Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-05-20
BY SHELDON 8. CLINE.

of government has become
as pressing a problem as
reducing the high cost Of
living was a few years ago. 1t Is
by no means an academic question,
for it hits Tom, Dick and Harry
squarely in the pocketbook-their
point of greatest vulnerability, ana
they are doing a lot of stewing and
fussing over II.
Everybody is interested. both be-
cause everybody pays taxes and be-
cause when government costs are
high the cost of bread and meat and
potatoes, shoes and clothing and Ice
cream sodas are correspondingly al
titudinal. John E. Edgerton, presi-
dent of the National Associatoin OF
Manufacturers, complained of 1t the
other day in his annual address TO
that body, and Bill Jones, who works
in one Of Mr.. Edgerton's mills, feels
that he has equal cause for complaint
Doing Something About 1t.
1t is real news, and welcome news.
therefore, that something tangible is
being done looking toward "a reduction
in the high cost of government. 1t
started in the Department of Com
merce as Standardization Of specifi-
cations" and despite the handicap of
this high-brow name has shown sur
prisine vitality and had lusty growth.
The combination of scientific knowl-
edge they have out at the bureau Of
standards and the practical minded
ness Of Secretary Hoover has oper-
sted to get some astonishing and
highly gratifying results.
1t has been found that 10 per cent
possibly 20 per cent-of the money
Uncle Sam collected in taxes was just
wasted, largely because when the
government went into the market to
buy the thousand and one things 1t
needs it bought haphazard, because
it had no standards Of specifications.
AS a starter Secretary Hoover got
together the purchasing agents of
the various departments of the fed
eral government, representative man
ufacturers and the experts from the
bureau of standards and got them to
agree on standard specifications for
all manner of supplies
Am Expensive Practice.
The practice in the past had been
for the purchasing agent for each de-
partment or bureau to write his own
specifications. The chances were about
10 to 1 that the goods he called for
were not standard in the trade. with
49, hot 70 r~t, h
to make them special, possibly buy
or build new machinery, and Uncle
Sam paid a premium of from 10 to
so per cent for an article no better
or no more useful in any way than
could have been supplied him out Of
regular stock.
All this now is to be changed,
Whether it is cement or paper, lum-
Der or leather. steel or lead pencils,
quires, there are standard specifca-
tions for the various grades, and in
the future, instead of drawing up
elaborate specifications to drive man
wild, the purchasing agent
will simply ask for bids on so much
cotton ducking of grade 7E. and every
manufacturer of cotton ducking in
America will know just what is re-
Quired.
That is the nub of the story. so SIM
pie that the wonder is no one ever
thought Of it before. When It was
seen how many scores Of millions Of
dollars 1t would save every year to
The federal government Secretary
Hoover had another bunch. If it is
a good thing for Uncle Sam, he rea-
soned, why isn't it equally good for
tho states, and eventually for the
cities and towns. He got in touch
with the governors Of the states.
showed them what he had and in
vited them to come in on the good
thing.