The Colorado statesman., 1922-09-02
DIRECTOR LORD READY TO USE
THE PRUNING KNIFE. FREELY
If 1T is NECESSARY.
ESTIMATES NOT so LIBERAL
Seven Agencies, Established by GEN.
eral Dawes, Are co-ordinating the
Routine Activities of the Federal
BY JAMES P. HoRNApAY


knife. The estimates from the various
branches of the government which
must be ready for the inspection of the
President of the United States by Sep
tember 10 are coming in. While they
show much improvement over the esti-
mates of former years, they reveal a
lingering disposition on the parts of
the chiefs of bureaus to ask for ex-
ceedingly liberal appropriations. The
estimates are not yet in such shape as
would warrant the bureau of the bud
get in saying whether or not the bud
get for the next fiscal year will call
Tor more money than was set aside
Tor the operation of the government
during the present fiscal year. If the
total of the estimates should exceed
the amount authorized for the present
year, 1t will certainly be reduced.
The outstanding fact about the prep
aration of the second budget is that
the federal government for the first
ime in its history is now transacting
Its routine business according to mod
dern methods. Never before did it
have complete balance sheet, and it
now has complete inventories Of its
properties, something which it never
had before. But most important of
all, there are now in existence and in
working order agencies which are en-
gagged in co-ordinating in all matters
of routine business the activities of
the separate departments and estab-
lishments. Charles G. Dawes, the first
director of the budget, was obliged to
prepare the first budget without the
assistance of these agencies, which he
established during his term of office.
Federal Purchasing Board.
AT the head of the list of these new
agencies is the federal purchasing
board. This board is made up of the
chief purchasing officer of each de-
partment or establishment, with a
chief co-ordinator as chairman. Ihe
chief co-ordinator has the authority,
limited by right of appeal in case
of any difference of opinion, to impose
co-ordinating orders. He can prevent
and is preventing competition between
the different departments in outside
purchases, not only by preventing
them from raising the prices on each
other, but where large quantities of
by ordering one department to execute
the purchase for itself and as agent
for the others.
The federal liquidation board co-or-
dinates sales, under a unified plan, of
the surplus stocks of the various de-
partments of the government. 1t is
composed of one representative from
each department, or establishment,
having sales activity and is presided
over by a chief co-ordinator.
The third agency in the new organ
ization is what is known as the corps
of area co-ordinators. This agency
expands the principles involved in the
federal purchasing board and federal
liquidation board over the entire coun-
try. The country as a whole is di-
vided into nine areas corresponding
to the nine army corps areas and in
each area an official has been select
ed by the President, by detail from
the department, who is known as the
co-ordinator for general supplies for
the several executive departments in
that area.
Surveyor General of Real Estate.
Then there is the surveyor general
of real estate who determines, sub
ject to the approval of the secretary
of the treasury in what manner and
to what extent real estate owned by
the United States outside of the Dis
rict of Columbia shall be occupied
and used, etc. He has the power to
assign and reassign rooms to all fed
eral officials, clerks and employees
throughout the country as his judg-
ment and discretion may direct. Since
this agency was established large
sums of money h!Ve been saved by
occupying space in government build
ings that was going to waste instead
of renting from private owners.
The fifth agency in the new scheme
is the federal motor transport agent.
The director of the budget found that
civilian trucks were being employed
to a large extent by some departments
while other departments had motor
trucks standing idle. The business
of the federal motor transport agent
is to see that motortrucks owned by
the government are properly dis
tributed.
The next agency Is the federal traf-
fic board which is designed to prevent
overlapping of service and the dupli-
cation of effort in the traffic business
of the government.
The seventh new agency is the fed
eral board of disqualification. The
duty of this board is to consider all
questions relative to the coordination
of federal disqualification.
Government statistics show that
one section of the United States
iS han1thfnl another
The statistics are those dealing with