Evening star., 1927-09-18
BY WILLIAM A. MILLEN.


| ~ ing in Washington, involving
| ~ the Government and private
i interests. While the idea has
gone abroad that Uncle Sam
| is building up gigantic bureaucracy
here on the banks of the Potomac
an impression given impetus by lusty
! State rights advocates-certain sec
tions of the Government are cutting
down their Washington personnel and
delegating additional authority to field
forces to act without reference to the
National Capital. hitherto deemed
requisite. On the other hand, private
organizations are popularity supposed
to look askance at the reputed bu'
| reaucracy that is ever widening, with
the United States Capitol at the huD,
but these interests are, with increas-
ing determination, establishing ma
tionaI or branch offices in Washing
| ton, to see that their OK is not gored
by congressional or departmental
action.
| Civil Service Commission figures
sketch a picture of the tobogganing in
the number of Government employees
centered in Washington that has
taken place since the close of the
| World War This army of Govern
ment employees. placed at 117,76O on
November II, 1918, the first Armistice
| day. on June 80 last was SO, ,800-vlr-
tualy cut in half. July, 1920. saw the
! wartime peak reduced to 9O,559 and
a year later the number had slumped
to 1866 and the figure was still FUR
ther reduced by June, 1922, when 1t
was 69.9S0.
DemObilizing Policy.
On June 30, 1928, the figure had
shrunk to &C, ,290 and year after found
it at 64,120. The number of employees
here on June 30, 1925, was 63,756,
while in June, 1926, it was 60,S11.
Now it is considered to be pretty well
stabilized at around $4,000. Economy
under the administration of President
Coolidge can account for a share of
this reduction but some of it must
be credited to the demobilizing and de-
centralizing influence that has sent
numbers into the field, which means
anywhere in the country but Wash
| ington.
A striking example of this exodus
and the manner in which it has oper-
ated to speed up efficiency is reflected
in the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
For three years this movement has
been going on, dating from the reve-
nue. law Of 1924, so that all the basic
audit work is now done outside Wash
ington. Prior to 1924, all individual
income tax returns reporting more
than SIS 900 income and all corpora
ton, fiduciary and partnership re-
turns came to the Capital for audit.
The only type that now reaches Wash
ington is one that the taxpayer and
the officials in the field are in dis
I'D bnf nf 1n
settled.
Illustrative of this, Internal Reve-
nue. officials point to the fact that
5000 900 returns were made last
Spring and that final work has been
completed on 70 per cent of these.
They add that the bureau is attempt
ing to give every taxpayer an oppor-
tunity to close his case in the field.
In 80 per cent of those set aside for
further adjustment, so per cent of
this number were satisfactorily closed
by mutual agreement. A relatively
small number, they say, are coming
to Washington for settlement. Thus,
they insist of 100000 income tax
returns filed last Spring, less than
100000 are reaching Washington. and
of these less than 5000 will be taken
to the Board of Tax Appeals.
This situation the officials contrast
with that obtaining before 1924. Then
some 10000 returns came to Wash
ington and there were cases 3
years old piling up that had never
been touched. they say.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue in
1923 had $500 employees in Washing
ton; today it has $500. The saving
has been made largely in the number
of clerks, typists and stenographers,
eliminating an endless amount of let
ter writing between the Government
and the individual taxpayer or firm.
The letter writing. the officials say,
has now been largely eliminated, with
the taxpayer going into the field office
and settling business over the counter.
Veterans Bureau.
Another noteworthy example of the
decentralization process is seen in the
case of the Veterans Bureau. which
has reduced it's Washington force
from 1900 in February. 1919, to 400
at present. Officials having to do
with former service men claim that
this phase of the Government is com
pletely decentralized, with the excep
, ton of death and insurance cases. The
regional offices of the bureau over the
country have authority to settle prob
lens of their own accord, with Wash
ington acting in an administrative
capacity only. A limited decentrali
zation began in 1921, and since June
1924, it has put on full steam. so that
today the Veterans Bureau has gone
50 far as to have it's own attorneys in
the field offices to fight cases that
come under it's jurisdiction.
, Yet another instance of decentrali-
} zation is shown in the case of prOhi-
bition, which under former Assistant
: Secretary Lincoln G.. Andrews became
in earnest back to the country
movement. Two years ago the Prohi.
bition Bureau cut its Washington
force by 400. Basic permits for alco-
, hol as we'll as withdrawal permits are
now issued in the fed. AS one high
official put it, 1--WE have taken the Gov.
ernment to the people, so that the
people can get better service" The big
point in decentralization, as the Pro
hibition Bureau sees it, is that the
applicant comes in close contact with
the field force, which has chance to
see him.
The reduction in the Prohibition Bu-
reau, which also includes the force
engaged in combating narcotic traffic,
from 700 to 312 affected large num-
ber of attorneys with clerks, typists
and stenographers.
In keeping with the trend toward
decentralization. the food, drug and
insecticde administration of the De
partment of Agriculture, successor to