The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1922-02-13
Bv EDWARD G. LOWRY
Copyright, Western Newspaper Union
OUT.OF-DATE MACHINE.


".
OUT-OF-DATE MACHINE
A committee made up of three mem
hcrS Of the senate and three members
of the house is now considering the
whole problem Of the organization Of
the executive departments of the gov
eminent with View TO finding out
how to reorganize them so as to in
crease their efficiency and decrease
their cost Of operation. 1t is about
time. The great executive depart
ments Of the government have not
been reorganized or greatly modern
lied since Alexander Hamilton's day.
Representative Reavis of Nebraska
Is one Of the members Of this joint
congressional committee that is MAX
ing the present investigation. He put
the resolution through the house that
brought about the appointment of the
tional government machine and he
ought to know what he is talking about
when he says that "while the gov
eminent of the United States is the
worlds biggest business. it is likewise
the worlds worst managed business"
That is an indictment and state
ment Of fact that will stand the closest
scrutiny and the most unsparing
analysis. But listen to Mr.. Reavis:
"Why should the Interior department
run an insane asylum and college for
negroes and a school for the deaf?
How did it get that way Why should
one personnel in the pension bureau
in the Interior department be caring
for the disabled soldiers Of the Civil
war and the Spanish American war,
while another personnel in the bureau
Of war risk insurance of the treas
ury is caring for the veterans Of the
World war? Why this hodgepOdge of
totally unrelated purposes which is re-
sulting in endless duplication and ap-
palling eXpense?"
I will let Mr.. Reavis so on without
further interruption. AS a member
of the house he has his share Of the
responsibility for the conditions he de-
scribes:
There are SO separate governmental
agencies handling engineering, architec-
tural and public works functions, all of
related kind. There is no good reason why
all these agencies should not be co-ordi-
mated in one department and about 50 Of
the useless organizations done away with.
There are 26 government agencies engaged
in surveying and mapping: there are II
separate and distinct agencies engaged in
agencies authorized TO build roads; there
are 10 engaged in hydraulic construction;
there are 16 doing work on rivers; there
are 10 engaged in public land functions;
there are 15 doing chemical investigation
connected with public work opera tons;
there are % doing engineering and re-
search.
Many Of these agencies have been in
active for a number of years. but they
are keeping up their personnel in. antici-
patton of work in the future. We could
save $500, 100000 a year, in my Judgment
by doing away with useless bureaus and
duplication of activities.
Some of the Implications are ridicu-
lous and absurd. For instance. the gov
eminent seeks to protect the wild animals
in the national parks If brown kadiak
bear has twin cubs, one brown and one
black, as often happens, and one should
shoot the brown cub he must make his
he shoots its full brother, the black cub,
he must settle with another department.
If you were to shoot a fox in Alaska your
settlement would be with the Department
of Agriculture, while If you trapped the
same fox you must make your settlement
with the Department of Commerce.
The government issued last year
through its several bureaus and depart
ments 16 cookbooks. The last one that
was issued was published by the board
of vocational education. This is a board
organized by the congress for the purpose
of rehabi1itatins crippled soldiers of the
World war, to prevent. as far as possible,
their becoming derelicts in life. 1t
may be of interest to state that while the
government has been issuing Is cookbooks
and consuming vast quantities Of print
paper in these and similar useless publ
cations, 1900 country town newspapers
have suspended in the last three months
because they could not secure print paper.
Mr.. Reavis and a great many others
have sensed the feeling in the coun-
try and in congress that the time has
come to put an end to all this sort
Of thing. He gives reasons for his
belief:
One of the reasons is that the people
demand that their taxation be reduced
the revenues Of this government through
systems of indirect taxation. The reve-
nues have been collected through a pro-
tective tariff and by excise taxation on
intoxicating liquors. Indirect taxation of
this kind prevents the people from reallz-
ing fully just who is paying the expenses
of the government. There was a time
when the expenses of the government
amounted to only II cents per capita per
year. Today the annual per capita eX-
pense exceeds $40 This tremendous eX-
pense has made it necessary to resort to
direct taxation, and the people have sud
denly become painfully aware of who
pays the expenses of the government.
am very certain that the elimination
of Implications and overlapping in the de-
partments will result in the saving Of
millions of dollars. There is no reason
why it should not be done.
There is every reason, in the presence
of the strife and turmoil that prevail in
this country and of the unrest occasioned
by the high cost of the neCessaries of life,
that the government should be put upon
a sane, efficient and economical basis
Whoever by public clamor or other
means can induce congress and the
executive departments to organize the
routine business of the national gov
eminent will have performed a great
public service. Note that l say cor
ganize" and not 'reorganiZe." for in
no proper sense has the federal bust.