The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1914-12-11
Secretary Of Department Of Com
merce Urges Wise Use Of
Government Funds
ANNUAL REPORT REVIEWS
THE WORK or HIS BUREAU
Domestic and Foreign Trade De-
velopment Along Economical
Lines Advocated

WASHINGTON, December s.--Eeon-
omy in the public service is the key
note Of the annual report of Secretary
Redheld, Of the department of com.
merce. In summarizing the work Of
the many bureaus of his department he
undertakes to suggest a wise use Of
government funds
If attention were directed not to
totals but to the wise use Of funds"
said Secretary Redfeld, $50 that the
latter should be made 70 produce the
utmost possible service, much would be
accomplished that Is now hardly sig-
gested or attempted Every Industrial
manager knows that economy requires
his plant TO be kept up In the best pro,
ductive condition. IL Is not economical,
in order to save a total expenditure, TO
allow the plant TO run down and then
have to build it up again. This does
not save money, but loses IL. Economy
| of this kind is not economy az all. IL
merely involves a cycle Of expensive
changes, costly in themselves and more
costly in their results.
/ "If, instead of arguing upon totals,
without regard to whether the money
which comprises these totals has been
! spent wisely OF unwisely, care were
centered on the need for expenditure
and for the wisdom with which that
need is met, money could be saved that
/ will otherwise continue to be lost. y
/ Foreign Trade Promotion
Summarizing the work Of the last
year in promoting foreign trade, Mr..
Redfeld says:
s'The United States is Que of the
| three foremost commercial nations. It
is essential to its prosperity that II
should be inferior to no other country
in its governmental system for the fos-
tering and protection of its trade, both
domestic and foreign Such a system
| is now firmly established. In foreign
countries the admirable. trade-develop,
ment work which the consular officers
Of the department OF state carry on is
now to be supplemented through the
service of corps Of COMMERCIAL at
taches, which will fill a gap heretofore
existing in our organization as COM
pared with that of other nations, These,
with the group Of special travelling In.
yestigators of commercial agents who
continue the valuable technical studies
Of markets abroad, constitute for the
first time in the foreign field a com
plete and well-balanced system Of fed
eral aid TO trade in foreign lands.
"The special fund for promoting com
merce in Central and South America, Of
which eighty per cent is allotted to field
investigations and the remainder in
Washington, should be continued and
supplemented, as a permanent occupa-
ton of Latin.Ameriean markets Is the
only wise policy for our government
to support. - iA
| Domestic Commercial Conditions
Various phrases Of the work of in
vestigating commercial conditions in
the United States are reviewed at
length.
'FThe important work which congress
assigned in collecting costs Of produc-
ton Of articles subject TO import duty
las been actively carried on in two
branches of industry. A survey Of the
earthenware pottery industry IN the
q United States and Europe has just been
completed and most practical and vain
able results have been obtained. Over
ninety per cent of the American pot
teries were investigated, and no more
complete study of an industry, II is be-
llieyed, was ever made. A similar study
of the great clothing industry is now
in progress. The committees of con-
gress will find in such reports the es.
sential facts in regard to an industry
necessary to intelligent legislation on
tariff matters. Such facts have here
tofore usually been available not from
disinterested governmental source
but from those whose interest might lie
either in increasing or lowering tarifr
rates. The value Of such detached and
disinterested investigations Of our in
dlistries is no longer in question, and
this service is not alone useful in re-
lation to tariff legislation, but Is I'M
!, doubtedly Of very marked promotiye
value to any industry that may be
studied by competent agents