Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-05-20
PUTTING A HUGE CRIMP
In COST OF GOVERNMENT
Stone That Kills This Bird Also
Promises to Help Lay Low the
High Cost of Living.

The result is that the purchasing
agents from twenty-five states will
meet here next Friday with the fed
eral purchasing agents and the bu
reau of standard experts with a view
to adopting for their states the new
federal standards of specifications.
Purchasing agents are coming from
only twenty-five states because only
that number of states have organized
purchasing departments. but a num-
Der OF other states, having seen where
they were losing out. are organizing
such departments and will come in
on the standards at the earliest pos
sible day.
The next logical step, and the next
step which will be taken, will be to
invite the towns and cities to adhere
That's where the biggest saving of
all to the taxpayers will come. The
possibilities of sayings-of reducing
the high cost of government--are al
most incalculable. These possibilities
can be expressed conservatively in
hundreds of millions year. and II is
hardly an eXaggeration to say that
they may mount into the billions If
you are skeptical, just take the total
taxes levied in this country for all
purposes. and then figure a possible
saving of from 10 to 20 per cent.
Business Takes 1t Up.
This would be a pretty good cheer
up story if it ended here. but it is at
this point that the story really be-
gins. American manufacturers are
a pretty wide-awake set of men. and
they have formed the habit of keep
ing close tab on what Secretary
Hoover and his Department of Com
merce are doing. A few years ago
when the Department of Commerce
was mentioned the manufacturer or
big business merely smiled a tolerant
smile. It's different now.
Something is there now which was
very much lacking before, the some
thing being vision combined with
practical understanding of the prob
lens of business. So when it was
suggested to the manufacturers that
this standardizing of specifications
was very much their affair they at
once sat up and took notice.
If such worthwhile economies can
be effected in government purchasing
through standard specifications, they
were asked, why not standard speci-
fications for purchasing throughout
the industries? 1t took them about
as long to see the point as il takes
you to snap your fingers. Now the
thing is under way, and the farther II
goes the bigger the possibilities seem.
Cement rs an Example.
Take cement for an example. That
is one article which has gone fully
through the mill and has been finally
headed up. There used TO be an innu-
merable number of combinations of
materials sold as cement and the user
not only had to specify which par
ticular combination he wanted, but
had to make tests to see that he got
1t. Now there is just one specification
for cement from Maine to California
All manufacturers will abide by II,
and when specification calls for ce-
ment, that is all ii is necessary to say
Just imagine what 1t will mean in
the way of savings when the plan is
working generally. OF course. not all
commodities can be reduced 10 a sin
gle grade, but all the grades will be
on standard specifications. and count
less thousands OF grades and sizes and
qualities will be eliminated. 1t means.
for instance, that the time is coming
when the leather in your shoes will be
stamped with its grade, and you will
pay according to the grade and know
you are getting your moneys worth.
And your shoes and everything you
buy will cost less because OF the
wastes which will have been elm
mated.
To reduce the high cost of govern
ment and at the same time as a COL
lateral benefit to reduce the high cost
of living is certainly killing two birds
with one stone in a manner to meet
popular acclaim.