Imperial Valley press., 1942-05-31
CAPITAL TALKS
by
Edison

Flood Byrd of Berryville, Va, loosed
the other day against the l8,948
government automobiles which the
military federal agencies oper-
ate, travelling 2l1,866978 miles at a
cost in l941 to the taxpayers of S4.
8l3,561. Nor were there ver- many
eyebrows raised when the senator
disclosed that these bureaucrats
had to get along with only 862
whose combined salary
amounted to less than a million
dollars.
Maybe all this is chicken feed
and maybe the great men of the
administrative end of your gov
ernment shouldn't be annoyed
by trifleS, but the folks back
home seemed trifle annoyed
by the handout of Y gasoline
ration cards to cong y ssmen.
That being the case, maybe it
should be called to the atten-
ton of the public servants in
the executive end of the gov
ernment that there's war on,
that gasoline is being rationed
on the Atlantic SeabOard, that
there's rubber shortage, and
that to save rubber, gasoline
may have to be ratiOned all
over this broad and beautiful
land.
Consequently, Senator Byrd was
doing a useful service when, as
chairman of the Joint Committee
on Reduction of NoneSSential EX-
penditures. he figuratively put the
shoe of national economy
on Uncle Sans other foot and
cautioned the old gent to take that
foot off the accelerator.
OF course the government is big,
OF course it has lot of extra war
time duties, and of course SIS mil
lion for car operation is nothing at
all when compared to the billions
for war. Five million is even prac-
tically nothing at all when COM
pared to the $147 million total ira
vel expenses which government
paid out last fiscal year. But this
matter of saving gas and rubber
has DeCOIIle q SYMBOL.
Saving rubber is a holy crusade
with all the significance of the
mite Therefore, it behooVes
every government third deputy as
Sistant co-ordinator, before STEP
ping into one of Uncle Sans jail
lopies, to raise his right hand and
swear by st. Christopher and Har-
old Ickes that this trip he is about
to make is absolutely necessary
The image of 18,948 govern
ment- owned cars roaming the
country roads on unlimited X
ration cards contributes moth
ing to the peace of mind of the
average taxpayer, or the fellow
trying to get along on three
gallons a week.
AS for the 862 government chauf-
feurs, it took Senator Burton K.
of Butte, Mont, to polish
off the government-hired thumb
jerkers who ride behind them
Are the cars and chauffeurs
used only for official business?"
asked Senator Wheeler, and he
answered his own question with
Certainly not All of U.s." he went
on, have attended private dinners
at which we have seen depart
mental officials driven up in Of
ficial cars by official chauffeurs.
They have not been used solely for
official business"
The point, of this little homily
is that an executive assistant sec
ton chief is no better than a con-.
gresham and if you're agoin' to
raise cain with your representative
or senator for carrying an x card,
you should be equally meticulous
about who rides between pair of
those big new shiny red, white and
blue government license tags.
TOPS
Senator Byrd's breakdown on de-
partments operating this 18,948 car
fleet makes good perusing, too. At
the stop of the list is the Depart
ment of Agriculture with 4513 cars
and Is chauffeurs. Right behind is
the Department of the Interior
Gckes) with 1852 cars and eight
Third is the Federal
Security Agency paul McNutD
with 3104 cars and Sc chauffeurs.
Under 1OO0-car fleets include
Commerce with 134, Federal
Works Agency with 9S2, Vet
erans' Admin ,tratiOn with 3S9,
iva with 779, and Panama Ca
nal with 212.
And for the Panama Canals 2l2
cars there were reported $50 chauf-
feurs, which was tops. In Defend
ing the canal, America apparently
expects every chauffeur to drive
his boss to his duty.
BERRY PATCH
Note TO the ManpoWer Commis-
sion: The 100000 criminals in state
prisons include 10000 skilled work
ers. Wholesale price levels under
the first week of general price con-
troll were ! per cent higher than
the highest level during the base
period of March, 1912. Wholesale
prices on 900 commodities are now
98.5 per cent of the 1926 average.
Two and a half million new work.
ers will have been trained in 2400
vocational schools by June 30, and
the goal is to train another 2.5
million in the next IL. months.
Clothing costs 1--we risen more