The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1922-04-11
BIG ':'HOUSE CLEANING"
BEGUN IN WASHINGTON
CUSTOMS, INTERNAL REEVE
NUE. AND PROHIBITION Dr.
VISIONS ARE AFFECTED.
IRREGULARITIES FOUND
Laxity for Several Years Past Discov-
cred. Huge Sums in Back Taxes
Unsolicited. President, in Shake
Up" Has Already Fired 755.

| Unsolicited. President, in Shake
Up" Has Already Fired 755.
|. WASHINGTON, D. C-The SEN
sational house cleaning" begun by
President Harding in the government
engraving bureau has now spread to
the treasury department.
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
Dover conferred with the president on
charges already effected and more con-
templated in the customs, internal rev.
enue and prohibition divisions of the
treasury.
The customs shake-up has been
completed with 455 changes in the per-
sonnet OF 5000 which have conducted
the work of that division.
Other Changes Coming.
Commensurate changes are to be
made in the internal revenue bureau
OF 1000 employees, 800 changes already
having been ordered. The income tax
division of the revenue bureau is now
under the scrutiny OF Dover and it is
estimated that fully 800 changes will
be made there. 1t was in the customs
and revenue bureaus that charges of
congressman have been directed at the
retention OF employees who were eS-
tablished under the McAdoo- Roper
administration of the treasury.
After cleaning up the income tax
division Dover will proceed to the pro-
L I;xyieiO, a,11,,lnNytDo 7 Dnn
and women.
Alleges Laxity.
Dover justices his actions by the
delays and laxities he alleges have
marked the work OF the various divi-
sions Customs collections, he told
the president are millions OF dollars
in arrears.
Through the establishment of a spe-
cia agency, too, i'll the customs dlvI-
sion, it was ascertained, that many
fratlds, particularly in the Importation
OF diamonds and WOOL had been per-
petrated on the government through
laxity OF customs officials. Discovery
OF these frauds, he added, were large
ly responsible for the fact that, during
March, customs receipts were the
highest in history
There are on the books OF the treas
ury department more than $10O0,000,-
600 in back taxes, with prospects that
this enormous amount will be increas-
ed as the business progresses OF get
ting the books on current basis.
Many War Claims.
Many of them are war claims arts
ing out OF war profits, which the an
tiquated machinery of the treasury has
not reached in the four years since the
war stopped.
Secretary OF the Treasury Mellon
estimates that the tax deficit this year
will reach $300,000,000 How to make
it up has been perpleXing administra-
ton officials for a month. The ettI-
cheney experts OF the government were
called in. They advised chat this
amount could be made up through adj
justment of back taxes and the greater
customs revenues and this, according
to treasury officials, is at the root OF
the general shake-up.
Efficiency Shake-Up.'
The summary discharge of James
L. Wilmeth, director of the bureau of
engraving and printing, and % of the
divisional chiefs of the bureau was
part and parcel of this general eff
cheney shake-up," according to Score
tary Mellon.
Officially the treasury department is
taking no cognizance OF the vicious,
undercurrent OF rumors and reports
OF huge scandals" that is keeping
Washington agog with excitement
Secretary OF the Treasury Mellon
said no charges of criminal nature had
been filed against any of the discharg
ed employees or ousted officials. At the
same time Attorney General Daugh-
erty permitted it to become known
that a number of department of jus
tice operatives have been assigned to
the big bureau and are now engaged
in investigation
1t will take several weeks to COM
plete the investigation" and check up
the bureaus affairs. Some idea of the
magnitude OF the task may be gained
from the fact that more than $780,
100000 in federal reserve notes alone
are kept in the reserve bureau, to say
nothing OF other kinds of government
paper-bank notes, bonds, postage
stamps, revenue stamps, treasury GER
tihCateS, etc.