The Washington times., 1911-04-27
NATIONAL NONE TARY
COMMISSION READY
TO SUBMIT REPORT
Chairman Aldrich Will Tell
Critics 1t Spent
100000.
EXPECTS TO BE PUT
OUT OF COMMISSION
Lame Ducks Salaries and Costly
Monetary Articles Have Been
Biggest Expenses.

Two hundred thousand dollars have
been spent by the National Monetary
Commission. This is the substance of
the reply which will be made by Chair
man Nelson w. Aldrich, in response to
the joint resolution introduced in the
House several days ago by Representa-
tive Fitzgerald, chairman of the House
Appropriations Committee. The resolu-
tion already has passed the House, and,
1t is expected, will meet with no opposi-
tion in the Senate. Neither Senator
Aldrich or any member of the commits
sion has any objection to submitting q
detailed account Of the expenditures of
the commission to Congress: in fact, the
commission feels that it could not well
refuse to make the statement requested
by Mr.. Fitzgerald.
Members of the commission recognize
that the financial statement will be sub
Ject to criticism. They likewise recog-
nize the proba bility OF LEGISLATION look
Ing to the abolition of the commission
Senator Cummins of Iowa has intro
duced a resolution calling for the final
report Of the commission next Decem-
ber. The Cumrnins resolution and the
Fitzgerald resolution are generally ac-
cepted as preliminary steps to putting
the commission out of business.
Going On With Work.
Notwithstanding these resolutions
and the widespread belief that they may
be enacted into law, the commission is
going right along with its work. The
commission has just sent out invitations
to practically every important organiza-
tion in the country to appear before the
commission and exchange views on the
monetary situation of the country.
Among the organizations invited are the
Manufacturers Association, the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor, the Civic AS
soclauon, and numerous others of a SIM
liar character
OF the two hundred thousand dollars
which have been spent by the COM
miss on, very considerable portion has
been expended in the payment of sal
aries and for the purchase OF books and
the payment of printing and binding
bills. in addition to the expense ac-
counts Of members of the commission.
A majority of the members of the COM
mission are now members of the Lame
Duck Brigade"
In other words the commission has
been made the refuge of Senators and
Representatiyes who failed Of re-
being paid $500 a year, the same sal
ary they drew. while members of Con-
gress. In add ton they are reimbursed
for all expenses incurred while travel
Ing in connection with the work of the
commission, or when making speeches
in cities throughout the United States.
Committee on Expenditures.
Under the law, all such expenses re-
Quire only the o. K. of Chairman AL
drich- 1t has been learned. however
that the commission has had several
unfortunate experiences in the matter
Of hotel bills, etc. At one Of its first
meetings at a fashionable summer re-
sort the commission neglected to make
q bargain with the hotel proprietor
When the secretary went to settle the
bill he discovered that the hotel keeper
had ascertained that Uncle Sam, and
not the individual members of the party,
was to pay the bill AS a result Of this
discovery the hotel keeper charged the
dinary rates to his guests. This ex-
perience taught the commission a les
son and there Is now a subcommittee
of the commission charged with the
duty of passing upon all bills rendered
to the commission.
Another source of great expense to the
commission. as will be shown by the re-
drich, has been the preparation of
special articles on monetary questions.
In many instances these articles have
been prepared by bankers in the United
States and Europe. These bankers
draw big money from their own bank
ing institutions for their knowledge of
financial affairs and the vouchers de-
posted in the Treasury Department will
show that they did not shade their
prices when writing for Uncle Sam. 1t
is stated that several Of the articles
prepared for distribution throughout
the country cost mighty close to 81, 900
each.