The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-07-28

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transferred from the Quartermaster
corps. There are numerous ether
examples Of similar economies mai
come under the head Of common
sense business and the agxres,t.
saving to Uncle Sam runs into larre
figures. Even more important. psr.
haps. il the moral effect on oficial.
and employees who are seeing thai
slipshod, hit or miss methods are
no longer In vogue in The federal
service.
In the matter OF government pur.
chasing the work Of coofdination
has been likewise effective. rven-
ty-six separate and distinct pprchas.
ing agencies in the treasury depart.
ment are being consolidated and
organised on an efficiency basis and
the same thing has already been
done with >18 such agencies in the
department of agriculture. In fact.
there was need for reform in this
line in all the departments except
the navy where the buying has
been done in thoroughly coordi-
mated way for some years.
Real Estate Listed
still another field for the appli-
cation Of business methods has
been found in dealing with the real
estate and rental problem. Neces-
sarily the government owns a vast
amount of realty, vharves, ware
houses, storage buildings, etc, but
up to the present time there has
never been consolidated list Of
such property. One Of the results
of this deficiency, which is now be-
ing femedied, has been that in the
same cities one government agency
had property that was not being
utilized while another rented less
desirable and less suitable space.
For example, army depots In
Brooklyn and Boston afforded stor-
age space that was not being used,
while the government was paying
$275, 900 annually for places in
which to store seized liquor in
those cities. A bit of coordination
and that snug little rental item was
saved. Again, in Chicago it was
found possible to cancel leases
costing $200, 900 every year by max
ing available aforementioned
property that was standing idle,
and substantial savings are being
accomplished in almost every 9TH
er large city in the country. This
| is Just what the real estate depart
ment of any large corporation
would be doing and there is moth
ing new or startling about it ex-
cept that the government hasn't
been doing it for the last 40 or 80
years.
Other coordinating activities now
under way include federal board
of disqualification, a federal speci-
fications board, the restriction and
control of government printing
plants and printing, the organiza-
ton of telephone and cable opera
! tons and federal traffic board.
| The latter agency is especially
important in view of the fact that
the government pays an annual
transportation bill of some sSo,0o0,-
900 in addition to the expenditures
of the postoff1ce department for tha
moving of the mail. This is ire
mendous business in itself and ye
there has never been any agenc!
to act for the government as I
whole in a supervisory way.
\ Twenty-six departments or sub
ordinate organizations of the gov
eminent are authorized to spen.
money for the transportation o
persons and supplies and the nee!
of coordination was obvious. Thii
has been undertaken by the traf
fic board and already business
methods are getting business re
suits. No longer will supplies b
sent by express that should be sen
by freight. Carelessness and riis
takes in routing will be correcte'
and the most economical method
of shipment will be insisted upon.
! Evetunally. If politics and tn
politicians do not upset the plan
of those who are trying to max
the government a real business in
;! stitutfon as we'll as the biggest on
in the world, the time may com
when Uncle Sam will get full dol
lars value for every dollar he ex
ponds. Then the taxpayer will fee
that he is getting the only kind o
dividends possible on the invest
ment which he makes every yea
in federal government, common an
preferred.