Arizona republican., 1920-12-14
Reasons For Red Tape
BY Frederic j. Haskin

WASHINGTON. Dec. eff the pro- posed budget bureau is created by con gress, we may at last have an office with power to help cut some of the yards of red tape out of government routine.
 Year after year government bureaus go on duplicating effort and wandering all around Robin Hoods barn, instead of taking the shortest route. In some cases an alteration in office procedure can be affected by order of the secre- tary of the department or some lesser official. Tn other matters, only con gross of the president has the power to act Either way, the red tape goes on endlessly unrolling because nobody is sufficiently interested to start un- winding a few more yards of it in order to bring about change.
 When, once in a great while, some official simplfies procedure. the change is so unusual as to cause sur prise and comment. General Harris a ] few days ago attracted widespread in terest when he put through the start 1 ling order cutting down the number of endorsements on army correspondence. The idea itself is not original. For years, people nave ridiculed the army regulations which required a soldier l quest to his sergeant, who referred it to the captain, who had an endorse ment written and copies of the papers made, and then referred 1t to major i who made some more copies, and so on to the officer sufficiently elevated to have the final word. The remark able fact is that somebody has finally thought of doing something about if. Hereafter, papers will in some cases skip some of the intermediate officers and those officers who have to endorse them will in most cases be permitted to stamp an endorsement on the docu- ment and send it directly on without making and keeping records. This is a typical instance of a reduction of red tape.
 People are inclined. however. to de- Inounce all government formalities as red tape. If ye write a letter to the secretary of the treasury about Liberty bonds and an answer is not found in the return post, red tape is considered the only possible reason for the delay And when we read in the paper that a skilled agriculturist is leaving import ant experimental work in the govern ment for lack of a few dollars more in his pay check. we bewail the red tape which prevents the department from
 
 boys and keeping the scientists al work.
 The Biggest Business
 The fact is, the government is toe Iponderous an organization to be very flexible. What might seem desirable course to follow in one case would be ( disastrous policy if applied throughout the service.
 The difference between the govern ment and other business concerns car best be understood when you take definite instance. If you run a pri vate business, and prefer not to keeI files. but to throw your records of cor respondence into the waste basket, tha is your own affair. If you are in , partnership, the partner would have tt be consulted. h a company. the mem bers have still less absolute liberty And if the firm is incorporated, 70, may be responsible to a board of di . rectors and to any number of stock holders.
 The government represents the mos complex system of all. It is compose' of nearly 100000 employees. includini the army. and it has 100000 900 em ployers, the citizens of the country Every government clerk is responsibl to this enormous body of employers The whole organization is on so larg a scale that only general rules cal control is operation.
 l Suppose then, you write to the de partment of agriculture regarding