Evening star., 1924-09-28

~ RIVATE industry in the United
States has unanimously given
the Bureau of the Budget and
! the Bureau of Efficiency a
| rising vote of thanks, accom-
panied by three rousing cheers and
appropriate floral offerings, for a
| task taken up between them some
| time ago, which is progressing sat
| isfactorially at present and which is
expected ultimately to bear fruit in
| a reduction of the tremendous volume
of reports and statistics in every
| shape, form and variety, demanded
annually by the Government depart
ments in Washington.
There's a story to the effect that
not long ago some bettle-domed
statistician with a wild light in his
eye, a Government publication in one
| hand and an adding machine in the
| other, sat himself down and figured
for a spell on what the people Of this
country pay in additional prices for
clothing, food and other necessities
| in order to satisfy the Governments
Unsuitable appetite for facts and fig
| ures concerning everything and any
| thing. The same story relates that
| the statistician satisfied himself that
| a fairly healthy part of the cost of
| living is made up of what 1t costs
industry as whole to satisfy the
Governments curiosity:
Not Exactly Verified.
Any story loses it's strength as an
| illustration when it lacks verifica-
tion, and it is true that the story of
| the wild-eyed statiStician was told
| in a moment of heat by the repre-
| sentative here of a great industry
shortly after he had finished reading
his mornings mail-mail which con-
| srlr h 10
clients about the reports they had to
| furnish thye Government. One may
pass over his story, however, and
look into the facts himself. Seven
teen pages of Government report
are required to list in small type the
statistical activities of the Govern
ment from the bureaus which count
| the number of accidents in certain
| Industries to those which figure the
| number. tonnage and motive power
| of yachts
The vast majority of information
| required by Government agencies is
| obtained from private industry. 1t
! requires time, and time means money.
| And while the industries themselves
| kindly comply with what the Govern
| ment asks. they charge it up to ex-
| pense, which means added cost IN the
articles they sell.
Favorite Warrington Pastime.
But returning to the crusade OF the
| Bureau of the Budget and the Bureau
Of Efficiency. Shortly after the war
and before the mushroom growth Of
bureaus incident to the war had been
| diminished, investigation of every
thing under the sun was about the
most popular pastime in Washington.
| The bureau or division chief without
some sort Of inquiry to direct felt
lonely and out Of place. If there was
/ nothing else to do, he could always
send out a QUESTIONABLE and find out
| from the shoe manufacturers, for in
stance. whether black or tan shoes
| were most popular; IL so, why?-and
maybe as an afterthought ask the
shoe manufacturer whether he was
| married or single and whether his
assistant was Methodist or Presby-
terian. Naturally, there was howl,
and Congress in 1919 asked the Bu-
reau of Efficiency to Investigate du-
plication Of statistical work in the
Government. together with the scope
and character of statistics needed by
the Government and the methods used
in gathering and compiling them.
Thea Bureau of Efficiency went to