, 1923-02-28
Seuering the Red Tape

TT is HOPED that out of the present admins
L tration we may in truth and IL fact obtain
something of bushes in government. The joint con-
gressional committee working for more than a year
has made recommendations in its report reallocat
ing a number of federal bureaus and other activ-
tiles and in short suggesting a complete %reorgani
zation of executive departments with a view of
abolishing duplication and delay in business. The
executive departments have in fact never been or
ganized from n business standpoint. As bureaus
and commissions were created they we're placed
under the wing of one executive department or
other, or misplaced as the case may have been,
and there have remained. Some of the most gro
tesque activities are vested with the several cxecu,
tive departments.
In addition to this incongruous and inefficient
condition, this method of throwing the agencies of
the government together in n haphazard manner
has made for increasing duplication of work and
multiplication of expenses. 1t is the underlying
reason for the interminable red tape which is the
curse of administrative effort.
The present report is the latest in a long series
of similar ones upon the same subject. All pre-
Vious Investigations and recommendations have
either come to naught, or have been productive of
results pitifully small commensurate with the
amount of labor necessary to obtain the facts. With
in the present generation, the two most important
were the Keep Commission, appointed by President
Roosevelt, and the Taft Commission on Efficiency
and Economy. The Keep Commission was appoint
cd upon President Roosevelts own initiative. Its
investigation covered a very wide range of sub.
jects. 1t collected and compiled n vast amount of
valuable data. 1t made eighteen different reports
on as many different subjects and each report was
the basis for very important communications.
Owing to the fact that congress made no appro-
priation for the printing of the reports as public
documents, much valuable data thus collected was
lost. However, this commission accomplished some
very desirable governmental reforms, among them
the Standardization of telephone switchboard serv-
ice; uniformity of disbursing and collecting of.
fees; establishment of n general cost system; tho
creation of c general supply committee the work
ing out of a schedule of classification of govern.
ment clerks and graduation of their salaries; the
formulation of a set of uniform regulations for
all public employees; the abolition of the printing
of a great amount of unnecessary and unimport
ant documents, as well as the printing in dupli,
cate of many documents and papers.
The Taft Commission on Efficiency and Economy
was authorized by congress at the direct request of
President Taft in 1910 and an appropriation was
made to finance its activities. 1t completed its in.
vestigations early in 1912 and among its recommen.
dations was the establishment Of n national budget
system. 1t made n great number 81 other very val.
liable recommendations and its report contained
a world of information and data relative 10 the
activities Of all the executive agencies Of the
government.
It's report in support OF a budget system was de
nounced by tho Democratic congress and was made
the subject of hostile provision in the appropria
ton bill. Coming as 1t did during the closing
months Of President Tafts administration. he had
no opportunity To insist upon its proper consider
alton.
The Wilson administration coming into power
with an Overwhelming majority in congress pro