Evening star., 1921-05-23
'1T MUST NOT BE AGAIN."
PRESIDENT SAYS, WHILE
WAR DEAD GET TRIBUTE
Political Science
Academy Hears
Finance Talk.
EFFICIENCY PLEA
/, BY MIR. HARDING
Will Seek Sound Basis,
But Politicians MAY
Be "OHended."

Be "OHended."
NEW YORK, May 2s.-The admins
tratIon's purpose to place the federal
government on a sound business. basis.
even at the cost of offending "a GER
! tain class of politicians" was reaf-
| firmed by President Harding today
A., in an address here at a luncheon OF
the Academy Of Political Science.
The task. the President declared,
already had shown that to be success
fully completed it would require
ed devotion to the public interest"
without a trace of sympathy for the
mce-holder- whose only excuse for
drawing salary is that he needs the
/ money. Loss of certain sort OF
prestige to the administration. Mr..
Harding said. was certain to result.
| though it might be compensated, in
the long run. by a realization OF the
| good accomplished for the general
public.
Recapitulatng the work already
done by the reorganization commits
sion created by Congress and by ex-
-ecutive orders of the administration,
the President said considerable prog
| future. He predicted that the re-
J organization task would be a long
| one. however, and asked for the CO.
operation and support Of citizens
everywhere. and invited suggestions
as to ways and means.
President's Address. .
The text OF the Presidents address
follows. in part:
J Everywhere we turn we note that
government has in recent time as
sumed a more complex relationship to
the public than it ever sustained be-
fore. The mobilization of man power,
! industrial forces and financial re-
sources. which was made necessary in
been accomplished through the exer-
ttion Of the extreme limit. and stupen-
dously important results were at
| tanned.
Of governments capacity to force
! great results in emergencies. there
has grown up q school of thought
which assumes that-even in time OF
peace the same Autocratic authority
might well be exercised, in the. gem
eral interest. MaHy men thoughtIessly
urge that governments took over the
control. even the conduct. of many
industries and facilities during the
war; there followed a great increase
in wages. a vast expansion of bust
ness activity; therefore why not as
sumo that continuance Of such con-
troll and management. in time OF
peace. would enable continuance of
the same liberality in compensation
and profits. the same intense business
activity?
Those who look below the surface
know that the things which govern
were accomplished at a staggering
cost: a cost which society could not
bear Tor long: cost that has left So
ciety burdened with debts which
M rNy.tc
| They know that the feverish seeming
OF prosperity was not genuine, but
was possibly only because society
was literally burning up its stocks OF
capital; and that this destruction of
capital was responsible for the reac-
tion and depression which are now
felt universally. In this process the
burdens of government were i'm
, mensely increased. and it is for us
now to find means of tightening those
burdens.
Obligation Of Government.
Government. to a greater extent
now than ever before. is under obli-
cation to give the greatest service
for the lowest possible cost. But it
! is. for certain obvious reasons, dim
cult to do this. because government
| Is not under the necessity to earn
profits. or to obey laws which reg
ulate competition. These are the
primo guarantees OF efficiency and
fair dealing in private business. They
therefore. government should be
placed. as far as possible, under a
strict sway of the methods which
are applied in private business to Sc
Government should be broad, con-
scientious and intelligent enough to
subject itself to these rules. despite
that its quality of sovereignty would
assume that position. Every princi-
pie and device which promotes ef-
ficiency in private business should be
adapted and applied in government
f.cial who decides his public problem
as though it were his very own.
ITO bring economy and efficiency
into government is a task second
to none in difficulty. Few people. in
or out Of the government: have any
conception of the growth of gov
ernment business in the last decades
before the world war; still fewer at
all realize the pace to which that
the war started. The multiplication
of departments. bureaus. divisions.
functions. has resulted in a sort Of
geometrical increase in the tasks
which confront the heads of execu-
tive departments when they face re-
construction problems.
fortunately, the prospect is not 50
hopeless as might appear, because the
present organization IL So bad that
the insisten application Of . few es-
tablished principles Of sound business
organization will result in immediate
economies and provide q margin Of
available means to meet new de-
mands. Tho party in power 10
pledged to economy and efnciency.
and you may be assured that every
energy is being directed t. redeem
that pledge othe last degree and
with all promptness.
EMciency Connissi0n Report.
"At the beginning of his administrn.
ton, President Taft secured from
Congress the establishment Of An
economy and efnciency commission. u
made a compresenaive survey Of 40.
tivities, organisation and personnel
Of tho whole government establish
ment. Ths report on that survey WAs
never printed. But 1t ls available.
and can be consulted to determine
where waStages and overlappings OF
functions are. Tho present Congress-
has already provided for joint conf
mittee on the reorganization OF the
administrative branch Of clio govern
ment. 4 representative OF the execu-
tive Will serve with this committee,
so that there Is now in progress .
study Of the whole problem.
The task will require some time. ana
- ANr