Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1922-02-23
Bv EDWARD G. LOWRY
Copyright. Western Newspaper Union
XXI.
WE'RE COLD TO REFORMS

WE'RE COLD TO REFORMS
We have not had in our time Presi-
dent who was business man or who
had close acquaintance with business
methods. The Chief Executives have,
for the most part, not been executives
as that term is now understood. Any
thing but. They regarded the govern
mental machine as one regards hired
motor cara piece Of mechanism in
which to get somewhere, and with no
thought of its power-transmission
system or economy of operation.
Mr.. Taft did sense the fact that he
was at the head of an organization
whose activities are almost as varied
as those of the entire business world.
MIR. Harding, l believe, shares this
feeling.
AS Mr.. Taft pointed out, this great
organization has never been studied
in detail as one piece of administra.
tive mechanism. No comprehensive
effort has been made, until very re-
Gently, to list it's many activities or tol
group them in such a way as to pre-
sent clear picture of what the gov
eminent is doing. No satisfactory
statement has ever been published of
the financial transactions of the gov
eminent as whole. With large in
terests at stake congress and the ex-
ecutive have never had all the infor-
nation which should be currently
available if the most intelligent direc-
ton is to be given to the daily national
business.
Congress, the President and the ad-
miniStrative officers have been at
tempting to discharge their duties
without full information as to the
agencies through which the work of
the government is being performed.
In the past, services, agencies, bureaus,
what not, have been created one by|
one as eXigencies have seemed to de-
mand, with little or no reference tOI
any scheme of organization of the gov
ernment as whole.
Mr.. Taft pointed out all this andI
made an earnest effort to change it.
With what result? Why, just exactly
none. Congress was cold. The pub
lic-meaning you and me-was colder.
We didn't take any interest in the
project, and therefore congress po-
litely yawned it away into the tall
grass and out of sight. Mr.. Taft was
given enough money to employ an eff
cheney and economy commission andl
to make inquiry into the methods of
transacting the public business of the
executive departments and other gov
eminent establishments"
The inquiry was made and theI
changes recommended, but nothingI
has ever been done about it. ThisI
economy and efficiency commission wasl
very conservative and cautious. It'll
took Mr.. Taft's view that the prob
fem of good administration is not oneI
that can be solved at one time. 1t isl
IL continuously present one. Thsl
commission, made up of excellent men
suggested that the revenue-cutter Serv-
ice be abolished and its activities bel
taken over by other services. 1t was1
estimated that by so doing a Saving1
of not less than $1000,O00 could be.
made.
Another report recommended that
the lighthouse and life-saving services;
be administered by single bureau in
stead of as at that time, by two bu-
reaus located in different departments.
1t was estimated that this cOnsolida~
ton would result in a saving of not
less than 100000 yearly.
The abolition of the returns office OF
the Interior department was recon-
mended, at an estimated direct saving,
of about $4,000 year, in addition
to a large indirect economy in the.
reduction of work to be performed i'm,
the several offices.
The consolidation of the six auditing
offices of the treasury and the inclu-
sion in the auditing system of the
seven naval officers who audited ems
toms accounts at the principal ports
was urged. The change was expected
to produce an immediate saving of at
least $135.000 yearly.
From this modest start other changesE
ando reforms and savings were to be
made
But we weren't interested in the F
high cost of government or the high
cost of living eleven years ago. Mr..
Taft didn't get rise out of us. Hei
didn't have much of pull with con.
gress, either, poor man, and all his in. |
Quiry went for nothing as far as anvil
action was concerned.
He and his commission did bring out
and establish, however, certain facts
and conditions. It was a Trustworthy
and competent investigation as far asF
1t went. That is something to thel
good.
There is patent disposition in con.
gress now to take the whole problem
of the routine administrative processes
of the government under consideration
and see how best to improve them
Whether anything really worth while
will come out of it will depend en-.
tirely on the degree of interest Won
display. If you will take the trouble
to show that you know that the ma
t,onal business is mismanaged andE
costs too much, and that you are tiredE
of IL, there will he action.