Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1912-01-24


ters of patronage time which they should
devote to questions of policy and admin
istration.
Business Methods.
In every case where technical pro-
cesses have been studied 1t has been dem
onstrated beyond question that large eco
Monies may be effected. The subjects
first approached were those which lie
close to each administrator, viz, office
practices. An Illustration of the posi-
Dilities within this field may be round in
the results of the inquiry into the meth
DDS of handling and filing correspondence
Every office in the government has re-
ported its methods to the commission
These reports brought to light the fact
that present methods were quite in the
reverse of uniform. Some offices follow
the practice of briehng all correspon-
dence; some do not. Some have fiat
files; others fold all papers before filing.
Some use press COPIES others retain only
carbon copies.
Need for Lavor-SaVing Office Devices.
The use of labor-saving office devices In
the service has been made the subject of
special inquiry. An impression prevails
that the government is not making use
of mechanical devices for economizing
labor to the same extent as are efficiently
managed private enterprises. A study
has been made of the extent to which
ueNlceS OF tIllS character are now DelnS
employed in the several branches of the
government and the opportunities that
exist for their more general use.
The efforts of the commission resulted
also in the adoption by several bureaus
departments of improved methods of do
ing copying. The amount of copy work
heretofore done by hand each year in the
many offices is estimated to aggregate
several hundred thousand dollars. The
commission exhibited, at its offices, ap-
planes that We're thought to be especial
ly adapted to this kind of government
work. Following these demonstrations
methods of copying were introduced
which have brought about a saving Of
over rs per cent. in offices where used
for six months This change in one small
cross-section of office practice will more
than offset the whole cost of by inquiry.
Waste in the Distribution of Public
Documents.
Going outside the office, one of the
business processes which have been in
vestigated is the distribution of depart
ment documents. This is a subject with
which both the congress and admins
tration heads are familiar. The prevail
ing practice in handling departmental
publications is to have them manufac-
tured at the government printing office;
each job when completed is delivered to
the department; here the books pam
are then sent to the postoffce; there they
are assorted and prepared for shipment
through the mails; from the postoffce
they are sent to the railroad station,
which is only a few steps from the gov
eminent printing office, when they
started. The results OF this laborious and
circuitous method is to make the use Of
the best mechanical equipment impractic-
able and to waste each year not less than
a quarter of a million dollars of govern
ment funds in useless handling, to say
nothing of the indirect loss due to lack
of proper coordination.
The use of equipment is a matter which
also has been investigated. Up to the
present time this investigation has been
in the main confined to the subject of
electric lighting
Lack of Specifications.
The Importance of establishing and
maintaining standard specifications is
found not only in the possibility of very
materially reducing the direct cost of gov
eminent trading, but also in insuring to
the service materials, supplies and equip
me1t which are better adapted to it's
purposes. One Of the results of indefn-
iteness of specifications is to impose con-
tract conditions which make it extra ha-
zardous for persons to enter into con-
tractual relations. This not only deprives
the government of the advantage Of
broad competition. but causes it to pay
an added margin in price to vendors who
must carry the risk.
The Budget.
The United States is the only great ma
ton whose government is operated with
out q budget This fact seems to be more
striking when it is considered that bud
gets and budget procedures are the out
growth of democratic doctrines and have
had an important part in the development
vic Tho
American commonwealth has suffered
much from responsibility on the part of
it's governing agencies. The constitution
al purpose of a budget is to make gov
eminent responsive to public opinion and
responsible for it's acts.
The Budget as an Annual Program.
A budget should be the means for get
ting before the legislative branch, before
the press, and before the people a definite
annual program of business to be finan-
ced; it should be in the nature Of pros
pectus both of revenues and eXpendI-
lures; it should comprehend every rela-
ton of the government to the people,
whether with reference to the raising of
revenues or the rendering Of service.
The principal government objects in
which the people of the United States
are interested include
The national defense; the protection Of
persons and property; the promotion OF
friendly TelaJlOnS ana the pTOleCJIOn OI
American interests abroad; the regulation
Of commerce and industry; the promotion
of agriculture, fisheries, forestry and min
ing; the promotion of manufacturing,
commerce, and banking; the promotion Of
transportation and communication; the
postal service including postal savings
and parcels post: the care for and utili-
cation of the public domain; the promo
ton of education, art, science and recre-
alton; the promotion of the public health:
the care and education of the Indians
and other wards of the nation.
These are public welfare questions in
which I assume every citizen has a vital
interest. I believe that every member OF
congress, as an official representative of
the people, each editor, as a non-offcial
representative of public opinion, each
citizen, as q beneficiary OF the trust i'm
posed on officers of the government,
should be able readily to ascertain how
much has been spent for each of these
purposes; how much has been appropri-
ated for the current year how much the
administration is asking for each of these
purposes for the next fiscal year
Furthermore, each person interested
should have laid before him clear we'll
digested statement showing in detail
whether moneys appropriated have been
economically spent and whether each d.
vision or office has been efficiently run.
This is the information which should be
available each wear in the form of a