The Washington herald., 1921-05-09
STATESBlJDCET
MEANS SAVING
ON BIG SCALE
Institute for Public Serv-
ice Sees Efficiency
In Plan.
REMOVES WASTE
IN PUBLIC FUNDS
Claimed Billions Might
Have Been Saved Dur.
ing World War.

That the Federal budget bill Will
give the country much more than
budget and will start a revolu-
tion In the country's method OF
watch ng expenditures is pointed
out In a statement issued yester-
day by the Institute for Public
Service. of which Julius H Barnes
is chairman. It is suggested tnat
IL this same principle had been at
work during the war, in France,
England and the United states.
many billions of dollars and untold
momentum for efficiency would have
been saved.
There is many Slip" says the
institute. 'betwixt budget and
economy. France has had bud
get. or systematic method OF bal
ancing expenditures and revenues.
but France has wasted billions OF
dollars. Great Britain mas tried
a budget<but, for want Of the veiy
step which~the United, States Is
planning to take, waste has been
so egregious in England that last
year an American. Herbert Casson,
writing from London, said that the
British budget system had about
as much effect in holding down ex-
ipenditures as "a ribbon on a frog"
New York City has had a budget
system for years. yet that State has
appropriated 100000 to search for
waste.
Search for Waste.
TT Is the waste hunt that is now
being started by the new Federal
budget bill which constitutes the
revolution in American finances.
For 140 years we have been spend
ing our hundreds of millions up to
our billions a year without max
ing 1t anybody's business to study
the method and result of spend
ing. and 20 look for chances to get
more be. efits for less money. Our
Fedora. audit has had to do with
legality and Integrity of spending,
but not with. its wastefulness or
usefulness.
The. new budget bill. fathered by
Representative James w Good and
Senator Medill Mccormick, provides
three different agencies for a con-
tinuous audit of plans for spend
ing, methods OF spending, and re-
suits of spending. First. there Is
the budget director, who, without
any competition and prodding,
should save many millions and
greatly increase efficiency. In ad-
dition to this officer named by the
executive spending department.
there are two other officers respon-
sible to Congress who are to be
everlastingly on the lookout for ex-
travagance, needless employees,
blundering methods. or neglected
work.
Responsibility Fixed.
One is the comptroller general.
who will not be responsible to the
cal he is of the spending, officers can
be removed only by the appropriat-
ing body of CONGRESS. Then there Is
the Bureau of Efficiency, which here
tofore has been under the Preside mt.
and therefore a part OF the spending
family. The new budget bill puts
it under the House of Representa-
tives, and holds 1t responsible for re-
porting ways of improving govern
ment efficiency. The bill makes the
comptroller general and the Bureau
of Efficiency not mere accountants,
but efficiency engineers and scouts.
In fact. even IL they do their routine
work with 100 per cent efficiency,
charges may be made against them
IL they fail to show ways Of get
ting better results for less money"