Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-04-04

In Second Message This
Year on Economy, Presi-
dent Shows How $10,QO,-;
600 Annually Canbe Saved
FEDERAL OFFICERS
IN CIVIL SERVICE

Placing Of Local Govern
ment Offices in All Big De-
partments in Classified
Service Means Saving.
Washington, d. c., April 4.-Presi-
dent. Taft today sent to congress his
second message of the present year
on economy and efficiency in the gov.
ernment service He recommended
the passage of legislation designed to
save more than S11,000,000 annually
to the people of the United States.
Probably his two most striking pro-
posals were that the local government
Offices in the treasury, postofhce, JUS
,ice, interior and commerce and labor
departments, be placed in the classi-.
fed service and that the revenue cut
ter service be consolidated with the
lighthouse service in the department
OF commerce and labor.
BY the first change the president
said congress Could effect q saving OF
at least $lO, ,000, 600 annually and al.
though in this message he gave no
figures for the consolidation Of the
two services aof the sea, In q previous
message on the same subject early IN
the year, he predicted economies that
would total about $1,000,000 yearly.
The president concluded his mes
sage with an appeal to congress to
appropriate the 5000, 900 necessary to
/ si1nnort the econ nonly Aefhci isncEssc com,
mission f6r another year with $4,000
additional for the publication OF the
commissions findings.
Tire Principal Recommendations.
President Taft's principal recon-
mendations for economies were as fol-
lows:
Placing OF pension agents in classi-
fed service; estimated saving $4,000
annually.
Abolition .of ONCE Of receiver of dis
trict land Offices and transfer of duties
to register; assisted by bonded clerk;
estimated saving 100000 annually.
Transfer of political appointees" IN
internal revenue and customs services
to classified service; estimate OF saw
ings not given.
Consolidation of lighthouse and life
saving services into bureau Of light
houses; estimated saving 100000.
Transfer of vessels and equipment
Of revenue cutter service from treas
ury to commerce and labor depart
ment and its abolition as separate
service, estimated in message on econ
omy January II, that saving would be
about $1,000,000 year.
Consolidation of auditing offices Of
the government under one auditor;
estimated saving 100000 annually.
Discontinuance of mileage allow
ances for government travel and a per
diem allowance for officers and en-
ployees in place of subsistence
which includes lodging for those
travelling; no estimate Of saving given.
Improved method of handling cor
respondence; estimate Of saving not
given but predicted that labor can be
reduced 50 per cent.
Capitalization of the distribution OF
government documents; estimated
saving $242, 900 a year.
Discontinuance of publication of the
official register; estimated saving $45,-
900 annually.
Directly and indirectly" reads the
message, "the changes proposed will
result in the saving of many millions
of dollars of public funds
The Message in Full.
The message in full follows:
To the senate and the house of rep
resentatives
On the 18th of January last I sent
message to the congress describing
the work of the commission appointed
by me under authority of the acts of
June. 25, 1910, and March 3, 1911,
granting appropriations to enable me
to inquire into the methods of trans
acting the public business Of the
various executive departments and
other governmental establishments,
and to make report as to improved
efficiency and greater economy to be
obtained in the expenditure OF money
for the maintenance OF the govern
ment. BY way of illustrating the utility
OF the commission, and the work
which they were engaged upon, re-
ferred to number of reports which
they had filed, recommending changes
in organization of the departments
and bureaus of the government, the
avoidance Of duplication and functions
and services, and the installation of
labor-saving devices and improved
office methods All of the recommenda-
tions looked to savings of considerable
amounts. With the message of Febru-
ary s, 1912, transmitted to the con-
gress the reports on the centraliza-
ton of distribution of government
documents, on the use of window en-
(Continued on Page 2, Col. u