Evening star., 1922-10-29
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

~ EFINITE recommendations for
the reorganization of all the
statistical work of the federal
- government, which is consid-
cred an important step toward the
economy efficiency reorganization OF
the federal workshop promised by
President Harding, will be ready for
Congress when it reassembles either
in probable special session, starting
about November Is, or the regular
"short" session. starting December 4.
These recommendations are in obe-
dience to the direction of Congress,
which emphasized the serious need
for reform with regard to statistical
activities of the government by twice
authorizing the survey to be made.
The act OF Congress, approved March
/, 1919, making appropriations for the
legislative, executive and judicial ex-
penses Of the government, authorized
the bureau of efficiency to investi-
gate duplication of statistical. work.
Again, in the deficiency appropriation
act, approved November 4. 1919, Con-
gress directed the bureau of efficiency
ter of statistics needed by the gov
ernment, and the methods of collect
ing, compiling and presenting statis-
tical Information by the several ex-
ecutive departments and Independent
government establishments, and sub
NIT to Congress a report of its find
ings, together with such recommends
tions as seem proper"
Reorganization Need shown.
The importance of this survey is
shown by the fact that virtually
every bureau in Washington collects
or disseminates statistics of one kind
or another. The need for reorganiza-
ton to control duplication is shown
in the report, which points out that
the entire statistical output of the
government can be grouped under
twenty-Seven subjects, while fire.
quently several or a number of bu-
reaus publish statistics in the same
field. For example, accident statis-
tics. by twelve agencies; occupations,
wages and hours of labor, by eleven
agencies; consumption and stocks. by
ten: commodity prices. by ten; manu-
factures, by eight: merchant marine
and shipping, by seven; education. by
seven; agriculture, money and bank
ing and area, by six each: domestic
commerce and vital statistics, by five
each. etc.
This report, which Herbert D.
Brown, chief of the United States
bureau of efficiency, will be ready to
submit to Congress on November Is,
contains a detailed statement of sta
tistics gathered and disseminated by
every branch of the government serv-
ice. 1t will contain also a guide to
the original sources for all major sta
tistical activities of the government.
1t will contain about 375 pages and
represents a year and half of con-
slant research and study by one in
vestigator, DIR. George c. Havenner.
and part-time work by three other in
vestigators.
81 Recommendation Made.
Thirty-three distinct recommenda-
tions are made, with the idea that
they shall be the basis for reorsani-
zation legislation, and principal
among these is one that "the collec-
tion. tabulation and dissemination
of all nom administrative statistics
should be centralized. SO far as prac-
tieable, within the bureau Of the CEN
sus of the Department of Commerce"
Tho statistics collected by the gov
ernment relate to nearly every aspect
of our economic and social life. The
ends sought through this survey and
recommendations based thereon for
legislative guidance are: First, the
Improvement OF the governments
| statistical product: second, an abate-
ment Of the burden upon private
establishments in furnishing infor-
nation to federal agencies; and,
third, economy to the government
| could be largely achieved" the re-