The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-04-18
FISCAL REFORMS
SAVE MILLIONS
TREASURY DEPARTMENT is AN
EXAMPLE or ECONOMICAL
ADMINISTRATION OF
PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

The treasury department has recent
~ received the commentator of theI
Democratic appropriation committee
Of the House OF Representatives for
the results achieved in bringing about
economy and efficiency in that de-
partment The general basis OF this
unusual praise is the fact that IL is
costing two and half million dollars
year less to run this big business
machine of the government that il did
three years ago when President Taft
began his administration and initiat-
ed his campaign for governmental
economy by placing an experienced
business man--Secretary Mac Veagh-
at the head of the treasury depart
ment.
The amount now saved each year
is "A ten per cent reduction in the pre-
vious cost. 1t tells but half the story
of the actual economy effected: for
there has been u ten per cent increase
I'm the business of the department
during this time, making a total gain
in the interest OF the taxpayer Of
twenty per cent
The eagerness that now exists 10
make political capital out of criticism
makes the fact eminently striking that
through this period of investigation
and inquiry the treasury department
has been found "a fruitless field OF
operation. II 1t has not even been
mentioned in connection with the al
legged money trust" for the reason
that the treasury department is now,
for the first time. wholly independent
of the big bankers of the country in its
operations. That the department
should always be above the slightest
ground for neral criticism is. of
course one Of the fundamentals of its
administration.
Frauds are Punished.
The principal functions of the treas
ury department are to collect the In
come If the government and to pay
it, bills. Added to these duties are
others which have important parts In
the machinery of government. such as
| the supervision and control OF the ma
tons dinances. accomplished through
the fiscal bureaus OF the department.;
the construction of government build
| ings throughout the country; the oper-
alton Vt the public health service; the
revenue cutter service; the life saving
service: the secret service; and the
supervision over fidelity and contract
bonds for the entire government In
each of these branches have reform
of administration and economies been
made during the past three years.
The vigor with which the admins
tration has gone after those who have
attempted frauds on the customs rev.
enue is illustrated by the fact tina;
more than five million dollars has
been collected in fines against dishon-
est importers and attempted SNUG
glers. all sentences in numerous in
stances have been aided to the fines.
| The result has been the creation Of a
| wholesome respect for the law on the
part of importers and Americans who
travel in foreign lands. The entire
machinery for the collection of Gus
toms has been overhauled, with the
result that valuations are made more
accurately and many channels for
| frauds have been stopped. one of the
special aids i'm this connection has
been the Special Agents Service which
the secretary has taken personally in
hand.
The other collection agency. the In
ternal Revenue Service. has bcch
! brought to high degree Of efficiency
Its collections last year were the high
est i'm it's history--$322,0 600, 000-whics
was collected at the expense of one
| cent and sixty-cight hundredths of u
cent for each dollar a substantial de-
crease in cost. Internal revenue col
lcctors arc now giving tho major por-
ton Of their time to their official du.
ties, an innovation brought about for
the first time through the insistence
Of the president that efficiency of al
ministration was more 10 be desired
than the developing OF political ma
chimes.
Where Savings Resulted.
Savings i'm the method of priniing
| the paper money of the country have
1 .sT