Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-04-05

With these fundamental recommen-
aations oil tlle commission ! am in full
accord. and l recommend that the nee
essary action be enacted to put them
into effect
At the present time the Revenue
Gutter Service is organized as a Naval
Establishment. The country is in eff
feet. maintaining two navies, and is
using enc Of these navies for the per-
fermante 81 duties of civil character.
The maintenance of two separate nav
III establishments entails unnecessary
expense and is not in the interest of
either efficiency or economy. In so%far
as the duties of the Revenue Gutter
Service are Of a naval character. or are
such IS can readily be performed by
the regular Naval Establishment. they
should be performed by such establish
mcnt in so far as they are of pure
~ civil character, use should be made
Of services organized and conducted
spon civil basis
In respect to the distribution of the
equipment and duties of the Revenue
Cater Service among other branches
nj the Government, the recommends
ton of the commission looks to the
transfer To the Navy Department of
the vessels which are adapted to deep
sea cruising and the discharge by the
Naval establishment of most of the
duties now performed by the Revenue
Cutter Service upon the high seas. In
submitted on the report
Of the commission. copies of which are
submitted With such report, on the one
hand the Secretary of the Navy raises
the question as TO whether these du-
ties can be performed by the regular
Naval Establishment without detract- |
ing from its military efficiency, while |
on the other hand the Secretary OF |
Commerce and Labor raises the ques- |
ton whether certain of these duties
can not be performed by the Light |
house Service if that service is pro- |
rided with vessels suitable for the |
purpose.
In view of these suggestions | rec
ommend that. in the enactment OF leg |
islation providing for the abolition of |
tile Revenue Cutter Service, provision |
be made for the transfer Of all the I
vessels and equipment of the Reve- |
nue- Cutter Service from the Treasury |
To the Department of
Commerce and Labor; that the Seere-4
tary of Commerce and Labor be direc- |
ted to assign such vessels and equip |
ment to the Lighthouse Establishment |
of Fisheries, and other sch |
vices under his jurisdiction requiring
The use OF. vessels, as. in his judgment |
is FOR the best interest Of the public
service, and that authority be given
10 him 10 turn over TO the Navy such |
vessels as lie may find, upon inyesti- |
cation, not To be required by his de-
partment ard which by their character |
are lifted to serve as useful auXiliaries |
to the Naval Establishment.
In thus recommending that the Rev |
Service as a separate es- |
be abolished. / desire TO
make plain that such action does not
carry with it the discentinuance Of thesl
of any valuable and proper |
service nov being rendered by that or
ganizdtion. on the contrary, l am |
that ali such services will |
continue to be performed under the
system recommended by me with
equal or greater efficiency.
1t Should be noted that The adoption
of the recommendation here made will
result in bringing under one general
administration all of the work of the
having to Go with the
protection Of life. and property at sea.
This will result not only in greatly
increased efficiency, but in large saw,
ing. The Lighthouse Establishment is
compelled by the nature of the work
10 maintain and operate large fleet
of vessels and supplementary admin
istratiVe divisions, depots, inspection
services. etc, to attend to matters per"
tanning TO their business management. |
1t is thus fully prepared TO take over
and operate the additional vessels that
may he assigned to it and to perform
The additional duties with which it
may be intrusted at an added expense
that will he small in comparison with
that now entailed in maintaining an
service on a military
basis.
furthor benefit of no little impor-
lance that VIII also be secured viii be
that OF relieving the Department of
the Treasury Of duties which are in no
ways germane to the primary function
of that department.
The Consolidation of Auditing Offices. |
The report upon the organization
and methods of work of the account
ing Offices of the Treasury (AppendiX
No. 81 recommends that the offices OF
the sin auditors he consolidated under
one auditor, and that the auditors OF
customs accounts located at the prtn- |
clpal ports. and known as naval ohi-
GERS. be made assistants to the audi
tors An increase in the efficiency OF
the Treasury audit will he one result
of the carrying out of these recon-
and the savings OF eN-
pense when the consolidation has been
fully completed viii amount 20 at least
$500. 900 a year, based upon current APP
The present orsanlza-
ton. under which six independent au-
dltors are engaged in the one work OF
final audit of the Government ac-
counts. is certainly one That can pro-
duce only diversity of practice ana
inefficient use of personnei
and equipment, and delay and uncer-
tainty of requirements from when the
public as well as officers of the Gov