Evening star., 1921-08-28
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

EADERS IN COHSTeSS - OoSh
House and Senate-are serl-
ously considering the need Tor
reform in committee hear
ings: (1) to effect a very substantial
saving on committee stenographic
and printing costs. wastage of paper
and the abuse of the ranking privi-
lege; (2) to show good faith in re-
ducine duplication and expense when
framing legislation along the same
line affecting the administrative
branch of the government. and Cd 10
safeguard against waste OF their own
time, thus speeding up the legislative
machinery.
The contemplated reforms are: Cd
to change the method of committee
hearings, so that the paid propa-
xandists will not have chance to
come on their own invitation. talk by
the hour and get their briefs printed
and attributed at Uncle SANS ex-
pense; and (2) to minimize the ex-
pense and duplication OF having
identical witnesses testify one day
before a House committee and re"
days later before a Senate commlttee
in practically the same language
with both committees having the
testimony printed.
Big Saving I'm Time.
To realize how much saving th's
would be in time of the members OF
committees one must recognize hrst
that the big majority of the work OF
members of Congress is done in COM
mittee and not on the floor. 1t Is
the practically endless procession OF
selfish interests, paid propaganoists'
appearing to spread their propa-
eanda before the committees that
c.uses the delay in legislation. This
Is e1arinsly illustrated by the near
ines lasting many weeks recenty
held by the ways and means COM
mittee.
Members of Congress have come to
realize that they are really much
closer to the people throughout tne
country and know what they want IN
the way of legislation better thah
those who, to hold their own ooos'
come before the committee ana pAeao
that they represent so many thoo
sand persons in certain industry OF
a certain section. Members OF the
House particularly, subject to recah
hv their constituents every two years,
-. desi<ned by the trainers OF the
Constitution to keep them close u
the win of the people. know that they.
persouany are constantly see king 70
know the real will Of the voters In
their home districts.
Experts to He Called.
So the plan now being discussed IL
for committees, their members quite
we'll informed regarding what Is ad-
vantareous for the people of the
country, to forego the opportunity TO
help along the game Of the PAID
nropaeandists by allowing them
hearings, and to call in only experts
along certain lines whose advice tney
feel would be helpful. This is to De
done in much the same way as tne
appropriations committee conducts
hearings, calling in those they want
to ask questions across the table ana
brushing aside the set speeches and
filing of briefs, the sole purpose of
which i. to get the views OF the wit
ness printed free for free distribu-
ton by mail.
The growth of the abuse of grant,
ing extensive hearings and printing
of reports of these hearings Is well
illustrated by a report prepared for
House Leader Mondell by William
To- thn -
days some of the larger committees
got specific permission from their re-
pective houses of Congress to have
q certain number of reports printed
for use of the committee. During the
last ten years it has become the Gus
tom at the opening of a session to
pass a resolution giving all commit
tees blanket privilege to have reports
printed.
Cost of Printing Heavy.
The report prepared by Mr.. Page as
clerk of the House shows that in the
preceding fiscal year the total num-
Der of copies of hearings printed at
the government printing office was
262,149, the total number of pages
s2,s12, making the grand total of
pages of printed matter 23,905.s9 sos.
The number Of sheets of printed
paper was 11.952,s45, ,s04.
There are four committee stenogra-
piers regularly employed in the
House and their time is taken up
mostly with subcommittee of the
House appropriations committee. To
cover the hearing before other COM
mittees extra stenographic service
has to be employed and paid on
vouchers from the contingent fund of
the House. During the fiscal year
ended June 80. 1920. the extra cost
for such stenographic work was $685.
S73.32.
The copies Of the hearings after
being printed are not deposited in
the document or folding room Of the
House. the established agency for dis
tributiou, but are at the disposal of the
particular committee that conducted the
hearing. So that 1t has sometimes
happened that practically the entire
issue Of copies Of the hearing have
been turned over to some one person
or organisation and sent out by them
postage free under some members
frank. There are notable instances of
when this has happened.
Binding Adds to Expense.
Still further, every member Of Con-
Gress has the right to have ono conv