The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-01-17

In many ways the president inform
ed congress-, a decrease in the cost of
government might be assured. There
is need, he said, Of reorganization of
the government departments, a con
solidation and a wedding out of bu-
that overlap in their work;
scores of "local Offices throughout
the country that should be abolished
and hundreds Of political appointees
who do but little work should be taken
off the payroll, and there should be
an Improvement in personnel Of gov
eminent employees through the intro
duction Of the civil service in prac-
tically every field; business methods
should be employed by Uncle Sam just
as big corporations use them, a mod
ern system of accounting and report
ing should be adopted and last of all
the economy commission should be
continued in its work.
The treasury department, Mr.. Taft
showed, looked after the nations A.
nances and the ~life-saving service.
The commission, he said, had recon-
mended the abolition of the revenue
cutter service, which would mean a
saving of 100000 a year.
All in Classified Service.
"The greatest economy and eff
cheney and the benefits which may ac-
crue from the presidents devoting his
time to the work which is most worth
while" said the president, may be
assured only by treating all the dis
tinctly administrative officers in the
department at washington and in the
field in the same way as inferior Of
ffcers have been treated. The time
has come when all these officers should
be placed in the classified service.
The time has also come when those
provisions of law which give to those
officers a fixed term of years should be
repealed. So long as a fixed term OF
years is provided by law the question
of reappointInent of an officer, no mat
ter how efficient he may have per-
formed his duties, will inevitably be
raised periodically. So long as APP
~pointrnent to these offices must be
confirmed by the senate, and so long
as appointments to them must be
made every four years, just as long
it will be impossible to provide a force
of employees with a reasonably perma-
nent tenure who are qualified by rea-
o Of education and training to dc
the best work"
Giving examples Of excessive gov.
eminent expenditure along certain
lines the president told congress that
in n department it cost 1884 pei
thousand to handle incoming mail and
in another department $s4.40 per thou
sand. For handling outgoing mail one
department expended 1894 per thou
sand: another $69.89. Either one de-
partment paid too much or the other
not enough, he said. In travel alone
the government expends about $12,-
600, 900 a year Definite tests, he point
| ed out, have show that a saving In
this item alone of a little over half Of
l cent a mile probably oculd be eff.
fected.
Through the introduction of labor
saving machinery; through the elimi-
nation of unnecessary copy work, BY
cutting down needless expense in the
distribution of public documents and
in many other ways could millions be
saved each year. The president urged
the adoption of the budget system
which would bring before congress, the
press the people OF the country
not only the proposed expenditures
but its venue The United States
is the only great nation whose gov-
eminent Is operated without a bud
get" he said. Later. the president de-
clared, he intends to send to congress
a plan for the retirement of civil en-
ployes on pensions which will safe
guard the government interest and YET
provide for their old age.