Evening star., 1943-07-11
James L. Boity, 73, Leaves Post
As Business Manager of GAO
Man Who Was Auditor
Of World War Costs
Is Feted by Friends

James L. Baity, whose O. K. was
needed for the War Department to
spend billions in the World War,
is leaving the Government after
more than three decades of service.
time secretary to former
Senator James. A. Reed of Missouri,
later auditor for the War Depart
ment and for the last % years the
business maneger" of the General
Accounting Office, Mr.. Baity is re-
firing at 70. Today is his birthday
and friends from official and private
life last night marked the occasion
with surprise party at the May
flower.
Born in La Plata, Mo, July IL,
1870, young Baity got his start in
life as the dollar a-week devil" of
the Home Press. He ended by own
ing the newspaper. Journalism
yielded to politics in 1907 and Mr..
Baity came to Washington as the
assistant to the chairman of the
Democratic National Committee,
Representative James T. Lloyd of
Missouri.
Four years later he joined forces
with Mr.. Reed, who was making a
bid for the Senate against David
r. Francis, and managed the cam
paign that started the acid-tongued
Kansas Cityan to national prom
inence. For the first two years of
Senator Reeds service here Mr.
Baity was his secretary. Then, in
1918, President Wilson appointed
him auditor for the War Depart
ment-a billet that was in the Treas
ury.
Billion a Month for War.
Mr.. Baity spent eight years in this
position-a period that took in the
World War-and among his duties
was that of approving all requisitons
for money spent by the War Depart
ment. For a long time expenditures
were at the rate of more than bill
lion monthly-a figure of such awe
some Observation-Disclosures the
auditor was moved to write whims-
ically to his hometown paper:
The Lord only knows how much
a billion dollars is.'
1t always has been matter of
intense pride with him that not
breath OF criticism ever touched his
office in connection with the audit
and claims settlement work involved
in the disbursement of such vast
sums.
When the Budget and Accounting
Act became effective July l, 1921,
and the General Accounting Office
was set up to handle Uncle Sans
bookkeeping, Mr.. Baity's Treasury
post was abolished, but he was ap-
pointed assistant to the First Con-
troller General, John r. McCarl.
and has been retained in that ca
pacity under MIR. McCarl's success
sorS. ....
Agency Expanded Steadily.
Mr.. Baity's duties have been those
of executive and budget officer,
which made him responsible for
much of the planning and admin
istrative detail called for to keep
pace with the ever-increasing i'm
portance of the GAO. The back
wash of the first World War posed
huge tasks for the infant agency
and as the Government branched
off into new fields, with conse-
quently enlarged expenditures, a
corresponding burden was placed on
the establishment.
Again, a war, and once more the
pace was stepped up. To illustrate:
The GAO started out with some
1000 employees and an annual budget
of 100000. Now the personnel
figure is 1900 and this years budget
is $4,000, 900 as branch officers have
been set up throughout the country,
both to facilitate payments to war
contractors and safeguard the Gov