Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-05-24
HARDING PROMISES
ECONOMY DESPITE
THE POLITICIANS
No Sympathy for Mere SAL
ary-Drawing" Officeholders,
He Tells New York Hosts.
SAYS THE COSTS WILL Be CUT
Private Business Efficiency Prin-
ciples Shall Apply to Gov
ernment's Affairs.
SEES A HARD TASK AHEAD


SEES A HARD TASK AHEAD
New York, May 24.--The administra-
tons purpose to place the federal gov
crnment on a sound business basis
even at the cost of offending "a certain
class of politicians was re-afiirmed by
President Harding yesterday in an ad-
dress here at a luncheon of the Acad-
emy OF Political Science.
The task, the President declared, al
ready had shown that to be success
fully completed would require per
sistent. determined, stony hearted de-
Notion To the public interest" without
trace of sympathy for the officer hold
sf whose only excuse for drawing a
salary is that he needs the money.
loss of a certain sort OF prestige to the
administration. Mr.. Harding said. was
certain to result though 1t might be
compensated in the long run by real
ization of the good accomplished for
the general public.
President Invites Suggestions.
Recapitulatiug the work already done
~ the reorganization commission cre-
ated by Congress and by executive ord
ers of the administration the President
said considerable progress was prom
,sed for the immediate future. He pre-
dicted that the reorganization task
would be a long one. however. and asked
the cooperating ard support of citizens
everywhere and invited suggestions as
to ways and means.
The text of the Presidents address
follows:
Everywhere we turn we note that
government has in recent time assumed
a more complex relationship to the pub
lie than II ever sustained before. The
leobilzation of man power. industrial
forces and financial resources, which
was made necessary in the wars exi-
lencies. could only have been accom-
liished through the exertion of the ut
most powers OF government. Those
powers were eNerted TO the extreme
limit. and stupendously important re-
suits were attained. As a result of
that demonstration Of governmnt's ca
lacity 10 force great results in emer-
Ecncies there has grown up a school of
thought which assumes that even in
Tine Of peace the same autocratic au-
I 3uritv might well be exercised in the
: nctal interest. Many men thought
] ss'y rrgc that as soon as governments
ls over the control, cTen the conduct
81 many industries and facilities during
tho war there followed a great increase
81 wages, a vast expansion of business
activity. therefore why not assume
that continuance of such control and
anagcrf1out IN time of pe2ce as would
enable a continuance Of the same
liheraiity in compensation and profits,
t.se same intense business activity2
Maritime Prosperity Not Genuine.
''rhose who look below the surface
know that the things which govern
laenis accomplished during the war
Ners accomplished at a staggering cost:
/; cost which society could not bear for
las. cost that has left society bur-
"a with debts which mortgage gem
i, at.ofs OF the failure They know
tlat the teverish seeming of prosperity
Vas not genuine but was possible only
because society was literally burning
it's stocks of capital; and that this
obstruction of capital was responsible
Tor the reaction and depression which
row are felt universally. In this proc
Is the burdens Of government were
iasnensely. increased. and il is for Us
Tow 10 find means Of tightening those
burdens.
Government, TO a greater extent
row than ever before, is under obli-
cation TO give the greatest service for
the lowest possible cost. But il Is for
certain obvious reasons difficult TO do
tails. because government is not under
the necessity TO earn profits. nor TO
obey laws which regulate competition.
These are the prime guarantees Of ef-
fciency and fair dealing in private busi-
ness. They do not apply to govern
ment; and therefore government should
be placed so far as possible under a
strict sway of the methods which are
oplied in private business TO secure
these, ends. Government should be
broad. conscientious and intelligent
enough TO subject itself to these rules,
despite that its quality of sovereignty
would place il beyond them if il chose
to assume that position. Every prin-
ciple and device which promotes eff
cheney in private business should be
adopted and applied in government af-
fairs. 1 viii trust the public official
who decides his public problem as
though it were his very own
Great Growth In L. S. Business.
ITO bring economy and efficiency in
TO government is a task second to none
in difficulty. Few people, in or out of
the government, have any conception of
the efoWln OF SVNeFHheut business III
rhe last decades before the world war:
still fewer at all realize the pace to
which the growth has been speeded up
since the war started. The multipli-
cation OF departments. bureaus. di-
visions. functions. has resulted in a
sort OF geometrical increase in the
tasks which confront the heads of ex-
ecutive departments when they face re-
construction problems.
Fortunately the prospect is not so
hopeless as might appear. because the
present organization is so bad that the
insisteut application of few estab-
lished principles of sound business or