The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-18

agency. It is only after such a thorough inquiry has been made by experts who are not charged with the grinding de- tails of official responsibility, however, that conclusions may be reached as to how this best can be done.
 I sincerely hope that Congress will not in it's anxiety to reduce expenditures eeonomize by cutting off an appropria- tlon which is likely to offer greater op- portunity for real economy in the future than any other estimated for
 Vigorous Prosecution of the Inquiry
 Economies actually realized have more than justified the total expenditures of the inquiry to date. and the economies which will soon be made by executive ac- tion based upon the information now in hand, will be many times greater than those already realized. Further more, the inquiry is in process of es- tahishing a sound basis for recommenda- tions relating to changes in law which will be necessary in order to make eff fectve the economies which can not be provided by executive action alone. Still further. 1t should be realized that the progress made by the inquiry has been notable when measured against the mag nitude of the task undertaken. The prin- cipal function of the inquiry has been that of coordination. The commission
 
 central clearing house for the com mittees of the various departments and establishments. By no other means can the cooperation which is essential be de- veloped and continued throughout the government service.
 Helpful as legislative investigations may be in obtaining information as a basis for legislative action, changes which af feet technical operations and which have "a dn with fba details nf method and procedure, necessarily followed in effec- lively directing and controlling the actiyi- ties of the various services, can be sue cessfuly accomplished only by highly trained experts. whose whole time shall be given to the work, acting in CO., operation with those who are charged with the handling of administrative de- tails. The -unbuilding of efficient serv-
 ice must necessarily be an educational process. With each advance made there will remain to those who conduct the details of the business an additional in- centive to increase the efficiency and to realize true economy in all branches of the government service.
 As has been said, the changes which have already been made Iare resulting in economies greater than the cost of the inquiry; reports in my hands, with rec concentrations, estimates approximately s2,00,000 of possible annual economies; other subjects under investigation ind- cate much larger results. These represent only few of the many services which should be subjected to like painstaking inquiry. If this is done, it is beyond question that many millions of savings may be realized. Over and above the economy and increased efficiency which may be said to result from the work of the commission as such is an indirect result that can not well be measured. I refer to the influence which vigorous, thoroughgong executive inquiry has on each of the administrative units responsi- ble to the executive. The purpose being constructive, as soon as any subject is inquired into each of the services af- fected becomes at once alert to oppor- tunities for Improvements So real is this that eagerness in many instances must be restrained For example, when re- ports were requested on the subject of handling and filing correspondence, So many changes were begun that it became necessary to issue a letter to heads of de- partments requesting them not to permit