Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-04-30
STUDY WASTE !.
!. SIDE Of WAR
Fl. Efficiency. Has Been Assigned to
Study Possible Economics
in Military Operations.

London. April 2S.-An efficiency ex
pert, who has been assigned to spc
cial duty at the front, studying posi-
BILE economies In equipment and sup
plies, reports that there are endless
opportunities for preventing waste
says these opportunities would be
just as profitable to- the sum total Of
production as a 10 or 20 per cent
speeding up of the overworked fac
tory hands in Manchester or Liver
pool. %}
War 10 Waste.
ITO most laymen and many sol
diers war is synonymous with waste
writes the expert, sand the quqestioll
of preventing it hardly enters into the
calculation Of the average man.
when wal comes, a complete met.
amorphosis takes place. Necessity is
mistress Of the situation. All the
checks and penalties Of peace time
r imperative. What is wanted
must be forthcoming, and Of these
wants the executive officer liz the sole
judge. There Is no time for inqquir.
les; no opportunity for penalties. Is
1t human that the average man, up to
now bound hand and foot by regula.
lions, will have any conscientious re.
gard fer the virtues Of economy?
This spirit Of r~ecklessness perme.
,Ating all ranks is largely accountable
for the preventable waste which ev.
&eryr thing soldier knows exists inathe
army today. A visit to>sthe advance
depot is Instructive to the
man Of business or the student q
economy. In walks q quartermas.er
or his deputy, intent on getting what
he can. He probably has acquisitions
signed by his commanding officer, for
what he wants, in addition, he has
n or two blank forms signed, which
he will complete If he sees anything
in the depot that he thinks he would
like. His characteristic attitude is
not "What do l really want with a
due regard for economy" In fact, he
wants all he can get without regard
to the wants of others. 1t is not sur.
prising, therefore, that equipment sc
easily procured will be carelessly ex.
pended.
Clothes Burning
"The writer has seen good soiled
clothing burning on a heap Of refuse
because it was easler to draw new
than to wash the old. He has seer
articles exchanged for food with
civilians or given away as souvenirs:
he kas seen articles left in the mud
in vacated camps; ammunition tram
oled under foot in the trenches or
scattered along the road. Some Of
this is inevitable in war, but not tt
the extent that at present exists. 4
There is hardly a Belgion in thp
area occupied by our army that ID
not wearing some article of our CLOTH,
ing. This same disregard of econ.
omy is extended to the expenditure Of
ammunition, which within limits, can
be saved, just as we'll as clothing
food or other munitions of war.
ut is easy to prove the case, bal
more difficult to PROFOUND a remedy
The hardened official will conten,l
that waste, if excessive, is entirely,
due to. defective discipline, and tha'
1t is only required to tighten the dis
%Icipline to stop the leakage. But
while punishment OF offenders may be
godd, prevention Of the offense is bet
ter, and the remedy is to be found
not in adding to the terrors Of dis
tcipline, but in embodying the cult o!
economy in the fabric Of army train.
ing. Supervision and accountancy
must also help.
Reform Effected.
THE reform could be effected ate,
this manner: AL hard and fast rules
for the replacement and renewal o.
equipment should be abolished. The
responsible officer should be. allowed
ito draw what he wants at his dis
erection. Each unit should be charg
ed up with the book value Of what
III consumes. it should be closely in
spected at intervals to see that ev
erything is up to standard and ser
viceable. Finally, due credit should
he given to the unit and commanding
officer who produces the same or bet
ter results at a lower book cost. BY
this means, scope within wise limits
would be given for the exercise of ad,
ministrative skill and closer indiviG
ual attention on the part Of all ranks