The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-08-28
THE WAY CONGRESS
SPENDS OUR MONEY.
Herbert Quick Denounces
the Existing Sub Com
nittee System.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2s.-Herbert
Quick, retiring member of the Farm
Loan Board, today vigorously de-
nounced the entire subcommittee
system which recommends to Con-
gress appropriations for the yerious
departments of government.
Mr.. Quick characterized the work
OF the sub committee as careless, in
efficient and extrayagant. He declar-
ed that there will not be fair dis
tribution of funds among the COM
ponent units of the departments I'M
I'll the national government adopts .
definite budget system.
Mr.. Quick who is known nationally
as a writer of books and contributor
to magazines, was appointed by Pres
ident wilson to the Farm Loan Board
at a salary of $4,000 shortly after
the organization OF that body eight
cen months ago. He Is responsible
for the adoption of numerous effici-
ency measures in his own department
and is voluntarily leaving his pres
ent position to resume his work as a
writer.
Under present conditions" said
M Quick. bureau chiefs and field
men are often allotted a meagre time
Sometimes only five minutes-to set
forth their annual requirements to
an uninterested subcommittee In
this brief period they are frequently
expected to review work that calls for
an outlay of many hundred thousand
dollars. Hearings are generally held
before subcommittee Of three mem
bers of the Committee on Appropria-
tons Of the House.
mo attempt is made to select the
personnel of the subcommittee with
any idea of its fitness for the task at
hand. Members are more frequently
than not totally unfamiliar with the
technicaI side OF the bureau whose
requirements they are to pass upon.
They seem to take 1t for granted that
than 1t really needs and actually pre-
Judge the case before testimony S
heard.
Decisions are largely based upon
the amount of money allotted to the
bureau for the previous fiscal year
and bureau heads who wish to in
sure a fan. allotment generally have
to lobby their cause weeks in advance
of the hearing.
"The bureau chief that has friend
at court often succeeds in securing
appropriations far in excess of &C
tual requirements. OF course, this
means that corresponding reduction
must be made somewhere else or a
gener:d slicing in appropriations must
result. When the man who is ex-
amined as to the bureau needs ap.
pears before the tribunal, it is not al
all unusual to find two of the COM
mittee half asleep and inattentive,
and the third perhaps is frankly hos
tile to the matter in hand.
j know of one bureau that asked
for quarter Of million dollars to
function effectively during the next
twelve months. This sum represent
ed careful estimate of the units alb
solute requirements. The bureau has
calculated its needs down to the last
penny and the estimate was conserva-
tive In the extreme.
The bureau chief was given Just
five minutes to state his case and
when the committee announced its
AtbN4otou oSNSIol udyh ldlSE, IH6 SZOU,-
600 requisition was cut down to $780,
90.
One Of the chief troubles is that
the minute Congressman is elected
to office, he starts his campaign for
reelection, and the thought of reelec-
ton occupies his mind to the exclu-
sion of departmental duties. Half the
men now in the Lower House are not
Cited for their places. If they get
4 certain number of lighter than-air
npeeches in the Congressional Record
mat can be read by the folk back
home, they consider that their term
Of office has been well Hoent.
Department cannot hope to get
FAIR appropriation until there is a
Bureal Of the Budget or some per.
manent organization to which bureau
chiefs and field men may explain
their needs in advance of the period
set for hearings. Bureau experts will
then have opportunity to investigate
the claims made and IL these claims
are Just they viii recommend that
the Bureaus request be included In
1ull in the book of estimates. If the