Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-12-05
M'CARL CR|T|C|zES
SPENDING AGENCIES
Controller General Wants
1000 Discussing Officers
Reduced to 80.

Charging that huge sums of money
were tied up through serious defects
in the present system of paying Govern
,~-ant obligations, Controller General
.,-.cCari today fired another broadSide
~-to the program oy payment by ap-
prnxIInately 1000 disburslng officers.
who, he charged. were responsible to
and under the control of the spending
agencies"
In his annual report to Congress. the
controller general severely criticized
the existing plan. He reiterated his
previous recommendation for the set
ting up Of an independent disburSin3
agency free from the control of the
spending agencies" Tho number of
disbursing officers he thought could
be cut from 1000 to so.
Referring to statistics on claims for
the pest three years, the controller
general said: These huge sums, in ex-
cess of the entire annual cost of the
Government during its early years,
speak in eloquent terms of serious de-
fects which enable such erroneous pay
mentS to be made and cause the accu-
mutation of huge claims for refund
thereof, with consequent losses to the
United States and dissatisfaction to
persons having business dealings with
the United States"
Huge Claims Involved.
The claims figures referred to. he
said, showed that for the fiscal year
1926 there were S3453 563.59 collected
on claims of the United States, S3445,-
765.79 in claims referred to the solicitor
of the Treasury for the institution of
suit and the sum of 1888, 041 500 in
claims of the United States remaining
to be acted upon by the General Ac-
counting Office.
In 1927, he said, there were collec-
lions of claims aggregating 1895, 646. 16,
with uncollected claims aggregating
S235, 1870, 56706 on the books of the
General Accounting Office During the
past fiscal year. 1928. there was COL
lected $8.913,26121, with uncollected
claims aggregating 1888, 1907, 453.32 still
on the books.
Our present system of disburse-
ments," McCarl said. through officers
attached to and under the control of
the administrative agencies authorized
to obligate appropriations, is not only
quite out of harmony with the consti-
tutional intent of legislative control
over public moneys and their uses, but
is such As to actually tempt admins
trative officers. in obligating funds, to
disregard, overlook or forget the direc-
tions and limitat tons which the Con-
gress has studiously and advisedly
placed in the appropriation acts or per-
manent statutes to govern and control
the uses of such appropriations. The
issue seems ever present, whether the
Congress, expressing its will through
its enactments, or the desire of the
spending agencies shall control in the
uses of public money.
Urges Separate Agency.
with the establishment of an indie
pendent disbursing agency, free from
the control of the spending agencies,
manned by those specially trained for
the work and functioning on personal
and bonded responsibility, there would
be accomplished not only vast saving
through concentration in the expert
enced hands of approximately so dis
burslng agents the disbursing duties now
In the hands of approximately 1000 Of
Ulcers in the continental United States,
the elimination of hundreds of unSatis-
factory accounts now being rendered by
inexperienced employees and the elimi-
nation of the expense and time used in
adminiStratively examining the thou
sands of accounts now rendered, but
there would be removed the temptation
on administrative officials to disregard
the directions and limitations in the