Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-01-08
ASKS CONGRESS TO
/ HELP IN ECONOMY
President Taft, in Message, Adj
yoCates S25O,OOO APP
preparation.
FUND WILL BE AVAILABLE
FOR NEW WILSON REGIME
Purpose Is to Pay for Investi-
eating Departmental Ex-
travagance.


WASHINGTON, Jan. s.--Congress
Is asked to appropriate s25o,0OO for
continuing the Investigation of the
Commission on economy and eff1-
cheney into the executive depart
naents of the government in special
message today by President Taft
Transmitting to that body the report
Of the commission. In his message
the President points out that there
s. NO, greater service that can be rem
sfered to the country than that Of the
xo.1tinuance OF the work of the COM
dninsion until some form of organiza-
lion is provided for continuously doing
fhis kind of work under the execu-
Hive
B The President expresses the opinion
that the technique and procedure of
every branch and office of the govern
ment should be submitted to the same
painstaking examination as that
given those on which reports have
/ been made To do this, however,
President Taft says that ample funds
must be provided and he asks that
1 Congress make the $250,000 available
by March for the incoming Presi-
dent.
Plan Would save Millions.
"In my opinion says the Presi-
dent, this is not matter in which
the Congress should assume that
public money will be unwisely spent.
At a total cost of about $780, 900 dur
ing the twenty-one months covered
by tho work of the commission facts
have been developed and recommen-
dations have been made that, il fol-
lowed up, will result in savings of
millions of dollarf each year. This has
been done under the handicap of in
adequate funds and uncertainty of
continuation, which interfered with
the making of plans which could not
be completely executed within a few
months. 1t would be very much to
the advantage of the administration
II the President were authorized to
spend whatever amount he may deem
to be necessary within the next two
years. the only condition attached
being that he render an account of
expenditures.
Referring to the fact that it has not
been possible for the commission to
make final detailed reports on more
In Washington and in only one Office
outside of washington has work of
this character been undertaken, the
President says the reports submitted
will serve % illustrate the character
of results which may follow an ex-
tensive Investigation of office tech
nique and procedure
Opportunity for Economy.
ut is further to be noted,'' con-
tinues the President, that the Of
fees which have been reported on
are those which have been frequent
ly under scrutiny. From what is
known of the offices outside of Wash
ington it is. thought that it is in
this field that the largest opportuni-
ties for economy will be found-part-
ly due to the fact that these offices
have not been brought under scrutiny
and partly due to the fact that a
large number of them are dominated
by political appointees.
las illustrating the relative i'm
portance of service outside of Wash
ington it is of interest to note that
the cost of clerk hire at the New
York postoffice alone is more than
that incurred in the departments of
war. navy, state, justice and COM
merce and labor at Washington; that
in the custom house at New York
the cost of clerk hire is greater than
in any one department at Washing
ton."
The report of the commission con-
tains description of 10 subjects of
work and report, the results of TWEEN
ty-one months of work since its
organization. OF these fifteen have
been heretofore submitted as reports
to Congress, sixty eight have been
submitted as reports to the Presl-
dent or to heads of departments, and
twenty-seven still are in progress.
The Presidents message of today
transmits eleven other reports of the
commission. The changes recon-
mended by the commission carry
definite estimates of yearly saving
of several millions of dollars besides
other economies still larger in
amount, for which no definite esti
mates were made