The Jones County news., 1922-08-08
RED TAPE CUT IN
THE EPARTMENTS.
LED sY EDWARD CLIFFORD, THE
ASSISTANT SECRETARIES IN
WASHINGTON GET WISE.
TELEPHONE INSTEAD or PEN
slnitialede Correspondence No Longer
Necessary IN Transacting Govern
nent Business Of Which a Written
Record 10 Not Required.
al IAMEs ?. AoRNApAY

BY JAMES p. HoRNADAY
Washington. n.--The "A assistant sec
reinries In the ten administrative de
partments are now successfully
demonstrating that government red
tape can be cut Edward clifford Of
Chicago, one Of the assistant secre-
tarles Of the treasury who got his
business training under Charles g.
Dawes. recently retired first chief Of
the bureau OF the budget, Is re-
sponsible primarily for the tape cut
Ting campaign.
One Of the first things Clifford
observed after be took service with
the Treasury department WIS the
seeming lmposslbillty Of transactlng
interlepartmental business with
promptness. II his branch Of the
Treasury department desired certain
information from some other adminis-
trative branch OF the government II
was necessary under the rules that
had stood for more than a century for
him 10 take the subject up through
correspondence. This meant that II
he wrote 10 an assistant secretary
IN another department the letter must
be "initialed" by either the secretary
Of the treasury or the assistant secre-
tary Of the treasury, and that after II
reached the other department II would
have 10 20 through the process Of be-
ing "initialed" up and down until an
answer was ready to he forwarded.
This red tape process frequently con
sumed days, but the prevailing view
was that tradition must be followed or
the government would probably not
survive.
Use the Phone, Said Clifford.
"All these administrative depart
ments are connected by telephones, |
take it," said Assistant Secretary Cllf-
ford one day to member Of his office
force
"Oh yes. we have perfect telephone
service between tire departments" was
the response.
"Well, think we will use the tele-
phone in transactlng some Of this
business instead Of writing so many
letters" said clifford.
That was the first step in the re
form that has been successfully ac-
compllshed. Clifford soon learned that
the "a assistant secretaries, four IN
the Department of Justice, four In
the Post Office department, one in the
Navy department. one in the Depart
nent Of Commerce. and one In the De
partment Of Labor. were not even ac
auainted. There should be some co.
operation In managing the business OF
the federal government" said he, and
forthwith he proposed that the "a
secretaries in the administrative de-
partments hold meeting and get ac-
quninted. The invitation to this meet
ing was accepted by % Of the "a as
slstants and before the evening was
over an organization had been per-
fected. II was agreed 10 meet each
Tuesday evening IN the week.
The outcome of the formation of
this organization by the assistant sec
retaries who, after all, are the men
who handle nine-tenths of the routine
business Of Importance. is that inter-
departmental business handled by
these secretaries has been greatly sim
pllhed. The telephone has practically
supplanted the stenographer. the type
writing machine and the mails.
Secretary MELONS Victory.
Apparently Andrew w. Mellon
secretary of the treasury, has won
big victory over the Repub
lican politicians who set out to forcs
him to resign. His victory receiveS
its finishing touches when President
Harding decided TO accept the resig
nation of Elmer Dover, an assistant
secretary and chief political heads
man. AS result Of various devel
the merit system as applied to govern
ment services seems to be on sound
er foundation than at any time sine
March A, 1921. The National Civil
Service Reform league is entitled {
a large measure OF credit for the oui
come. The league called sttentlo
from time Go time TO what was goin
on and did this in an effective way.
The dismissal of some thirty-fou
chiefs of divisions In the bureau 9
engraving and printing without hea
ing. and without reference to the pr
lection which the civil service law
supposed to give them, stirred up sue
Il commotion that no attempt has bee