Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-04-28
BIG PROBLEM IN
WAR IS To STOP
USELESS WASTE
Efficiency Expert Visits Bat
tlefieIdS and Tells of Reck-
less Expenditure of Prop
erty and Money.
tAssocIaied Press Correspondence,

London, April l6.--An efficiency
expert who has been assigned to spe-
clal duty at the front studying pos
slble economics in equipment and
supplies, reports that there are end
! less opportunities for preventing
waste. He says these opportunities
would be just as profitable to the sum
total of production as a ten or twenty
per cent speeding up OF the over
worked factory hands in Manchester
or Liverpool.
ITO most laymen and many soldiers
war Is synonymous with waste" writes
the expert, and the question of pre-
venting il hardly enters into the cal
culation of the average man.
When war comes a complete met
amorphosis takes place. Necessity is
mistress of the situation. All the
checks and penalties of peace-time
are imperative. What is wanted must
be Forthcoming, and of these wants
the executive officer is the sole judge.
There is no opportunity for inquiries;
no opportunity for penalties. is il hu-
man that the average man, up to now
bound hand and foot by regulations.
Will have any conscientious regard for
the virtues of economy?
Spirit of ReclSlessness
This spirit Of recklcssness per-
meatlng all ranks is largely account
able for the preventable waste which
every thinking soldier knows exists In
the army today. A visit to the ad
vance ordnance depot is instructive to
the man of business or the student
of economy. In walks quartermas-
ter or his deputy, intent on getting
what he can. He probably has requi-
sitions signed by his commanding Of
ficer, for what he wants; in addition
he has one or two blank forms signed,
which he will complete If he sees any
thing in the depot that he thinks he
would like. His characteristic atti-
tude Is not What do ! really want
with a due regard for economy In
fact he wants all he can get without
regard to the wants of others. II is
not surprising therefore that equip
ment so easily procured will be care
lessly expended.
THE writer has seen good soiled
clothing burning on a heap of refuse
because il was easier TO draw new
than TO wash the old. He has seen ar
ticles exchanged for food with civil
ians or given away as souvenirs; he
has seen articles left in the mud in
vacated camps; ammunition trampled
under foot in the trenches or scat.
tered along the road. Some of this
is inevitable in war, but not TO the ex.
tent that at present exists.
There is hardly a Belgian in the
area occupied by our army that is not
wearing some article of our clothing.
Remedy Is Difficult.
1T is easy to prove the case, but
more difficult to PROFOUND a remedy
The hardened official win contend
that waste, if excessive, Is entirely
due TO defective discipline, and that ii
is only required to tighten the disci-
pline to stop the leakage. But while
punishment of offenders may be
good, prevention of the offense is bet
ter, and the remedy is to be found,
not in adding to the terrors of disci-
pline, but embodying the cult of econ
omy in the fabric of army training
and accountancy
must also help.
THE reform could be effected af-
ter this manner: All hard and fast
rules for the replacement and renew
al Of equipment should be abolished.
The responsible officer should be al
lowed to draw what he wants at his
discretion. Each unit should be
charged up with the book value of
what il consumes. il should be closely
Inspected at uncertain intervals to see
that everything is up to standard and
Finally, due credit
should be given to the unit and COM
officer who produces the
same or better results at a lower book
cost.
"A method such as this. although
outlined for peace, should also be
maintained during war, to the extent
that the wastage of each unit should
be tabulated in the base offices and
an average for similar units arrived
at. Inquiry could then be made into
the case of such units as unduly ex-
ceeded the average. due allowance be-
ing made for special work done by the
unit