Evening star., 1924-09-28
DELUCE OF STATISTICS
A BURDEN TO BUSINESS
Relief Promised as Result of "Cleaning
Up' by Budget and Efficiency
Bureaus.

work and found out. One of the re-
suits of It's investigation was an
index of $4,000 cards, arranged alpha
betically, giving the key to every
single Government activity under the
sun.
The Bureau of the Budget then is
sued one of it's sweeping orders, re-
quiring that when any department or
establishment proposed a new activ-
ity, resea rch or investigation. certain
information should be transmitted to
the Budget Bureau. The Bureau of
Buttermilk and Butterflies, for in
stance, proposes to sound out an in
Quiry on the question of whether
butterflies are more easily caught be-
fore or after drinking buttermilk.
The bureau so informs the Bureau of
the Budget, which transmits the data
to the Bureau of Efficiency, asking
engaged in this activity. The Bureau
of Efficiency goes to it's card index
and finds that the Bureau of Flying
Insects not long ago conducted the
same inquiry, and that the data COM
piled therefrom is available. The Bu-
reau of the Budget then transmits
this to the Bureau of Butterflies and
Buttermilk, which calls off it's inves-
tigation until it can think of some
thing new.
Duplication at 4 Minimum.
In this way duplication in the sta
tistical work of the Government is
becoming extinct, and likewise the
volume is diminished. Implications
today in statistical work can be
counted on the fingers Of one hand,
according to the Bureau of Efficiency,
and there are hopes that the Govern
ment agencies which continue to du
plicate will realize the error of their
ways in time. Alleged and actual
duplication in statistical work, how
ever, are two different things.
For instance, the Congressman who
is on the scent for something to crate
about may declare with truth that
there are 8 different Government
agencies obtaining figures and sta
tistics on manufactures, 10 getting
10 Investigating commodity prices, 5
looking into the domestic commerce
of the country, IL securing figures on
occupations, wages and hours of la
bor, and IL getting the latest infor-
nation on accidents in the various
classes of industry. But while these
appear to be, they are not actual du-
plicatins, as each Government bu-
reau is interested in a different phase
of the matter. For instance, the Bu-
reau of the Census, the Bureau of
Navigation, the Steamboat Inspection
Service; the Bureau of Labor Statis-
tics. the Bureau of Mines, the Rec1a-
nation Service, the United States
Coast Guard, the Interstate Commerce
Commission, Federal Board for Voca-
tional Education and the Panama
Canal all gather figures on accidents.
But the Bureau of Navigation, for
instance, does not care about the ac-
cidents on railways, nor does the In
terstate Commerce Commission care
for accidents which interest the Bu-
reau of Navigation. So it goes, and
while the Census Bureau makes use
of all figures on accidents it goes
about getting them independently.
Task for Chief Co-ordinator.
This brings up task for the chief
co-ordinator of the Bureau of the
Budget, who, with the help of the
Bureau Of Efficiency, hopes to bring
about system whereby one Govern
ment bureau which gets a set of
figures in the course of its investiga-
tion which it does not need will pass
them on for the use of the bureau
which does need them. There's q
story to the effect that the lats
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