The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-05-29
BY PETER EDSON
Monitor-Leod Washington
Correspondent

lIOIl 10 lllS OlIol "IllNll OCIlG
tor Harry Flood Byrd Of Ber-
ryviIIe, w., Ioosed the other
day against the l8,948 gov
eminent automobiles W h c h
the non-militory federal oeen-
cies operate, travelling Il -
866,978 miles at O cost in
l94l TO the taxpayers Of S4,-
8l3, SCI. Nor were there very
many eyebrows rosed when
the sen otor disclosed thot
these bureoucrots had to get
along with only 8o2 chouf-
feurs whose combined salary
amounted to less than q mil
lion dollars.
Maybe all this is chicken
feed and maybe the great man
Of the administrative end Of
your government shouldn't be
annoyed by trifIes, but the
folks back home seemed q
trifIe annoyed by the hondout
Of x gasoline rotion cords to
congressman. That being the
cose, maybe il should be COLL
ed TO the attention Of the pub
lie servants in the executive
end Of the government that
there's O war on, that ooso-
line is being rotioned on the
Atlantic Seoboord, that there's
q rubber shortage, and thot 10
save rubber, gasoline may
have to be rotioned all over
this brood and beautiful land.
Consequently, Senator Byrd
was d o n9 q useful service
when, as chairman Of the Joint
Committee on Reduction Of
NonessentioI Expenditures, he
fieurotively put the pinching
shoe Of national economy on
Uncle Sons other foot and
cautioned the old gent to toke
that foot off the occelerotor.
Of course the government
Is big, Of course it has O lot
Of extra wartime duties, and
of course IS million for cor
operation is noting OF oil
when compared to the bill
lions for war. Five million is
even practically nothing OF oil
when compared to the STAT
Million total travel expenses
which government poid out
last fiscal year. But this mat
ter Of saving Cos and rubber
hos become O symbol.
CRUSADE
Saving rubber is q holy cru
sode with all the significance
Of the widows mite. There
fore, it behooves every gov
eminent third deputy assist
ant co-ordinotor, before STEP
ing into one Of Uncle Som's
joIIopies, to raise his right
hand and swear by ST. Christ
opher and Harold Ickes that
this trip he is about TO make
is absolutely necessary. The
image Of l8,948 government
owned cors roaming the coun-
try roads on unlimited < ro-
ton cards contributes nothing
to the peace Of mind Of the
average toxpoyer, or the feO-
low trying to get along on
three gallons q week.
AS for the 8o2 government
chouffeurs, it took Senator
Burton K. Wheeler Of Butte,
Mont, to polish off the gov
eminent = hired thumb jerkers
who ride behind them.
Are the cors and chouf-
feurs used only for official
businesso" asked Senator
Wheeler, and he answered his
o W n question with q Ger
toinIy not! All Of US, he went
on, "hove attended private
dinners at which we have seen
departmental officials driven
UP in official cors by official
chouffeurs. 7 h ey have not
been used solely for Official
business.
The point Of this little hon.
lily is that on executive assist
ant section chief is no better
than O congressman ond if
you're ogoin' to raise cain with
your representative or senator
for carrying on K cord, you
should be equally meticuIous
about who rides between
poir Of those big new shiny
red, white and blue govern
ment license toqs.
AGRICULTURE TOPS
ID l. L