Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1921-12-19
TX.
OUT-OF-DATE MACHINE


of the house is now considering the
whole problem of the organization of
the executive departments of the gov
eminent with vew to finding out
how to reorganize them so as to In
crease their efficiency and decrease
their cost Of operation. 1t Is about
time. The great executive depart
ments of the government have not
been reorganized or greatly modern
lied since Alexander Hamilton's day.
Represent ative Reavis of Nebra ska
Ia one of the members Of this joint
congressional committee that is MAX
ing the present investigation. He put
the resolution through the house that
brought about the appointment of the
committee. He is part Of the ma
tiOnal government machine and he
ought to know what he is talking about
when he says that while the gov
eminent of the United States is the
worlds biggest business, 1t Is likewise
the worlds worst managed business. "
That is an Indictment and a state
ment Of fact that will stand the closest
scrutiny and the most unsparing
analysis. But listen TO Mr.. Reavis:
"Why should the Interior department
run an insane asylum and college for
negroes and school for the deaf?
How did it get that way Why should
one personnel in the pension bureau
in the Interior department be caring
for the disabled soldiers Of the Civil
war and the Spanish American war,
while another personnel in the bureau
of war risk insurance OF the treas
ury Is caring for the veterans of the
World war? WHY this hodgepodge of
totally unrelated purposes which is re-
sulting in endless duplication and ap-
palling expeDse:'
l wlll~let Mr.. Reayis so on without
further interruption. As n member
Of the house he has his share of the
responsibility for the conditions he de-
scribes:
| There are 80 separate governmental
agencies handling engineering, architec-
| tural and public works functions. all of q
related kind. There is no good reason why
all these agencies should not be co-ordi.
mated In one department and about 80 OF
! the useless organizations done away with
There are rs government agencies engaged
| In surveying and mapping there are z
| separate and distinct agencies engaged IL
| public building operations; there are II
agencies authorized to build roads: there
| are 10 engaged in hydraulic construction
| there are 1e doing work on rivers; there
7 A,aA
| there are 10 doing chemical investigation
connected with public work operations
| there are 2z doing engineering and re-
| search.
| Many of these agencies have been in
| active for a number Of years but they
are keeping up their personnel In antici-
patton Of work In the future. We could
save S00.00O,0O0 year. In my Judgment,
by doing away with useless bureaus and
duplication of activities.
Some of the Implications are ridcu-
lous and absurd. For instance, the gov
eminent seeks to protect the wild animals
in the national parks. II brown kadiak
| bear has twin cubs, one brown and one
1 black as often happens, and one should
| shoot the brown cub he must make his
| settlement with one department but II
| he shoots its full brother, the black cub,
he must settle with another department.
| If you were to shoot a fox in Alaska your
| settlement would be with the Department
| of Agriculture. while II you trapped the
| same fox you must make your settlement
with the Department OF Commerce
| The government issued last year
| through it's several bureaus and depart
ments 16 cOokbooks. The last one that
| was issued WAS published by the board
| of vocational education. This is a board
| organized by the congress for the purpose
| of rehabilitating crippled soldiers of the
| World war. to prevent, as far as possible
| their becoming derelicts in life II
| may be of interest to state that while the
| government has beer issuing 16 cook books
! and consuming vast quantities of print
| paper In these and similar useless publi-
cations, 1900 country town newspapers
have suspended in the last three months
because they could not secure print pa per
Mr. Reavis and a great many others
have sensed the feeling in the coun-
! try and In congress that the time has
! come to put an end to all this sort
of thing. He gives reasons for his
belief:
One of the reasons is that the people
demand that their taxation be reduced
| For many years we have been collecting
! the revenues Of this government through
| systems of indirect taxation. The reve.
nues have been collected through a pro.
tective tariff and by. excise taxation or
intoxicating liquors. Indirect taxation OF
this kind prevents the people from realiz
ing fully just who is paying the expense,
| OF the government. There was q Tint
| when the expenses of the government
amounted to only Y cents per capita pei
year. Today the annual per capita OK
pense exceeds So This tremendous ex
pense has made II necessary to resort t.
direct taxation. and the people have sud
denly become painfully aware of wht
pays the expenses of the government.
/ am very certain that the eliinina tior
Of Implications ana overlapping In the de-
partments will result in the saving Of
| millions Of dollars. There Is no reaso,
| WHY II should NOT be done
There ID every reason, In the presence
of the strife and turmoil that prevail ir
this country and Of the unrest occs sion ed
| by the high cost Of the necessaries OF life
| that the government should he put upon
| a sane, efficient and economical basis.
| Whoever by public clamor or other
means can induce congress and the
executive departments to organize the
! routine business Of the national gov.
ernmeBt will have performed a great
public service. Note that say ''or-
ganize" and not "reOrganize," for In
no proper sense has The federal bust
ness ever been organized.