The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-06-08
WASTING GOVERNMENT TAXES.


sulting specialist in marketing
United States Department of Agricul
ture, in charge of the economics di
vision Of the packers and stockyard
administration" has sailed for Eur
ope /" as special representative Of tn,
secretary of agriculture to investi
gate economic conditions in the United
Kingdom and European countries
The plain citizen who is hoping tt
see the government curtail unneces-
sary expenditures and reduce taxes
wonders why the secretary of agri-
culture needs special representa-
tive" to go on such a journey at the
expense of the government, when the
Department of Agriculture and also
the Department of Commerce already
have special representatives in
Europe investigating agricultural and
trade conditions there and sending
long weekly cables, mostly Of incon-
sequential and belated news. that are
mailed, after they are received in
Washington, to all the newspapers of
the country and promptly consigned
to the waste basket. says the Kansas
City Star.
The plain citizen also wonders why
it should be deemed necessary for the
Department of Agriculture to mail
circular to all the newspapers of the
country announcing the departure of
Mr.. Brand to Europe on this Grand
The expense OF preparing and dis
tributing the millions of circulars and
letters that go out from Washington
every year-perhaps they reach the
million mark every months an un-
necessary budren on the taxpayer. 1t
is proper. of course, for the govern
ment to keep the public informed on
what it is doing, but vast quantities of
mailed matter of this sort clutter up
the mails and the newspaper waste
baskets, and involve useless expense
and burden to the public.
"a "a IA
Frank Munsey, who paid $2,000,O00
to consolidate it with one he already
had which was itself consolidation
of two others, gave his reason for so
doing as follows Newspaper max
ing has come to call for SO large
daily outlay in news gathering, in
salaries, in print paper, in the me-
chanical departments and in the de- |
livery of the paper, to say nothing of |
the investment in the newspaper |
property, and the investment in the
printing plant, hat only the big
can keep op the pace and
give the public what the public de-
mands and has a right to expect"
These are cold, hard, unacceptable
facts There is not newspaper in
be whole country which is not, in
spite of deflation . in other lines,
costing more to produce than ever be-
tore. The increase is well over 100
per- cent as compared with only five
,r six years ago. The country papers,
both daily and weekly, are every
where feeling the pressure and groan-
ng under it. Not few have gone
tut of business because they were I'M
bile to cope with the conditions, and
theirs will go-Yakima Republic.
"a "a "a
People who buy what they need t
nd pay for it as promptly as pos
ible, aid materially in bringing about Z
rosperous conditions. A man with /
n Income of $3.50 month, If he
Ponds that income judiciously, and
oesn't incur obligations which he 1
annot meet within a reasonable I
me, is doing more toward better fin ii
1cial conditions in community than
leF man with twice or three times Is
le income, who has acquired habits. r.
: allows his family to acquire ha- y
is beyond their means, spending the :
rger income and much more besides. :,
very dollar that person spends
,ove his legitimate income is dol &C
r tied up which belongs to someone in
50. 1t is the money In circulation tu
lich keeps business going. -
"a "a "a U
w
There is considerable difference be- y,
cen such a storm as visited the ba
,scow region Wednesday evening, su
d which was one of the most severe 70
re in long period, and the kind no
storms that visit the great expanse
the United States which lies east I.
the Rockies. For one thing, the ~
in selecting its targets, sh
ked out only public service cor err