The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-02-05
EDITOR FIGHTS
TO END WASTE
OF U. S. FUNDS
Phil S. Hanna Wages Lone
War Against Useless
Expenditures.
SYMPATHIZERS GIVE AID
Chicago Newspaper Sticks
to Drive on Department
of Commerce.
BY RAY BLACK
United Press stan Correspondent


CHICAGO, Feb. 5.-Phil S. Han
mas single-handed fight against
what he calls needless waste of
taxpayers money by the federal
government has become major
offensive.
kilograms and letters pour in
to his editors desk at the Chicago
Journal of Commerce, pledging aid
or eXhorting him to keep up the
battle.
There's no need to urge me on;
I've only begun to fight" Hanna
said with quiet determination, his
blue eyes good humored behind
spectacle lenses.
Attacks Free Literature"
The editor sat in his office in the
Journal of Commerce building. Out
side, in the city room, typewriters
clattered as stories for next morn
ingS paper took form. Despite
grazing hair, Hanna looks like a
man we'll below middle age. He
looks like a banker, thinks like an
economist, and talks like man
who knows what he is talking
about.
Il don't care how much NONSENSE
cal, useless reading matter the gov
eminent sends out in boom times,
when the cost does not impose
crushing burden on the taxpayers.
1 do object to needless expenditures
now, when times are hard and the
people lack confidence"
Hanna has concentrated his at
tack on the department. of COM
merce budget for pamphlets, circu-
lars, reports, resumes and sum-
maries.
Dropped From Mail List
Last Dec. Is, Hanna's editorial
column made pointed reference to a.
two-page department of commerce
statement about the sale of con-
densed milk in period ended al
most two years before.
On Dec. 81, the journal of Com
merce was stricken from the de-
partment of commerce mailing list.
That action was like red flag
to BULL" Hanna said. 'It was
just what we wanted"
Almost daily since then, the edi-
tors column has detailed instances
of what he considers senseless waste
of government funds.
The attack reached climax in
an editorial, six columns wide on
the front page of the Journal of
Commerce. The banner line read:
stop the racket before the racket
stops you
Taxes Hinder Business
The editorial began:
This is addressed to the man in
overalls-behind the grocery counter
and in the cab of motor truck
everyone known as working man.
It is addressed especially to that
man who says, I don't pay income
taxes, why should I worry?'
THE reason you should worry
is that those whose job it is to pro-
vide you with employment and who
do pay income taxes are being
gradually driven out of business by
government competition and fed
eral taxes"
DO you realize-just as typical
illustration-that the department of
commerce us going to spend $45, O0O.-
900 this years. sending out mil
lions upon millions of circulars.
books, letters, ETC., by ranked mail,
the great majority of which is
thrown into the waste basket?"
"Woe Psychological
That editorial was reprinted by
f1fty-five newspapers.
Many ask why 1 chose the de-
partment Of commerce to criticise
for extrvagance," Hanna said. "It
was a waste that the people could
see at once, because most of them
get government reading matter of
some sort.
Il believe much of our present
woe is psychological. People are
not going TO have confidence In
business conditions until they are
convinced the government is con-
Quoting its affairs in a sane, bust
nesS-like way.
Suppose q regime of thrift we're
enforced in the department of COM
MERGE. The thrift complex would
spread to other departments. Soon
the government would be operating
on a pay-as-you-go basis, taxes
would be lower and people would
regain their lost confidence"