The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1938-07-21
Too Many
Reports


Too Many central statistical
Reports board the other
day, in which he
asked in effect why there is need for
SO many official reports" from in
dividuals and corporations engaged
in business. The Presidents letter
indicated feeling that, if there are
so many reports as complaints have
disclosed, something ought to be
done about it.
1t is now Mr.. Rice's job to find out
when, and where, and why concern
ing these floods of reports which
government demands. But how
about me finding out, too, thought!
l started on the job like a bird dog
through the bush. 1t did not take
long for me to realize that I had set
myself to a task that is likely to
occupy Mr.. Rice and his staff of
several hundred perhaps year to
assemble an answer. I learned a
lot of things, however, and that is
the reason am writing about "offi-
cial reports" at this time.
Speaking generally, at first, I can
say that never in all history has
there existed a condition such as
business men and women now face,
and, of course, within the last few
years farmers have had to make
out reports, too. The reason for
the statement that the condition is
worse now is that the situation rep
resents a growth. Year after year,
generation after generation, sue
ceeding Presidents and succeeding
congresses have added to the func-
tons of the national government.
Government has gone into new
fields, taken on new obligations, new
commitments, increased its scope of
regulation of this and that and the
other. AS these functions have in
creased, more and more reports
have been ordered and required;
more facts have been needed, and,
in addition, bureaucrats have rele-
gated to themselves additional and
unanticipated powers. Now, what
we have is tangled mess, Shiny
octopus whose tentacles reach into
every corner and nook and Granny
of the nation.
Before considering some of the
horrible details (Which are horrible
only because they are so general in
application, it seems to me we can
well consider who is responsible. I
mentioned above how succeeding
Presidents and congresses have ex-
banded the functions of government.
Those Presidents and members of
the congresses were elected by the
voters. The campaigns, in nearly
every instance, in C u d d har-
ranguing for establishment of some
new agency, passage of some law
to drive money changers out of the
temple; to prevent grinding the lit
tie fellow, the poor, into the earth |;
to regulate monopolistic business; to
care for the aged after their lives
of useful work had been spent; to
collect new taxes here and there;
to assure the agricultural commune
ty parity price for its products
a thousand and one things were
campaigned for or against. So the
people voted and elected Presi-
dent Or a senator or a representa-
tive. They also elected a governor
and the various officials of their
state wherein legislature operated
as does congress for the country.
1t has not mattered, therefore,
whether there has been a Democrat
or Republican in the White House,
except in the matter of degree to
which the new laws have been en-
acted. The growth has gone on just
the same. Every time politician
conceived an idea to get votes, he
campaigned on it-and a new law
resulted. With the new law came
another deluge of official reports. "
In a general way, therefore, the
voters must accept some RESPONSE
bility. But the chief responsibility
must rest with members of the house
and senate and the various Presi-
dents who have served in their turn.
Why? Because no one can be ex-
pected to understand fully this gil
gantic machine called government
unless that person has had an op-
portunity to study the machine. The
layman has not had that chance.
Presidents and congresses have had
the chance.
To get down to the details; that
is, to relate some of the incidents
which had become
The Consumer known to the Pres
Paws ident and which
resulted in his let
ter to Mr.. Rice, we might begin
with taxes. The head of a dairy
company which operates in three
states reported to his stockholders
lately that in one year his firm had
been compelled to make and file a
total of LIS separate tax reports.
That company maintained staff
for the sole purpose of handling the
various reports that had to 90 to
the federal government, the govern.
ments of the states in which the
company operated and the cities
where milk and dairy products were
sold. Having such staff, the com.
pany knew exactly what it cost
$265, 900 a year. 1t should be added
that the cost of these reports neces.
sarily became a part of the compa.
pv'c overhead and the overhead ex