The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-05-26
"Too Much Overhead"

gnu Nv PR9 - AA6Hh W Wv
pc mt ."--Morrisville Messenger.
Up until Governor Hardness, week
or 10 days ago, declared that there
was about SO per cent waste in the
cost of adm .nistering the states bust
ness, there was general concensus
that the overhead or whatever one
wants to call it, was excessive. But
with the governors statement, thore
seems to be a drawing in OF the horns,
even by some Of our most ardent cru
saders for economy; they have about
faced and are challenging the Cover
nor to prove his statements They
don't seem to recognize the awkward
ness of their position. Either there
Is a grain Of truth IN what his excel
lency said, or the position formerly
held by these papers was wrong and
revealed them as unknowing of the
facts.
The Messenger Is not quite recon
ciled to the loose way this word "over.
head is used but if 1t means the
waste of lost motion in some state de-
partments, well and good. But it does
not follow that becauIe larger sums
are being spent in supervision that the
money is wa ted The test is: does
the increased supervision result in
greater efficiency in the Office and in
the field? No business expects. 10
operate without spending considerable
sums for management, and the bust
ness where the employee is left to boss
himself, lay out his own work, act as
his own director, etc, soon loses in the
battle with the better organized.
Now Il Is nonsense to try to stand
up and argue that the departments,
all Of them, are as efficient as they
can be made. Any one who is al all
/ familiar with state house conditions
knows this. Take an example that is
! common knowledge to hundreds and
hundreds in this state. Lit there be
any unusual occurr nee IN the house
during a legislative session and what
happens? The departments are emp
tied OF their clerks who occupy the
seats IN the house chamber open to
visitors as spectators Of what yer
may be the occa ion for the field day.
This does not happen once o. twce
during session. 1t is moe common
than that. Is II not indicative OF the
mental attitude OF those clerks and
OF those who are directly in charge Of
them? Does any one think that this
could be duplicated In private bus
ness? And does any one think that II
is a state of mind which endure only
during legislative session? II takes
place under the eyes Of the members
of the legislature. yet the writer, who
has been on the scene at man. sas-
sions does not recall ever having
heard a protest sent up by any mem.
be-.
II is taken for granted, that Is all
And that Is the trouble. The Amer.
lean people take I for Granted that
there must of necessity be a slowing
down Of actlv ty in governmental en-
ploy. They know that duplicat'on OF
clerical help Is common. that il takes
one or two men TO do the work that
ono individual would do in private
business or get fred There Is no
just ground for disputing that tbs Is
fact
In this attitude. and in other ways
the people themselves contr butte to
the ccnd ton and must share part OF
the blame themselves. The Messen
ger hardly believes that the stata bust
ness will ever be conducted on as eff
fcient a basis as private enterprise
but it knows full w'll that II can be
improved over its present condit on
and believes that 1t has been improved
- some extent during Governor Hart
ness administration. At least, Il
there is just as much loafing as a year
ago, it is being done in part by differ
ent individuals.
Furthermore, the Messenger can no
} SEQ why L should be taken for grant
ed. If improvement Is possible, as 4
surely is and II Improvement means
the saving Of money to the taxpayers
why should there b. any desire t
throw cold wat on the propos ton
This trying to make it appear tina
A.. Governor Hartness is advocating al
autocrat who would tell Vermonteri
what they can or can not do and TAKE
the place of the legi lature Is all non
, s nse. for not only is impossible
: but not desired by any one this pape
, knows OF.
The state wants economy and on
way OF getting 1t is by ncr- as'ng tn,
efficiency of the individual worker 70
q the state To try to make II appea
that all is well now and to make tina
view prevail s to fasten on need
less expense that will endure for som
r time. The Messenger knows moth n
! about whether the efficiency can b
increased so per cent, but il does kno,
as every one else who has viste
: Montpelier year after year as an oil
server knows, that improvement |
possible
Senator Aldrioh once said that som
$500, 100000 could be saved annual
in running the federal governm Il
back when we had a billion dolla
Congress- The politically mlnde
scoffed at him despt e his being
trained politician and big man {
business but to-day no one seriousl
doubts that the senator was correc
The time will come when It will b
recognized that there is enough trut
in Governor HARNESS. statement
make 1t well worth while giving