Seward daily gateway., 1931-05-18
GOVERNMENTAL WASTE

GOVERNMENTAL WASTE It is sad commentary on the efficiency of govern ment methods that practically every state and mncl paty in the country is faced with financial crisis as result of msnanagement or worse, while the Federal government exhibits mounting deficit. Saturday. President Hoover announced while at his summer camp he intended ot probe into the ex- penditures of the Interior Department with the view toward retrenching If economy is his sincere pan let him start with the prohibition enforcement bureau the the pork barrels and half dozen such items.
 We have countless departments and bureaus and tax payers burden. While bureaus lie awake at night thinking LID new ways of spending the public revenues in the way they think best, legislators try to discover and shove over ideas to imposing further tax buE dens Since 1913 the cost of government in the United States has increased four times The population has not This increase is entirely out of proportion even making liberal allowance for the improved public facll tes which have been provided Too much public money is devoted to purposes foreign to the legitimate func tions of government For example, hundreds of millions of dollars are appropriated for the purpose of bringing more farm land under cultivation through lrr1gaton while other hundreds of millions appropriated in effort to aid in dsposng of the surplus farm crops that are raised on the land under cultivation already.
 The main for Investigations Is sickening as Is the appointing of special committees both of which cost the tax payers millions with practically no resulting bene fit to anyone Still other millions expended ill the attempted enforcement of multitude Of laws and regu lations of doubtful advantage to the public.
 All this governmental waste will continue until the taxpayers themselves aroused to the point of calling ha through relegating to private life the legislators and other officials who responsible for it. What the government needs right is spring cleaning; the majority of alleged "big political shots" should be turn ed down at the next election and deal with new faces, not politicians at the head of affairs.
 We glad to notice airplane companies are begin ming realize the potency of the Port of Seward airplane base Three here for two days It wont be long before hangars will be built and the new Territorial landing field extended in length In the meantime Seward has two natural landing fields and an unbeatable seaplane base behind the breakwater.
 
 Some of the great dailies in Alaska turn up their red and naughty to contributors submitting poetry but not so The Gateway We'll take chance on anything Alaskan. Shoot them in.
 
 With graineries and warehouses bursting with food, hundreds of thousands walking the streets hungry and without any hope of steady employment for year two Something wrong with the present system, as- suredly Alaskans returning from the States can't fig it out excepting that they glad they back home and not Outside with the restless millions.
 In bygone days they called em panics it is de- pression.
 
 The Gateway lost subscriber the other day. The chap died
 zTxMe1nber lQ5LzE NATIONAL, EDITORIAL ASSOCIATION