The Washington times., 1920-09-13
TOO MANY us.
,SAYSCOX
He Promises to Cut Down on
Them lr He's Elected to
Presidency.
BY HARRY l.. ROGERS,
International News Service


PORTLAND. Ore, Sept 13.-Re
Organization OF Governmental bu'
reaus upon a business basis. ant
adoption Of a budget system, TO b
headed by a budget commissioner,
! acting as executive assistant to the
President, were the main features o.
"A financial program outlined by Gov
James NJ Cox in speeches here to
, day.
The administration of Government
functions can be put on economical
and efficient basis" Cox declared
, Throughout my public life I have
been Interested in the Organization
+ and administration of Government ac-
tivities along approved business lines
( or, In other words. in securing the
maximum OF effectiveness with the
minimum of expense, and / am con
WINGED from my own personal expert
ence, as well as the experience OIL
y other States, that II can be done.
The demands of war" he contin-
ued. brought to us the necessity for
departmental addition and extension
at Washington. We must see to 1t at
once that the failure Of the last Con-
gress is remedied as quick as possible.
Not only must we junk the machinery
that came with war, but we must re-
peal the burdensome war taxes and
definitely reduce the cost OF Govern
ment in normal time.
"Our pre-war experience has al
ready shown the necessity for adopt
ing the budget system as the basis
of public finance. Our experience dur
ing the war demonstrated that we
should not longer delay in applying
The governor then pledged himself
IL elected to ask Congress for au-
thority to appoint budget commits
| sioner "to act in the position OF an
iexecutive assistant to the President"
CONDEMNS WASTE.
The present "hit or miss" method of
appropriating money, the governor
said, has resulted in 8ktrayagance
and waste on one hand or govern
, mental inefficiency on the other. and
appropriations are usually cut arbi-
trarily at the dictates of political
expediency.
Overlapping OF Governmental bu-
reaus, the governor charged, Is also
= proliac source of waste and ineffi-
cheney. There are, he said, fourteen
distinct Offices In the Federal estab-
JIshment dealing with foreign tr1de,
sixteen offices having to do with en-
Rineering, forty-twO engaged In COM
piIink statistical information and
sixty-foar having to do with educs-
tional activity.
strictly service sections OF Gov
ernment should he cO-ordinated under
one general head, the governor said
nnd unnecessary bureaus, eliminated
Governor Cox discussed the League
of Nations from the point Of view
of material results to the nation and
insisted that no re-adjustment worth
while can come under reactionary
guidance.
LAND FOR SERVICE MAN. -
Service men, the governor suggest
ed. might be repaid for their sacri-
fees by being permitted to share In
lands in the west, hundreds of
thousands of square miles of which,
he said, could be reclaimed with
money saved on armament. A we'll
planned process of development Of
Alaska, he said, should go hand in
hand with the reoper'ng OF our west
ern gateways to con. 4Aerce-
The governor spoke this morning
at the armory in Salem. returning to
Portland by automobile in time for
the meeting in the Auditorium at
noon and he made another address to
an audience of women in the after
noon.
Governor Cox's voice showed con-
siderable improvement as a result of
his rest Sunday and the treatment of
throat specialists who went with
him to Salem. 1t was announced, how
ever, that upon physicians orders he
will not make any more rear-plat-
form addresses and all outdoor
speeches. scheduled for Idaho, Utah,
and Nevada have been cancelled.