The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-12-13

Washington, D. c., Dec. 11.-lf
the proposed budget bureau is
created by congress. we may at
last have an office with power to
help cut some Of the red tape out
of government routine.
Year after year government bu-
reaus go on duplicating effort and
wandering all around Robin Hoods
barn. instead Of taking the short
est route. In some cases, an alter
alton in Office procedure can be
affected by order of the secretary
of the department or some lesser
official. In other matters, only
congress or this president has the
power to act. Either way, the red
tape goes on endlessly enrolling
because nobody is suffic emily inter-
ested to start unwinding a few
more yards of it in order to bring
about a change.
When, once in a great while
some official simplifies procedure
the change is SO unusual as to
cause surprise and comment Gen.
eral Harris few days ago attact-
ed widespread interest when he
put through the startling order cut
ting down the number of endorse
ments on army correspondence
The idea itself is not original. Fol-
years, people have ridiculed the
army regulations which required a
soldier applying for furlough to
send the request to his sergeant
who referred it to the captain, who
had an endorsement written ant
copies of the paper made, ans
then referred it to the major, who
made some more copies, and so or
to the officer sufficiently elevated
to have the final word. The re.
markable fact is that somebody
has finally thought of doing some
thing about it. Hereafter, paper:
will in some cases skip some of the
intermediate officers and those Off
GERS who have to endorse them will
in most cases be permitted Il
stamp an endorsement on the doc
ument and send it directly on with
out making and keeping records
This is typical instance of a re
duction of red tape.
People are inclined, however, tt
denounce all government formal
ties as red tape. If We write let
ter to the secretary of the treasur,
about Liberty bonds and an answer
is not found in the return post, rel
tape is considered the only posi-
BILE reason for the delay. Ant
when We read in the papers that
skilled agriculturist is leaving i'm
portant experimental work in thu
government for lack of a few dol
lars more in his pay check, we be
wall the red tape which prevents
the department from cutting dowI
its regiment Of messenger boys ant
keeping the scientists at work.
The Biggest Business.
The fact is, the government i!
too ponderous an organization tt
be very flexible. What might seen
a desirable course to follow in ons
case would be a disastrous polio,
If applied throughout the service.
The difference between the gov
eminent and other business con
Germs can best be understood wheI
you take a definite instance. If you
run a private business, and prefel
not to keep files, but to throw you
records of correspondence into thu
waste asket, that is your own af
fair. If you are in a partnership
the partner would have to be con
suited. In company, the mem
bers have still less absolute lib
erty. And if the firm is incorpor
ated. you may be responsible to 4
board of directors and to any mum
Der of stockholders.
| The government represents tn
most complex system of all. 1t i
composed of nearly 100000 EN-
ployes including the army. and
has 11O,000,000 employers, the citi
zens of the country. Every govern
ment clerk is responsible to thi
enormous body of employers. TIL
whole organization is on so larg
a scale that only general rules ca
control its operation.
Suppose then, you write to til
Department of Agriculture regard
ing strange weed in your garden
When that letter reaches the dc
partment it becomes an offic.a
document. 1t is answered by tt
scientist Of the Bureau of Plan
Industry who knows most abou
such weeds. And then long ate
you have forgototen all about i
your letter and a copy of the ar
swer lie dusty but safe in tie d.
partmeEt archives.
Ten or twenty years from no.
the department may apply t
Congress for permission to destrO
your correspondent and othc
papers which no longer seem {
value. A committee would COZ
slider the adyisability of this stei
,