Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-09
DETAIL IS CRITICISED
Economy Commission Reports
on Adjutant Generals Office.
LONG REPORTS REQUIRED
Errors, No Matter How Small, Cause
Elaborate Explanations.


"An example of over-elaboration in the
matter Of administrative control of the
clerical force Of the office and what APP
pears to be the unvarying policy to go
into the utmost detail in all matters, re-
CARELESS of their Importance or Of the
time Of expense involved" is given by the
commission economy and efficiency In
its special report in regard to the bust
general of the army.
The statement applies to the practice OF
the office when an error occurs in con-
nection with the clerical work. A de-
scription Of the procedure in such cases
covers nearly ten pages of typewriting-
When a clerical error has been made,
the report says, the terrorist is required
to submit to the chief clerk of the office,
through his chief of division, a full re-
port in writing setting forth an explana-
ton of the error. An elaborate form OF
correspondence is provided. In the first
place the clerk is requested to state the
cause of the apparent error: Or if the
cause is not known, the probable cause
or a theory of the cause. The clerk also
is requested Ito suggest a remedy Ior,
OF SudTu dSdl1St VI VI PiNN
Of this kind of an error.
Remedy for Error.
An accompanying memorandum by
Chief Clerk Frech says that the remedy
for the error lis solely within the power
and control of the explainer' when the
error is due either to inexperence. or is-
norance, or misunderstanding. or forget
full ,f r,I11 rrfNrinlp
adequate care. or undue haste, or insuHh-
Gent effectiveness, or neglect.
'In such event" says the chief clerk,
and also in any event when the explain
er Of an error himself discovers or recos-
nizes that a feasible and understanding
remedy is entirely within his own control,
the printed clause d of form 21o is ODD
viously literally Inadequate and it should
consequently be interpreted and answered
as though it read as follows:
Having this end in View You are also
requested I'D to state, If practicable,
remedy for. or guard against. or means
of prevention of this kind of error. ana
if the stated remedy is within your own
control you are requested to state (e)
whether you have adopted it since the
occurrence of this error, U) whether you
have determined to adopt 1T. Without
this information the record of the 1nVeStl-
CATION would be obviously incomplete
Memorandum Supplemented.
This memorandum is supplemented by
another in the same line. When a sug
gested feasible remedy" it says. 'unob-
jectionable from an economical or other
point of view, tending to minimize re-
currence of class of errors is beyond
the control of the errOrist, but is WITHIN
the control or authority of his immediate
official superior, or the chief of the rele-
want division, a statement should be add
ed by the proper official superior, show
ing whether or not the remedy has been
adopted: because, without such state
ment. the record of the investigation
would be incomplete. in that it does not
show whether the suggested remedy has
been adopted and, therefore. inquiry IN
this regard would need to be instituted
thus unnecessarily frightening the record
of the investigation.
Still another memorandum gives a list
and exposition of "some topics that 1t is
useful for a chief of division to have IN
mind when weighing the question or pro-
priety or completeness Of an error-report
submitted to him by an employe or ms
division before forwarding it as a salts
factory report.
Proper Error Report.
An error-report is likely to be proper
and satisfactory it is stated. when it is
frank, complete, precise, relevant. ex-
plicit. material adequately analytic,
courteous and accurate" On the other
hand, IAN improper or defective error
report by the errorist'' is stated to be
probably either 'insincere, incomplete.
unprecise, irrelevant, inexplicit imma-
terial insufficiently analytic. discourte-
Gus or inaccurate" memorandum con-
tains a detailed statement of how the
error-report is likely to be unsatisfactory
in each of the nine cases enumerated.
Equally elaborate are the rules and
regulations of the adjutant generals Of
flee designed to secure the observance
Of comfy toward coordinate employees
and divisions" Detailed memoranda on
that s'tbject cover eight typewriter
pages.
Ethics on Criticism.
A memorandum by the chief clerk gives
an essay on the ethics of "censorious
criticism Of an act of division, a sec
ton or an employe, or by division, sec
ton or employee, and tells when an act is
in violation of the principle of comfy.
He says lit is important for one to be-
come adequately conversant with the
principles Of comfy. otherwise one may
frequently give offense unwittingly and
not always find opportunity to explain
that it was due to particular ignorance
or forgetfulness and not to design" Lib
eral quotations are made from Innes
Human Nature" Joven on Morality"
Kerl on "Composition' and other authors
in order to demonstrate the advantage of
apnlyiDp the PRINCIPLES of the "gOlden