Evening star., 1925-09-17
HOW UNCLE SAM SAVES
BY WILLIAM p. HELM, JR.

contract rate per pound was secured
which resulted in a saving of S13,750
on 1856, 600 pounds during the year.
And then, going from big savings
to little, the record OF the division of
bookkeeping and warrants reads:
The services of one messenger were
dispensed with, resulting in an annual
saving of s1,020."
Sympathy goes out, Of course. to
the unfortunate messenger whose job
was sacrificed TO make a bigger tax
payers holiday; but savings, of course,
are savings.
Having reduced the rate for distinc-
tive paper in the manner shown above.
Mr.. Melons force set out TO reduce
other things.
"A reduction in the insurance rate
upon currency shipments to national
banks from cents to AS cents for
$1,000" one learns from the record of
the controller of the currency, re
sulting in saving of $4,000.
The insurance contract upon which
this rate was secured also effected a
saving of S1S.122 of new Federal Re
serve currency from Washington, ID.
c., to various branches of the Federal
Reserve system"
That was good as far as il went.
but still other items contributing to
the high cost of government were to
De Knocked down. One reads on:
"A saving of s3,SS5 resulted from
the use of paper seals instead Of
wax seals upon shipments of national
bank currency. This substitution of
paper for wax also reduced the EEK
pense for postage by $1,000"
None of these savings was made
public at the time of its adoptsoh.
All were undertaken by Mr.. Nd
Ion and his subordinates as a nisA
ter of routine. Yet they bulk f55rE
large In the annual record of ecenb-
| mics. They are picked at randArk
typical Of many others. In the BE-
reau of Internal Revenue forth
stance, one learns that:
I'm the printing of 1850. .0o0=ih-
come tax return forms, q white SUI
phite writing paper was substit8dd
| for white rag stock, at a saving kf
S12 ,0S0s1." FL
Cuts in Customs Service. Z
In the customs service the econ6srE
campaign has grown teeth. One reads
| that savings were effected in 19255t:
''The elimination Of supplies ard
equipment from acquisitions Of field
officers, or the substitution therefor.
when advantageous, of less expensive
articles which will serve the SAME
need.
| Reduction of salaries Of empIoyss
who are continued in the service affsr
reaching retirement age: also a 5re-
/ duction in the number of such eTh-
| ployes whose services are continued.
| Limiting the employe to one pro
motion a year unless the case ia n
very exceptional one.
| Reduction of salaries and the es-
Establishment Of uniform rates of pay OF
officers and employees of the border
patrol
The Public Health Service, likewise.
has dug deep for savings. One reads:
During 1924 saving Of S103. 3.161.38
was made by employing full-time dem
fists at the large marine hospitals. A
still greater saving has been made
this year" FusEAer:
'sThe cost per patient per day for
treatment in marine hospitals was
| 81. .06 during the fiscal year 1928. 1t
was reduced to $3.50 in 1924. The
average per diem cost for the first
nine months of 1925 was $3.6S."
| And again:
Savings were made in salaries by
approving, as leave without pay, alb
sences on account of sickness and by
not filling vacancies occurring when
work was slack"
| There are, perhaps, 500 other en-
| tries Of Treasury savings In 1925. The
| foregoing, however. are typical OF all.
tcoDyrirht. -4e25.)