The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1920-04-16
FOREIGN TRADE IS
To GET ATTENTION
BUREAU OF EFFICIENCY RECON-
MENDs REORGANIZATION
OF ACTIVITIES.
DRAFT BOARD DATA is FILED
Records Contain 100000 Cubic Feet Of
. Paper Requiring Ten Acres Of Space
for Their ommodation-To Amer
lcanize Virgin Islands.
BY JAMES p. HoRNApAY.

Washington.-The federal bureau Of
has recommended to con-
gress that the governments activities
IN the promotion of foreign trade be
reorganized on the following basis:
]. That all resident foreign trade
agents Of the United States govern
ment stationed abroad shall be as
signed to the department of state.
>. That all departments contemplate
ing sending trade Investigators or 9th
or trade agents abroad shall first con-
fer with the secretary of commerce,
who should be given full power to de-
termine the lines of all trade investi-
cations TO be conducted in foreign
countries.
Z. That all government agents
abroad whose work regularly or incl
dentally results i'm the collection OF
foreign trade information of any de-
scriptiOn be required to send the data
thus collected to the department of
commerce, through the department Of
state, for publication and dissemina-
ton by the department of commerce
or for transmission to other branches
Of the government service for such use
as they may deem proper.
Large Saving Assured.
While it is impossible to estimate in
dollars and cents just what, savings
IN hO ont If tho
made by the bureau
of efficiency are put into effect, it is
safe to assume that they will amount
to many thousands Of dollars annual
ly. These savings would result from
lesser office expenses and overhead
charges by having all foreign resident
trade agents under the control of one
department of the government rather
than being attached to several depart
ments with no centralized control AS
at present, and by having the field and
scope of all foreign trade investiga-
tons determined by one responsible
government official rather than by sew
eral without regard TO what is being
done by other branches of the service.
Under the existing arrangement the
department of state controls the con-
sular service and the foreign trade adj
viser's office. The commercial attaches
are accredited to the embassies and le-
gations in the countries where they are
stationed, but are entirely under the
control of the department of com
merce. as are also the trade commits
sioners. The department Of state con-
trolls the information which is sent
from the consular officers to the de-
partment of commerce for publication.
There is accordingly some measure OF
co-ordinated control between the de-
Dartment of state and commerce, but
If still leaves the supervision of these
two agencies virtually separate. The
control of the other government de-
partments and establishments that
have TO do with foreign trade is en-
tirely separate, with the exception of
certain general supervisory functions
of the treasury department i'll connec-
tion with the activities of the interna-
tionol high commission. 1t would ap-
pear that the various organizations
have separately obtained authority to
proceed with their own programs and
that this policy, or lack of co-ordinat-
ed policy, has resulted in the present
many-headed control of foreign trade
Has Record of 24,ooo,ooo Men.
The records of the 1910 local
boards that served under the Selec-
tive draft law during the world war,
as well as the records of the 155
district boards, 1910 medical boards,
and As state headquarters have finally
been assembled here. These records
relate to 100000 men. EnOch FL
Crowder, who served as provost mar
shall general during the war, and adj
ministered the selective draft act, said
in commenting on these records
'Never in the history of this or any
other nation has a more valuable and
comprehensive accumulation of data
been assembled upon the physical, eco
monte. industrial and racial condition
of people. 1t contains the first and
only record of the man power of this
nation. 1t will be of untold value to
the physician, the economist, the so
ciologiSt and the historian for many
decades. 1t is not only worthy OF
preservation. but this generation owes
II to pcsterity that it he preserved
1t was necessary, before assembling
MI these records, to bring about q uni
form system of filing them in order tC
avert certain confusion when they
we're finally gathered en- masse. When
1t is considered that these records, as
assembled, made up a file of cases
which. if placed end to end, would
make line 80 miles long. and con.
tanned volume of 100000 cubic feet
of paper. requiring approximately ten
acres of floor space for their accom-
mediation. the magnitude of the task
that confronted the department when
II began their assembling can well he
enviSioned.
The records as finally corrected and
fled contain many facts that will, OF
course. become a part of the perma-
nent history of the country's partici'
patton in the war. Final and COM