Milford chronicle., 1921-07-29
UNCLE TED'S
BEDTIME STORIES
WASTING AND SAVING-THE
OLD WAY AND THE NEY


people do like to be told about how
their money was wasted before, dur
ing and after the war, but this is a
FACT!" Jack was engaged in his US
ual pastime of lecturing to some OF
his chums who don't always agree
with him.
"And what is the discussion all
about now?" asked Uncle Ted who
had been wedding the garden and had
found shady spot where he could
join the children and rest for while.
Il read something about how Pres
ident Harding and everybody else has
just discovered the terrible waste of
money in the Shipping Board, and
how hard the new chairman, Mr.. Las
ker, is working to make a real Amer
lean merchant marine out of an awful
mess"
Jack, you seem to be reading the
! papers, like a real American boy
should. I'm proud to see you taking
an interest in the affairs of your coun-
try. Since you have mentioned the
Shipping Board, I'm going to tell you
little story about that.
when Warren G. Harding first an
nounced that he would be proud to
serve his country and his felloWmen
as Chief Executive of this great ma
tion, one of the things that he men
toned first was the great necessity
for American ships carrying American
goods on the high seas everywhere.
He knew and we knew that we had
a Shipping Board, created for the war,
which Board must continue to handle
the hundreds of ships which were built
by the Boards authority.
president Harding didn't pick the
first man who came along to take
charge of this important work. He
looked around for man who not nee
essarily knew anything about ships,
but man with a big business head
man who had made good, who saw
things in big way and who was not
afraid to work. He found that man
in Chicago and his name is Albert d.
Lasker, now chairman of the U. S.
Shipping Board.
"Mr. Lasker didn't waste any time
getting started, either. Before the
country realized that he was at work,
he had called on the President to show
him a statement of figures to prove
that gross ineficiency, carelessness
and incompetency had been used in
the running of the Shipping Board be-
fore he became chairman. Mr.. Lasker
said the President was shocked and
dismayed and I should think he would
be when you learn that the Shipping
Board used $380,OOO,0OO of the treas
ury money last year. That is some
money, at best, but that isn't all!
About $200,000,000 Of that amount was
an absolute loss. Mr.. Lasker also
pointed out that the books of the
Board were in a deplorable condition,
so bad that he doubts if they really
can ever be made straight.
''Kiddies, it is crime the way mon
ey was wasted and the people deceiv-
ed. Listen to what Mr.. Lasker said
to the newspaper men after he talked
with the President
"T want to say it is inconceivable
that an institution like this could be
in existence and be turned over to
men to administer in the shape it is.
Had the books been kept with the
view to cheating and deceiving Con-
gress and the country, they could not
have been kept in much different
shape than they have been and mea-
sure the words I am using. 1t has al
most worn me out physically and men
tally to get anything from the books
that could be regarded as complete
''It makes me sore to think of
things in that shape when the best
roYs1I ON in q
money no object" said Jack.
81 guess it'll be cleaned up pretty
soon if Mr.. Lasker and President Har-
ding have anything to say" comment
ed Ruth.
eyes, you bet. Now that I've told
you about waste, listen to something
about saving. When President Hard
ing made Gen. Dawes director Of the
budget, some people said he talked
lot and made a lot of noise but never
did anything. He has done so much
already that he has saved the gov
ernment S112,612,628 by cutting it
from the $6,O00,000,000 estimated ap-
for government expenses
for the current fiscal year. Another
thing that has been stopped is what
is known as deficiency appropriations.
When the heads of bureaus and de-
partments saw they were running out
of money in given year they didn't
worry or try to cut down and make
the money last. They spent all that
had been appropriated and asked for
more, known as deficiency appropria-
tions, and life went merrily on as did
the peoples money. i
But that is to stop. Instead OF
asking for more, they know that they
must keep within the amount given,
and make every effort to do the job |
with less if possible. The difference
all through the government is just
like the difference in the Shipping |
Board last year and now. 1t is the
difference between waste, carelessness
and don't care and saving, careful
1900 oyd n cnirt IN do the lob with !