Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-08-03
WASTE AND CRAFT
AMONG CERTAIN OF
BRITISH OFFICIALS
(Associatd Press Correspondence

(Associatd Press Correspondence
London, July 16.-One of the first
witnesses who will ask for hearing
before Premier Asquith's new commit
tee to inquire into the possibility Of
eHecting economies in the management
of the British governments affairs, is
Sir A. B. Markham. member of Pare
lament for Nottinghamshire. For sew
eral years, both in and out of the
House of Commons, he has advocated
the necessity of a thorough supeYvis-
ion of the expenditure of every branch
of government activity. Here is what
he will tell the committee as outlined
in an interview:
There is fearful waste going on in
almost every department of the gov
eminent but most of all, 1 think, in
the war office. The waste there is pri-
marily due to the system of leaving
our great war organization in the
hands Of half-pay officers. We do not
encourage young men; they are snub-
bed by their older superiors whenever
they suggest a new business PROPOSE
ton, and all their initiative is killed.
Every tap is running to waste, for
has control Of the tap. In Germany the
spending departments were given over
to business men at the beginning of
the war. We ought to have done the
| same. We have tried to work with
system which may have done we'll
enough for peace time, but which is
useless now. Instead of putting the
colossal arrangements into the hands
of experienced business men, the war
office called up retired officers from
all parts of the country-men who,
however keen, could not possibly be
expected to understand the intricacies
OF the various organizations necessary.
1T is simply scandal the way the
food is being wasted. Take meat. A
man is allowed one and a quarter
pounds of meat daily. 1t is impossible
to eat so much meat. The result is q
quantity is thrown away or sold.
| another shameful waste, of money
is taking place in billeting. Hundreds
Of huts, to my knowledge, have been
empty for several months because thew
are not fit to live in. This means that
thousands of men are billeted at It's.
cd. per week when they ought to be
living in huts for which we paid to be
comfortable and draught and rain
proof.
THE greatest scandal Of the whole
lot has been taking place in the buy
ing Of horses. know Of cases where
horses have been bought by the war
office authorities. sent to camp, and re-
Jected as unfit. They were then sold at
an auction, bought again by dealers.
sent to the country, and bought again
by the war office authorities. A brand
is now being used, I am told, on the
quarters Of the horses but hitherto
the horses were branded on the f1oofs
believe, at any rate, somewhere
where the dealers could simply rasn
the brand Off.
| 'Takn the RAILWAYS as an inst.r,.
They certainly are under government
control. but they are managed bv bnsi.
ness men who meet. 1 understand
every day.
i know for fact that If YOU want
sixpenny rubber stamp in a certain
government military ONCE YOU have to
get the initials Of men in eight dif-
ferent departments.
Anotner great waste Of the peoples
money is IN coal. Our great railway
companies alone consume 10000 tons
OF coal per day. They are paying
sometnlng like 30s. ton for it. The
government having guaranteed the
dividends Of the railway companies
the money of this extra cost comes
out OF the. peoples pockets.