New-York tribune., 1918-09-15
Representative Ridicules
Kind of Publicity Issued
by Government
ConservationUnknown
Work in Department of Alien
Property Custodian Cited to
Prove Extravaganza
Especial Dispntch IN Tbc T,;bu,,

NhPccWt DtSpntch TO INC IftbNHf)
WASHINGTON, Sept. 14-With news
papers of the country being called
upon by the Federal government to
observe drastic conservation rules, de-
partmental and bureau press agents
are wasting vast quantities of print
paper in useless publicity" Repre-
sentative Walsh, of Massachusetts. Re-
publican, declared in the House late
to-day.
"The newspaper Of America" Mr.
Walsh said, "are patriotic and they
ought not to be made by Federal de-
cree victims of demands on the ground
OF economy and conservation while
"astefuiness and extravaganza arc
gwen free hand in governmental
boards and departments"
Most of the departments Of the rov-
ernmcnt seem to have an "unappeasablc
appetite for pitiless PUBLICITY" Mr..
Walsh said. He added that the proper
way to describe the situation is to
paraphrase once popular song.
Every little bureau has bulletin of
its own"
Nh Walsh estimated the increase in
the governments printing bill for this
year at about $4,000 600. This does not
include the large expenditure for the
corps OF publicity experts, editors, spe-
clal writers and artists
Bulletins Clog Mails
Il doubt if many of the various gov
ernmental departments have curtailed d
their output Mr. Walsh said. con
the other hand, many other depart
ments have increased their issuance
and each new bureau seems to have an
unappeasable appetite for pitiless pub
licity.
"The War Trade Board or War In
dustries Board has ordered the daily
and weekly newspapers to curtail the
use of print paper and to comply with
other restrictions. This edict will be
obeyed by the press. Yet the Federal
government has been and is practicing
the, most wasteful methods in the use
and consumption of print paper.
"The government should set an ex-
ample of economy and conservation,
but, alas! we have a -deluge of bulletins
reports, surveys, magazines and other
publications choking the Government
Printing Office and clogging the mails.
If some of the government editors
are paid at space rates the recent ex-
penditure for airplanes we did not get
will pale into insignificance.
sit has been said on good authority
that it takes more than one pound Of
coal to supply power sufficient to pro-
duce one pound of paper, but much
less quantity of brains is sufficient to
waste tons of the same print paper
after it has been produced
Palmer's Methods Criticised
Mr. Walsh cited a number Of in
stances "where either JOY CT position
or scatter-brain administration has cost
Uncle Sam need ess dollars" Among
the publications he mentioned was "The
Reclamation Record"
1.-THE September issue contains ex-
tracts from several members of the
Senate and House, three or four pages
of reprints from editorial articles. a
list of farm names, which will be a
great relief to the sturdy wheat grow
err he said. Gle can now christen his
farm by smashing a bottle of butter
milk against the silo, after the ship
launching style, and dub his farm any
thing from island Home to Mountain
Glen'"
Mr.. Walsh criticised the publicity
methods Of A. Mitchell Palmer, Alien
Property Custodian. "Here is an in
stance" he said, "where the Alien
lopclty SuSlOuldH ueS!rlHR TO ulSpOSc
Of the preperty of George Ronda. of
Boonton, N. j., a manufacturer Of
some sort of powders, sent out d
twelve-page pamphlet announcing the
proposed sale of the Bonda property
under the trading with the enemy act
Ordinary paper would not suffice for
the announcement. 1t was printed on
fine coated paper estimated to cost 10
to IL cents pound and sent through
the mails in heavy manila envelope.
Not content with the expensive paper,
care was taken to have borders on each
page almost as wide as the space taken
hv the printed mattarv