Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-03-05
= UST now a considerable amount
of first-class embossed and en-
> graved stationery is being used,

of first-class embossed and en-
~ graved stationery is being used.
and the time of a number of
government stenographers. and clerks
| in various establishments is being
consumed in preparing long lists of
executive papers which officials in the
many offices of the government are
| trying to get permission to throw in
a waste paper sack.
The law provides that a particular
department DESTROYS of getting rid of
papers for which it has no further
use shall submit copies of all docu-
ments and forms to the Library of
Congress for advice as to whether
such records appear to have any his
! torical value. If the Library of Con-
gress reports that they have no his
torical value. the head of the ex-
ecutive department transmits to Con-
gress lists and copies of such useless
papers and documents, which is re-
| ferred to the joint committee on
| disposition of useless executive pa
pers. This committee investigates the
| less papers and makes a report to
both House and Senate, and about
| $500 copies of that report is then
printed. This joint committee has
executive functions, and it's recon-
mendations automatically go into ef-
feet
THERE'S another example of lost
motion in the federal service.
The new federal budget system
specifically reserves to Congress the
! exclusive right of passing upon its
own expenditures when it is voting
appropriations to support the various
other functions of the government.
The other day William Tyler Page.
clerk of the Hous. prepared state
ment of supplemental estimates for
the contingent fund of the House
and he had to send it to the budget
] bureau, which transmitted it to the
President. with an accompanying let
ter. Then the President. in turn,
l
to the Speaker. and it finally reached
the House appropriations committee.
All this instead Of Mr.. Page walking
a few steps down the corridor from
his own office and handing the esti-
| mate in at the committee room.
| The explanation given is that the
estimates from Congress. while not
i 90 ,,1N
the budget bureau. are sent there so
\ that the budget bureau may have a
| general. rounded OUT view Of the en-
tire estimates of cost for running the
| government. Critics of this waste
motion point out that it would be
much simpler for the clerk to simply
| send carbon copy of his estimates
formation.
ct yNCLE JOE" CANNON. eighty-six
| years old, elected to Congress
fifty years ago, never goes to the
movies. 81 went once some years
ago" Representative Cannon said,
land they hurt my eyes. SO 1 didn't
go any more"
\ X \
iDEv. JAMES SHERA MONTGOM-
cry, chaplain of the House. is a
mans man and extremely human. In
going down the aisle of his church
one Sunday recently he saw a very
| prominent man, who is noted ma
| tional figure. in one Of the front pews
and shook hands with him. asking:
| "How do you feel today?" Rotten
| lost a lot at poker last night" came
| the surprising answer. which would
have rebuffed most clergymen, but
| not Chaplain Montgomery. That was
the most sincere reply I ever re-
ceived," he commented to members of
Congress later. ut showed how
| human that great man was"
| A QUARTER Of a century of service
in Congress will be rounded out
by Representative Frank w. Mondell
of Wyoming on March 4-and during
all those twenty-five years he has
/ been absent just five days. and then