The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-05-28
Inaugurates Survey to Re-
duce Lost Motion in War
Department Bureaus
CHANGES INVOLVE
$4,000 EMPLOYEES
Col. Reeves, Ex-President Of Norwich
University, in Charge Of Inquiry by
Which It Is Hoped to Establish Con-
structive Reforms

Which It Is Hoped to Establish Con-
structive Reforms.
WASHINGTON, May 2s.-With
view to determining where more army
red tape may be eliminated, Benedict
Crowell, first assistant secretary of
war, has inaugurated thorough inves-
tigation into the office personnel and
methods of the various war department
bureaus. The survey is being conduct
ed by Colonel Ira l.. Reeves, an infan-
try officer, detailed temporarily in the
inspector general s department
"The inquiry said Mr.. Crowell to-
day, ''is intended to be of construc-
tive nature. No criticism will be
made unless accompanied by full recon-
mendations as to an improved means
of performing the work. 1t is intended
to make changes of an evolutionary
rather than revolutionary nature. Re
ports are rendered from day to day of
weak spots in the war department or
ganization with recommendations that
immediate steps be taken looking to
their correction. The intention is that
no general plan of reorganization shall
be attempted, as such a plan would re-
tard activities. The idea is to speed
up, but to do it through elimination,
one at time, of congested centres Re-
suits are being expeditiously obtained,
and it is believed that the survey al
ready has resulted in increased eficien-
cy, the speeding up of activities gen
orally and the turning out of greater
amount of work with fewer employees -
There has been very rapid expansion
of the various bureaus of the war de-
partment. At the outbreak of the war
there were fewer than 5000 employees
ON duty. The number is now approx
mately $4,000, an increase of 500 per
cent. The increase in the army itself
has been more than l,500 per cent.
The increase in personnel at the admin
istrative end of the war has not kept
pace with the growth of the military
establishment. ssSssssss zassss- ssssases.
When the present inquiry was be-
gum said Mr.. Crowell, "many criti-
cisms of the war department were taken
up for consideration. Some of these
were based on presumption and were
not of constructive nature The in
quiry has developed the fact that many
plumbers were attributable largely to in
experience on the part of those charged
with the responsibilities and the lack
of sufficient trained force to master at
once all the details of the enormous
underta king
"When the United States entered the
war the entire army, including all of
ficers and enlisted men, consisted of
less than 100000. The army, however,
had had some experience in handling
problems larger than those normally
confronting it in the mobilization of
the National Guard on the Mexican
border The border troubles also had
resulted in a small increase in the per-
manent establishment and the retention
in the service of a considerable mum
Der of National Guard troops
Four out of every hundred officers in
the service now were in the army at the
time the war began. Probably less than
one-third of per cent of the entire
commissioned force has had sufficient
service to be equipped for responsible
military positions as judged by Euro
pean standards.
Army officers say that one feature of
the military administration which is
not plain to the laymen is the fact that
there are legal requirements king it
necessary that more complete records be
kept of all military activities than is
required in the case of large industrial
institutions. These requirements usually
are referred to as cred tape They
involve an increased amount of Office
work, requiring large clerical and SUI
pervisory force.
In the face of such legal restric-
tions as exist" said Mr.. Crowell, "the
army has attempted to clear itself of
so-called red tape. 1t is the purpose
of the present inquiry to eliminate lost
motion and get direct results. Most of
the bureaus already have employed eff
ficiency experts who have attempted
to install modern methods. Many new
suggestions have been made which are
rapidly being carried into effect. In
installing new efficiency methods it has
been essential to maintain certain char
acteristics of the military establishment
necessary to sustain military disci-
pline.'