Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-17
esen Taft Points the Way to Save the Treasury Millions in Cash

a bnsinesslike basis. yet there Is siill
much TO be done
The reason for bringing these facts 10
your attention Is to suggest the nlasni-
tude OF the task. the time necessary to
its accomplishment. the professional skill
wnien is essential to the successful ham
dhng OF the work. the impossibility OF
carving on such work entirely VITA
men who arc at the same time engaged
I'm the ordinary routine of aduinistf;,-
uon. While I'm the nature OF things the
REIMBURSEMENT of organization and meth
obs should continue indefinitely i'm order
10 adapt great institution to the bust
ness IN hand. ultimately this should be
provided for as part OF the regular
activities of some permanently organized
agency IL Is only after such thorough
inquiry has been made by experts who
are not charged with the grinding details
of official responsibility, however, that
conclusions can lie reached as TO how this
best can be done.
l sincerely hope that Congress will not,
IN Its anxiety to reduce expenditures.
economze by cutting of an appropriation
which is likely to offer greater opportu-
nifty for real economy I'm the future than
amy other estimated for.
Vigorous Prosecution of the Inquiry.
Economies actually realized have more
than justified the total expenditure Of he
inquiry to date. and the economies which
will soon be made by executive action.
based upon the informatica now i'm hand.
will be many times greater than those al
ready realized. Furthermore the inquiry
is In process of establishing a sound basis
for recommendations relating TO changes
In law which will be necessary i'm or6er
TO make effective the economies which
cannot no hy
alone. Still further, il should be realized
that the progress made by the inquiry
has been notable when measured against
the magnitude of the task undertaken.
The principal function OF the inquiry has
been that OF coordination. The commits
sion has acted and should continue to act
as central clearing house for the com
mittees In the various departments and es-
adjustments. BY no other means can tho
cooperation which is essential be deyci-
oped and continued throughout the gov
eminent service.
Helpful as legislative Investigations may
be In obtaining Information as a basis
for legislative action, changes which af-
feet technical operations and which have
to do with the details of method and pro-
cedure. necessarily followed in effectively
directing and. controlling the activities
OF the various services can be SUCCESS
fully accomplished. only by highly tra.nei
experts. whose whole time shall be given
to the work. acting in cooperation with
those who are charged with the handling
or administrative details The upbuildinS
OF efficient service must necessarily be an
educational process With each advance
made there will remain to those who con
duct the details OF the business an addi-
tional incentive to increase the efficiency
and to realize true economy in all branches
OF the government service.
AS has been said. the changes which
have already been made are resulting IN
economies greater than the cost of the in
I'm m, han xs;tb
mendations. estimate approximately
$2,OO0000 of possible annual econom Is;
other subjects under investiga ton indi-
cate much larger results. These repre-
sent only few Of the many services
which should be subjected to IN like
painstaking inquiry. If this Is done IL is
beyond question that many mill ons OF
savings may be realized. Over and above
the economy and increased efficiency
which may be said to result from the
work of the commission as such is an i'm
direct result that can not well be meas
ured. l refer to the influence which a
vigorous, thoroughgoing executive in
gu ~ has on each Of the administrative
units responsible to the executive Tho
purpose being constructive, as soon as
any subject is inquired into each Of the
services affected becomes at once alert
to opportunities for Improvement. So real
is this that easerness in many instances
must be restrained. For example, when
reports were requested on the subject CT
handling and fling correspondence. so
many changes were begun that II be-
came necessary to issue a letter to heads
Of departments requesting them not to
permit further changes until the results
had been reported and uniform plans OF
permitted each Of the hundreds Of ofiices
TO undertake changes on their own initia-
tive would merely have added to the con-
fusion.
Much time and expense are necessary
to get an inquiry of this kind started. to
lay the foundation for sound judgment
and to develop the momentum required
to accomplish definite results. This in
itial work has been done. The inquiry
with its constructive measures Is well
under way. The work should now be
prosecuted with vigor and receive the
financial support necessary to make il
most effective during the next fiscal year
In this relation IL may be said that the
expenditure for the inquiry during the
present fiscal year is at the rate of $780,
600. The mass of information which
must be collected digested and summa-
-ized pertaining to each subject of inquiry
is enormous. From the results obtained
1t is evident that every dollar which Is
spent in the prosecution of the inquiry i'm
the future will result in manifold savings.
Every economy which has been or will
be effected through changes i'm urgani7n-
OF the government and of the people in
increasing measure through the years
which follow. 1t is clearly the part OF
wisdom to provide for the coming year
means at least equal to those available
during the current year and i'm my opin
ION the appropria ton should be increased
to 100000. and an additional amount OF
5000 should be provided for the publ
cation OF those results. which will be OF
continuing value to officers of the govern
ment and to the people.
VIM. II. TAFT.
The White House. January IL, 1872
Ac NATTnNA TpYpyrrr