Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-07-14

business machinery in the world. the govern;
ment of the United States, on An economicai
footing.
now is anything but the smooth running organ
ization that such big corporations as the
United states steel Company and the Standard
Oil Company nave built up. It is oia-Iasndon eu
countless Implications of effort on the part Oh
the many branches of the executive END OF
government, bound down with red tape, Ioadeo
with useless papers and records. and hide
bound in many instances by out-worn traditions.
Mr.. Brown is not going at the task IKE tne
ordinary efficiency expert. He is not figuring
out some way in which a clerk can rubber
stamp thirty additional letters each day by
using the stamp. He is going at it along very
broad and general lines. He aims to save nun
dreds of millions of dollars.
Il is fully realized by the members OF the
Joint committee that myriad elements must De
considered in their task, and that great narn
instead Of the hoped-for good might easily com ~
ont of their efforts unless they are guided py
real wisdom. 1t is realized that the system IN
vogue now has grown up with the nation Tor
nearly a century and a half. and ina, the wn nut
together again haphazard with any expectation
that it would run easily and economically.
Method Employed.
Broadly, the committee has laid out the
executive work of the government along twenty
three distincts branches. These Drancnes are
fiscal affairs, criminal Investigations, administra-
tive service, national defense, defense and prose
cution of suits, territorial and colonial aftairs'
Communications including the poStal berNlce'
m regulations, foreign relations, reguia-
ton of banking, assistance to navigation, trade
promotion. industry promotion, agricultural de-
velopment, public education, pubic healtn'
r,,biic works. conservation of natural resources.
labor problems, administration of the puphc
domain, primary statistics, rehabilitation OF war
ton. oso
Charts have been made for each of these
subjects. Then investigation has peen maze
10 see how many departments. bureaus and
commissions of the government have peen
duplicating each others work. The result OF
this has been the he,n aiso syeris OF evis de1res that that
widely separated departments have been spenoo
ing valuable time and effort doing the same
w mot on aYd the ss, work, b but it's it's cost as we'll.
The joint committee has as its general Soai
rebuilding the governmental departments 81
that each will have a great major purpose ana N
the activities which naturally fall within tne
SCOPE Of that department will be assigned TO A.
VIVA, .,o c .pr %IsteS b Sav,ns its work it was
hoped that not less than $a00.O0O,00o might
be Topped off the yearly bills Of the government.
but as the work has 81 progresses r ,s ro% mew p ljkeiy' that
a saving Of half a billion a year can De WoIkedd
out. One reason for boosting this estimated
and navy departments be amalgamated Into
one department OF war, with army anu navy
branches. .is
committee are at work Is completed and ready
to 60 into effect, there Is sure to pc tremendous
opposition from many quarters. EVERY ma ia e at
against 1t. As congress must, of course, approve
of the Brown plan before 1t goes into eHect, tne
pressure will be brought to bear on c sfnat TO-
A lot of propaganda has already been a1oot u
ditch the scheme of saving, but President Hara-
ing's ultimatum that any government clerk a..
to hamper the work of reorganlzaLaon
would be dismissed, has had its effect. me
food Of form letters to members OF congress
ceased, which was taken as evidence that those
conducting the propaganda were men lnteresteo
SOLELY in holding their own JOBS.
There is propaganda of other sorts at work,
of course. Prominent among the active groups
ia the educational group, which is striving nara
for the inclusion of a department OF educatlon'
instead of a. department of public welfare, III
the reorganized government m IA forces havs
made this demand, and strong pressure Is
brought to bear on congress right along Ior LIE
purpose. This is offset to some extent tnoush
because the educational forces having brough'
certain religious forces into their fight, ana tne
old Catholic and Protestant question mas ARISEN
in the matter of the proposed creation OF .
denartment of education. The Catholic group
wants the government to take little hand IN the
direction OF educational matters. .d
The proposal to amalgamate tQe War am
navy departments is certain to meet bitter ano
determined opposition. The combination OF tht
departments naturally would eliminate many o.
the posts held by high ranking army and navy
officers, and these officers and their propaDit
successors, with their friends and followers arr
expected to fight hard against the move 'us
gested as an economy measure.
If congress adopts the plan being WORKED
out by Mr.. Brown and the other members o.
the committee. it is going to mean a trement 1a,
cut in the federal payroll. 1t is estimated tha1
not less than 80, 900 names will be cut Off, ano
the number may go as high as $4,000. Lht
hulk of these clerks would be those employed
in Washington. but federal Offices maintained
elsewhere would be affected, too.
Experts estimate that the average govern
ment clerk costs about 80, 900 a year. Tn
average pay is in the neighborhood OF $l,z0t
annually, the balance Of the $4,000 being mao
up in the cost to the government OF provldint
n p1aca for the clerk to work, ONCE SuPpAieS
and the like. Taking this figure as a fact, tn
discharge of 80, 900 clerks would mean a sayinl
Governmental expense would be cut off If tn
Government got rid of $4,000 clerks, whicf
some members of the joint committee regare
as highly probable.