The Washington times., 1921-07-17
dynamo" DAWES
. Opens ATTACK ON
Federal WASTE
cussin' Brigadier From West
Drives Home Some Healthy
Ideas on Thrift.
s BY w. H. ATKINS,
International News Service.


Wild dreams OF bureau chiefs for
public funds have been sadly shat
tered. These same bureaus are today
falling over each other in stampede
Tor economy. The cuts in public ex-
penditures are to be real. For once In
the history of the Government the
saving habit Is being inculcated among
those who disburse the Treasury
funds. And they are getting the habit
In a rush They had to under the
bold economy strokes made by the
dynamic budget director. Charles G..
Look for Vast Saving.
In every Government bureau In the
thirty or more executive and indie
pendent establishments budget officers
are pruning down their estimates for
another year. They also are wading
into carefully laid plans for expendi-
lures this fiscal year to effect large
savings. Before August l. when the
budget bureau expects to complete
estimates, to be sent later to Con-
gress, covering Government money
needs for another year ending June
80, 1923, a saving OF not less than
$500. 000.0 900 in Government expenses
will be shown. Officials who are more
optimistic predict that before General
Dawes finishes his job a cut in gem
eral Government OUTLAWS OF $1,000
O00, 900 year will be possible.
Hell and Maria" Dawes, putting
the Government on a practical bust
ness basis, is doing things that never
were done before. and In new way.
There are no frills about the Dawes
methods. His direct action gets re.
suits. He has hurdled over more red
Ia IN, he Of O. he
the helm than would have seemed
physically possible FOR any other
man. But that's Dawes.
Dawes Direct ActiOnist.
Officials soon found that either they
were to swing in behind General
Dawes, to achieve the aims of the
Presidents program, or that they
were to be classified as not altogether
indispensable to the working out of a
problem that means so much for the
prosperity Of the people and the ma
ton.
General Dawes didn't wait to ask
bureau chiefs about the advisability OF
an inventory of Government stocks OF
materials, much of 1t surplus war
stocks. that must be converted into
cash, as one way to cut down the tax
burden.
ne SilOI Out Ill OTueI t1dt TIE NHltiS
had to be done and put limit on the
time in which the job must be accom-.
plished.
Murder OF Waste.
Dawes saw extravaganza rampant
in all Government departments and
Government funds wasted on mag
mary needs for supplies. He put a
crimp in that sort of waste by COM
pelling every responsible official i'm
mediately to return to the general sup
ply committee all equipment NOT nov
being used efficiently. Instead of let
ting lots of materials and supplies go
eventually into junk from disuse It's
the Dawes way to turn 1t Into cash.
This will be done as soon as the Gov
eminent inventory Is completed.
Congress allotted Government de-
partments sums in many cases far
beyond their actual needs. Dawes
realized that to permit bureau heads
to go ahead and draw from these
funds the Government would be the
usual loser. So he directed that not
a dollar must be spent from current
appropriations until the o. X. had
been given by the Budget Bureau. 1t
puts every responsible official dealing
with Government fiscal matters on
trial General Dawes, as the trial
Judge, holds officials under suspicion
of reckless spending until they fully
and unequivocally justify their spend
ing programs.