Bisbee daily review., 1915-04-28
ECONOMY NEEDED TO CORRECT NEEDLESS
 WASTE OF CONFLICT
Efficiency Expert Studies Prob lems at the Front and Re- ports That Vast Savings Can Be made.


 LONDON, April 27-An efficiency expert who has been assigned to spec ial duty at the front studying possi- ble economies in equipment and sup plies, reports that there are endless opportunities for preventing waste. He says that opportunities would be just as profitable to the sum total of production as a ten or twenty per cent speeding up if the overworked factory hands in Manchester or Liver pool,
 ITO most laymen and many soldiers war is synonomous with waste" the expert writes and the question of preventing it hardly enters into the calculation of the average man.
 When war comes, complete met amorphosis takes place Necessity is mistress of the situation. What is wanted must be forthcoming, and of these wants tine executive officer is the sole judge There is no time for : inquiries; no opportunity for penal ties. Is it human that the average man. up to now bound hand and foot i by regulations, will have any con 1 scientious regard for the virtues of i economy? ! This spirit Of recklessness perme- ating all ranks Is largely accountable for the preventible waste which every thinking soldier knows exists in the. army today A visit to the advance ordnance depot is instructive to the man of business or the student of economy In walks quartermaster or his deputy. intent on getting what he wants. in addition he has one or two blank forms signed, which he will complete if he sees anything in the depot that he thinks he would Ike. His characteristic attitude is not What do l really want with a due re- gard for economy2' In fact he wants an he can get without regard to the wants of others. It is not surprising therefore that equipment SO easily procured win be carelessly expended
 "The writer has seen good soiled clothing burning on a heap of refuse 1 because it was easier to draw new than to wash the old He has seen articles 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 scattered along the road Some of this is inevi- table in war but nos to the extent 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 This same disregard of economy is eN. tended to the expenditure of ammuni. ton, which within limits, can be saved just as well S clothing. food o- oth- CT munitions of war
 It is easy to prove the case. but more difficult to propound a remedy. The hardened official will contend that waste, 1T excessive. is entirely due to defective discipline. and that it is only required to tighten the dis cipline to stop the leakage But while punishment of offenders may be good prevention of the offense is better, and the remedy is to be found not in adding to the terrors of disci- , pline but in embodying the cult oi , economy in the fabric of army train ing Supervision and accountancy must also help
 The reform could be effected after , this manner All hard and fast rules for the replacement and renewal oi , equipment should be abolished. The responsible officer should be allowed to draw what he wants at his discre- ton Each unit should be charged up with the book value of what it con. sumes It should be closely inspected at uncertain intervals to see that cv erything is up to standard and ser viceable Finally, due credit shoulC ] be given to the unit and commanding officer who produces the same or bet ter results at lower book cost By this means. scope within wise limits 2 would be given for the exercise of ad n mnistratve skin and closer individu al attention on the part of an rank. woud result
 "A method such as this. although outlined for peace should also be maintained during war, to the eXten that the wastage of each unit shoul,
 be tabulated in the base offices anC
 an average for similar units arriveI
 at Inquiry could then be made int,
 the case of such units as unduly ex
 ceeded the average, due allowance be
 ing made for special work done by th unit"