The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-15
PRESS SAVES
PAPER BUT US,
SQUANDERSIy
House Hears Government
Spends Millions in Need
less Publications.
WALSH ASSAILS WASTE
"Evory Little Bureau Has Bull
letin Of Its own" He De-
clares, Citing Examples.

Special DespafcA to TEE suS.
wAsHINoroN, Sept. 1.-THE waste Of
tons and tons OF white paper and Of
millions Of dollars in Government funds
by the myriad governmental agencies.
while newspapers of the nation have
been forced to cut their paper consump-
ton Is per cent. was revealed TO the
House to-day by Representative Walsh
tMass). The result OF all of this waste.
Mr.. Walsh said, has been to stimulate
and make more regular the use Of the
waste basket in places where It had
hitherto been permitted to repose undis-
turbed."
Paraphrasing a song once popular.
Mr.. Walsh declared, every little bureau
has a bulletin Of its own.
II desire to direct attention to what
may be termed a practice. or perhaps a
be- habit. or possibly more properly dis
ease" he eaid. (which seems to have
become prevalent during the last twelve
or fifteen months, especially among the
newly established boards, branches,
bureaus, commissions. committees, de-
partments, divisions. groups. sections
and other component parts Of our Gov
eminent machinery, moro particularly
outside of the military.
The epidemic has been an expensive
one and has resulted In an increase OF
from four to i've millions of dollars in
expenditures, and the end apparently ID
not yet
Taxpayers Not Benefited.
ct refer to the greatly increased ex.
penditures in the printing cost of the
Government. This increase will. be.
lieve. be Ave millions Of dollars more
this year than It was before our entrance
into the war, and the increase Is moi
solely because Of increased printing
needs Of the War and Navy departments
The taxpayers have. to my mind, no,
received any beneft commensurate will
this increase in cost"
Mr.. Walsh then referred to the grow
ing popularity OF waste baskets and said
IT doubt II many of the various gov
ernmental departments have curtnilet
their output of publications or bulletini
to any appreciable degree. On the othe
hand many other departments have in
creased their issuance. and each new
bureau or agency seems to be created
with an unappeasable appetite for pitt
less publicity which can only be PARTIAL!
satisfied by a corps of experts. editors
special writers. artists and other i'm
pediments.
Lack OF Economy.
''Ons would naturally expect. and
submit the people have a right to de
mand, the practice OF economy In ex
penditures not intimately associates
with our activities during these seriou
times. but Indications of this are sadl
lacking. Possibly here and there a docu
ment or bulletin may have been dis
pensed with or discontinued. but ney
ones have been issued either by tina
department or by another. until the lis
has become most formidable. and prob
ably 1t will be claimed the combined is
sues Of Government publications are dc
ing most effective work In pushing III
enemy back to and beyond the Hinder
burg line.
The War Industries Board has OF
dered the daily and weekly newspaper
to curtail in the use OF print paper an
to comply with other restrictions. Tn
edict will be obeyed by the press Ye
while calling for conservation and ecor
omy by stern decree on the part OF II
newspapers OF the country. the Feder'
Government has been. and Is. practisin
most wasteful methods in the use an
consumption of print paper by its var
Gus activities and agencies.
DeluEe OF Bulletins.
'~The United States. through its officia
and departments. should set an examp
Of economy and conservation. but. ala
on the contrary, we have a deluge
bulletins, reports, surveys, magazines ar
various other publications which o.
choking the Government Printing Ofic
clogging the mails and cluttertng I
many an office or counting room In bus
ness houses and numerous parlors or 81
ting rooms in quiet. happy homes. al
this at a time when we are urged {
every side to practise thrift and say
buy War Saving Stamps and economiz
why, Mr.. Chairman. IL these psycholo
ical editors or editorial psychologists a
paid at space rates, at the gait we a
travelling the recent expenditures for al
planes we did not get will pale into l
significance.
''It has been stated on good authori
that Il takes more than one pound
coal to supply power sufficient TO produ
one pound OF paper, but much lie
quantity of brains is SUFFICIENT to was
tons Of the same print paper AFTER II
been produced.
I'VE ought, Mr.. Chairman. In this W
time to be publishing fewer documer
and less postage free. tax exempt pup
cations. bulletins, letters. magazines.
ports and various and sundry papers.
Enter the Omeial Bulletin.
I'VE have travelled far and at pa
fast and furious since that fateful d
when the OrictdI BulIetin burst hami
forth across a war becloudsd sky vi
Its announcement that 1t was design
10 inform the public on the progress
the war and of official acts incide
thereto
"One was inclined at that time
wonder II the presses of the daily
weekly newspapers had suddenly be
scrapped or II Journalism had been
clared reasonable. This publicati
was at the outset apparently han
capped by tendency on the part
one Of It's ingredients to consider
world as his oyster and to confuse wi
actually occurred at sea and elsewh'
with what was happening in the kalei'
scopic brain Of him who penned thu
epics which need not now be repeat
1t is only fair to say. however. I
publication has been toned down sor