The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-01-07
The Observers Col
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IdBe Ont)
applicant is an eligible purchaser, and
the power to determine which of the
eligible applicants shall receive tires,
up to the quota allotted to the local
board
Much dismay was evident in Helena
and elsewhere when the allotment
quotas were announced. For the
month of January, for example, the
county of Lewis and Clark was to
receive only 23 passenger car tires
and 10 tubes. Petroleum county, one
of the smallest, was to receive but
one tire and one tube. 1t soon be-
came evident that strict controls had
been set up and that very few peo-
pie would be eligible for the new
tires.
A freezing order was issued by the
OPA declaring that no new automo-
biles could be sold until January Is,
1912, and at that time similar ra-
tioning program was to be instituted.
1t is clear that few new cars will be
sold, and those will go only to those
in actual need.
On January 26, 1912, the Reorgan-
ization committee will meet for an
important session At this time re-
ports on the state educational insti-
buttons, the adjutant generals office,
the welfare department, unemploy-
ment compensation commission, and
on other departments will be pre-
scented. Reports also will be consid-
cred on personnel management, equip
ment management, and then, finally,
many general recommendation will
be submitted.
Montana's outmoded governmental
set-up has long been in need of an
efficient going over, and this year
start has been made. Most Of the
people of the state have not had the
opportunity to study the recommends
lions that the committee has made.
With little fanfare or publicity many
of these improvements have been put
into effect by the governor through
executive order. The departments
have willingly accepted these innova-
lions with the knowledge that they
are increasing efficiency by so doing.
The committee has attempted general
ly to replace outmoded methods with
modern business practices and to
show how more results can be accom-
plished with less cost and less work.
All progressives will remember how
in 1888 President Roosevelt called
on congress to pass his reorganization
bill wherein he proposed that tech
nical help be employed to revamp
the federal governments business and
financial structure. Immediately a
wave of protest was heard from the
reactionaries who feared that if the
government reorganized they would
lose their grip. The representatives
and lawyers for the utilities, the big
corporations, the vested interests all
fought the reorganization plan The
President appealed to them he
pointed out that the nations business
structure was unsound, wasteful, and
he cited examples of savings which
could be made. He told, for example,
how in the treasury department they
were still copying records by hand,
and how the health bureau was still
under the control of the secretary of
the treasury. The President pointed
to the vast number of boards, COM
missions, bureaus and offices that
grew up helter-skelter with no GEN.
trail plan. He urged congress for the
sake of efficiency and for his progress
sive legislation to hire technical ex
perts to help him clean up the mess.
Congress investigated, but instead
of acting favorably on the Presidents
request, they listened to those eco
nomic royalists who so effectively had
sabotaged many other parts of the
social reform Roosevelt had estab-
lished. Congress needed their an
guished cries and gave in to these
tools of privilege who knew that if
Roosevelt's reorganization went
through and became law they would
lose their chances of controlling the
government. Congress listened and
turned the President down. That
black page of history is well-known
to all of us who are determined that
the same thing will not happen here