The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-08-05

Washington, D. c., Aug. S.-One
o. the big steps In the movement
| for governmental economy was
,, taken when the executive order was
issued recently shutting down on
sales of surplus supplies py an
! government departments ana put,
ting the disposition and exchange oil
these supplies under the dlrectlon
of General Dawes, new chief OF the
, bureau of the budget.
This step put stop to an old sys-
tenn through which the government
has lost money for many decades
the amounts running tremendously
high since the expansion OF the
government machine mace neces-
sary during the World war.
1t is impossible to get together
all of the figures to show how great
the loss has been to the govern
ment, and therefore to the Ameri-
can people, because each govern
ment department has handled its
own sales in getting rid of property
acquired during the war and at
other times for which it now has no
use.
Officials who studied the old sys-
tenn before the new one was put in
to supplant it say that no one man
or group of men is to blame for
the old wastes. 1t was simply the
fault of the system, they insist.
Transfers of property from one
department to another were not
unheard of during the days of the
old system, but usually it was ac-
companined by haggling and diff
culties which would make it appear
that two departments Of the govern
ment, instead of being important
cogs in the same tremendous ma
chine, were rival and competing
private organizations.
Very many times, when one de-
partment was selling or auctioning
supplies in the open market at low
prices and another department had
need of just those supplies. the sell
ing department would refuse to
make the buying department as
good a price as it gave private
purchasers. The department seek
ing the goods would point out that
private individuals and firms were
to have the supplies at a
low figure. The selling department
would counter by pointing out that
it was impossible to secure the
needed supplies in the open market
at any such price.
Hundreds and hundreds of in !
stances of this and other kinds |
were uncovered in the investigation |
which led to the issuance of the !
executive order putting sales and |
transfers under one head. The |
system installed by the executive !
order, worked out by General Dawes
and his assistants, divides the i
according to the nine army |
corps areas. The man in charge of
sales and transfers of supplies from
0ne department or bureau of the J
government to another is known as
/ coordinator. one being provided
or each of the corps areas. There
s a chief coOrdinator also. This
system will remain in effect unless
/ better one can be worked out and
provided by legislative enactment
The Army Not in Control.
General Dawes is particularly
lpxious to prevent the impression {
gaining ground that because the
y StSHl - idLu uOWH along lne geo
,raphical lines of the army organi-
ations the army will have any kind
f control over the work of the CO.
'rdinator or the supply division
The corps areas were
AIKEN merely for the sake of the /
onvenient division of the country,
nd no department will have a
reater interest or influence in this |
FORK than any other. I
One of the important duties of the
oorcinators is to fix prices at
hitch supplies shall be transferred I
rom one department to another. | E
he old system of haggling and at {
to hold up other depart /
rents is abolished. The coordi- {
ator has the final word in fixing a 7
lir Figure for the transfer of prop !
rty. and there is no appeal from c
is decision.
General Dawes and his staff are I
anxious not to appear a
} be criticising the officials of any r
0rton of the government. For g
lat reason General Dawes believes r