
| economists. are trained in the business Of
| making a complete structure for work
a machine which will operate smoothly
opd afHciantly and at he Same time