Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-01-02


WASHINGTON, D.. c., Jan. lex
ecutive documents that dribble along
in the holiday mail of the speaker of
the house. show where great sums Of
government money go with every pass
ing year. Legislators, who were real
solons in their day and have long since
passed the way Of all legislative solons,
preached and practiced the doctrine of
publicity, now supposed to be modern
thought. By enactments, which, first
and last, numbered scores, If not hun
Ldreds, they imposed upon the depart
ments the necessity of making transac-
tions public.
That is why the executive documents,
covering a wide range of expenditure,
come in the speakers mail at this time
of year and eventually are published.
But these reports are chiefly tabula-
tions and columns of figures. OF course
up-to-date people, as rule, pay little
heed to such an output. They are too
busy to scan and analyze. Who cares
that 500 were paid to civilian engl-
neer to make = survey of Podunk creek
with a view to its Improvement when
an appropriation from congress could
be obtained? Who cares that the trav-
cling expenses Of Special Agent BIZ
Jones. investigating land frauds on the
public domain amounted to 1887 with
in few months?
But most of these comparatively
small expenses, which run into millions
annually, are all reported in detail 20
congress 1t would not he correct to
sa ythat the expenditures are I'm
proper Very many of them can not
be avoided, if the government is to be
run efficiently. And yet the fact re-
mains that there probably could be
much curtailment without impairing ef-
aciapcu in the pI1hIic service.
Travel bills, for instance have In
creased and multiplied during the last
decade. AZ has become an attraction
of office holding at Washington, that
one has the opportunity Of seeing the
world without expense, as enlistment
posters for the army and navy alluc-
ingly announce. The bureau chief, who
can not get in a pleasant trip or two
every year to some distant part of the
country, is rather slow. He is looked
down upon by his more enterprising
colleagues.
MANY "ON THE WING"
There are literally hundreds of gov
eminent men," as they are often cali
ed out in the states, who are ION the
wing" nearly all of the year. They
have a great variety or missions Some
are connected with the score and more
of commissions and others are special
agents, inspectors and the Ike E.i'
of course, are within the law. Other
wise they could not draw their expense
money. Primarily, congress is as mucn
to blame as heads of departments, II
there are abuses. The comptroller OF
the currency, a stern official, must ap.
prove of every item as coming within
the law.
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson has
just reported -sf.1S expenditures Tor
travel" in his department for the year
amounted to s1s7,50s.s5. That is only
one of the nine departments. Some
spent much less for travel and some
spent a vast deal more. But the de-
partment of agriculture serves as a fair
example There were rs different ac-
counts and some accounts carriedl eH-
penses for a number of men. The travel
incident to congressional seed distribu-
ton cost $5,942.99; that incident to the
management Of national forests (ehiet-
ly in the west) aggregated $12,279. The
bureau of entomology spent $S4 on
travel in connection with investigations
and the destruction of deciduous fruit
insects; 1852 for travel that had to 10
with miscellaneous insects and $3.50
on travel that concerned prevention OF
the spread of moths.
protection and removal of elk in
Wyoming" cost $643.70 in travel ex-
penditure For travel on account OF
diseases
paid out $3.343; travel on account OF
meat inspection cost almost an equaf
sun-S3763 Travel that had a bear
ing upon food habits of birds and
mammals amounted to s5,373.9O. The
bureau of statistics had a travel ex-
pense of $21O6 for special investiga-
tions
The office of public roads, in the de-
partment of agriculture, maintains lot
fvoxr he nm c.
count of road management amounted to
So, ZIG; for investigating road building and
maintenance, $9,679 and travel in securing
road material cost $3.50 more. The
weather bureau prophets Travelled during
the year at cost of 1896. These men
journeyed to deliver addresses on wealth
er bureau work. to inspect river districts,
to consult about flood warnings, to install
apparatus and conduct solar radiation in
vestigations to inspect photographic
stones, storage batteries and examine in
strument exposures, not to mention
great number of other errands.
JOURNEYS FAR AND WIDE.
Agents and officials of the bureau Of
plant industry journeyed far and wide. |
An assistant agriculturist, for example.
went on a trip into the south ito inves- I
tigate tillage problems, weed eradication,
and other phases of farming" at an ex-
penSe or ~ FOR travel. ne went 10 DSN-
erly, Mass, and Auburn, Ne, on sim
liar errand at travel cost of $51. A rice
expert went to Texas, Oklahoma and 9TH
er points to study and conduct expert
mental work on rotten neck" disease of
rice, for which the travel bills were $500.
A Economist in charge of crop acclima-
tization journeyed even to Jerusalem,
Jaffa, Palestine, Cairo, Gizeh, Tanta,
Zagazig, Monsurah. Fayicum, Assault and
other points in Assyria and Egypt to in
vestigate and secure varieties of Egyptian