Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-06-27
100000 ANNUALLY
WASTED BY STATE,
AUDITORS DECLARE
Department of Agriculture
Comes in for Severe Crit
icism in Report by Expert
Examination

That a bureau of audits and &C.
counts, in charge of a capable chief
with an adequate staff of assistants.
would save the state of Georgia
from 5000 900 to 100000 during the
remainder Of this year and next
year, and that from 100000 ia
100000 can be saved in the departs
ment of agriculture alone by sub
stituting methods of economy and
efficiency, are sensational aseer.
tons contained in the report of Fred
Telford and Hugh J. Reber, efficien.
cy engineers of Griffenhagen and
Associates, Ltd, of Chicago, which
they presented last week to Cover
nor Hardwick and which he made
public Saturday.
The report arraigns the whole
state system of appropriating and
disbursing funds as out-of-date, in
efficient, wasteful and extravaganza
1t calls attention to the fact that
few departments or institutions plan
their work in advance or submit
budgets, and the further fact that
no acquisitions for payment Of mon.
ey out Of the treasury are adequate
ly audited. 1t scores the system of
making appropriations in lump sums
and allowing them expended almost
in any manner and for any purposes
the departments and institutions see
fit,
Regarding the department of agrt
culture, the report declares there
could be saving of 100000 to
100000 a year without impairing
the service. but with improvement.
to the service. Oil inspection, it de.
clare. costing 100000 year,
amounts to nothing" and fertilizer
inspection is not much better; while
the work of the market bureau and
other branches Of the department. Is
severely criticized.
Governor Hardwick employed this
firm Of efficiency engineers more
vey Of certain smaller agencies of
the state government. He employed
them on the recommendation Of tho
governor of South Carolina, where
they had recently completed q sur.
vey of the entire state government,
and where their recommendations
Governor Hardwick was informed by
the South Carolina chief executive.
would result in savings of half
million dollars a year. They had
previously performed a similar serv-
ice for other states and some nota.
BILE service in departments of the
federal government in Washington.
Governor Hardwick did not have
the money in the contingent fund
of the executive department to have
them make complete survey of the
entire state government. He stated
Saturday in making public their re-
port that he believes what they have
found in the departments and agen-
cies they did survey will so impress
the legislature as to induce that
body to make an appropriation at
this session to complete the survey.
Messrs. Telford and Reber, who
were detailed by their firm for the
work in Georgia, have specialized in
surveys of state governments.
Governor Hardwick stated Satur-
day that he was greatly impressed
with their report, and would make
it the basis of recommendations to
the legislature, and would transmit
it to that body for the use of the
committees having charge of the
various agencies to which it applies.
The governor said he regarded the
report as one of the ablest documents
he had ever read.
j. j. BROWN ANSWERS
ATTACK BY BLALOCK
Characterizing the investigation
OF the state department of agri-
culture by the efficiency experts
employed by Governor Hardwick to
make a survey of all state depart
ments, as an effort to provide cam.
paign ammunition for A. 0. Bla-
lock, candidate for commissioner of
agriculture, Commissioner J. j.
Brown on Saturday issued a state
ment in reply to Mr.. Blalock's
card Of Friday, attacking Mr..
Brown and his administration OF
the department.
Commissioner Brown charges
that the contents of the efficiency
experts report, submitted a few
days ago to Governor IIardwick,
were made known to Mr.. BlalocK.
for such use as he might desire. by
his SON.
"Of course, we are not surprised
at him having this special favor,~
says Commissioner Browns state
ment, "since his son is the private
secretary of the governor, and has
been running his fathers campaign
from the reception room of the gov
errors office ever since Mr.. Bla-
locks candidacy was framed up in
the kimball House."