Show In lOUVER VER WU R KS i iJ J HATE ATE TO SHAVE gED ERAL CO I IiVo o Cabinet Member Mem- Mem ber at Head of Youngest J Iter D Department Strong trong for fort r Government Efficiency More lore re Commerce Both at Home and Abroad One Dome of the Chief Activities oi of E of Former Farmer Chief Food Director II I By JOHN F. F SINCLAIR I COpy Copyright 1924 In United Stated Slate and I Great Great Gret Britain by North American J e r e paper Alliance All rights re reo re- I r ed ferbert lerbert Hoover is s secretary of or h hel of or commerce He lie is he youngest man luan in the cabinet HeIs the most honorary decorate decorate decorated deco deco- rate rated too for foo If it we are to believe I tha congressional directory nIneteen nine- nine teens teen colleges and universities have gr grunted granted i ted him honorary degrees He lIe lIeis is in charge of ot the youngest department under a cabinet officer Imet him In his office at 7 o o'clock clock J in the evening The of ot th the Imet commerCe department had left th great building at 4 30 p p. p m Hoover rarely larely leav leaves s his office until I B 8 He e has the reputation of ot work work- ing longer hours than any any other cab cabinet ab net member U Ue is a pleasant businesslike of ot executive executive direct direct positive and nd Rather chunky in build high forehead square jaw below a determined mouth We Ve lost n on formalities SI 11 I am for everything everything- and any any- h ng which will cut the expenses of of the federal government lIe He spoke poke quickly and without effort pulled on his lighted cigar r I ra I a f for or consolidation of ot departments and for efficiency effi effi- cl EC both individual and collective collective collective tive P The department of commerce is a anew anew new department of ot government It i been presided over by only two oth r men men Redfield Redfield and Alexander Th Tile e present secretary Is naturally b bi breaking aking much new ground never before covered Ve H We Ve can say that the activities of this department may be grouped in inthe the thi order of ot Importance under the following CUT ON LIGHTHOUSES j Bureau of lighthouses This isa is a v 1 rj y important work It covers th work k of thc lighthouses both bothon on n e long coasts and on inland lakes and rivers Forty per cent of th total expenditures of the whole department depa are spent in this bu burea bureau bu- bu rea reau For the year vear ending June 30 a total of was spent In the bureau of lighthouses however Air Mr Ir Hoover be believes be- be leves that in this thi bureau alone he be Willie able to effect a saving of approximately I 2 Next in Importance a s. s the coast cot and geodetic g survey This bureau watches all the coasts and inland nd waterways and protects vessels Vessel Ves es sel sels and all traffic from any ob- ob s It is one of the most useful and necessary bureaus in th department For Tor 1923 a total oJ of was spent This worL work i is growIng In importance every v It Is expected that the amount needed for this survey for be a little more than for foras as ear ear 2 3 The bureau of census is next In at least so far as expenditures expenditures ex ex- ex- ex pen tures are concerned This buIs bu- bu lm is now a a. continuing t Io New Kew f figures es are being com com- iI l d and published continuously 0 o of the census in any laLon is kept more moie up to date and ando o Complete For Tor tills this work worl for 1923 h here l fe e was sas pent 1 This year amount asked for fOI and provided I lamount estimates is about the same for 1925 the Census expands Its rk rk and will be laid i e. e THE STANDARD FOR FORTHE FORTHE FORTHE THE WORLD x t. t The bureau of standards h h. h from the standpoint of IThe 1 y expenditures expenditure is on a par parthe li h the census bureau contains most complete physical stana stan- stan laras a tS ds and anti equipment in the world hunch hundreds eels of different tests In 3 1923 for in- in it Ceo it tested precision ve Its work is varied and ex- ex elv interesting It discovered og eXample that aluminum or bronze paint applied to tf t the under idof f an to will make malte h It rear car car more comfortable on a hot hota la a It has been working exten- exten l lly ily ly on standardization of ot all It Is conducting experiments of ot optical glass tot spark plugs s. liquid gas g-as is try- try find why the surface of ot chips off It Is the thereat rt rat reat t experiment and testing de- de nent of ot the government Its Q lils ls worldwide in its influence work of ot the bureau Is C by other nations as is final become the rea real yardstick of standards in the world or oc the bureau 1 wa was spent 1 in 1923 This amount nas has been reduced reduced re re- re for 1924 to 0 o 1 a a. re reduction re- re of approximately HOW TRADE IS PROMOTED 5 5 A new bureau bureaus bureau which ha been growing r rapidly is that of foreIgn foreign for for- eIgn and domestic commerce FOrthe Forthe FOr To the fiscal year vear 1923 this bureau burea spent 1653 For Tor 1924 the estimates estimates estimates esti esti- mates call for 2550 an Increase of ot approximately 1000 all all o ot which increase goes into the item called promoting commerce Under Under Under Un Un- der the driving business genius o ot Hoover this bureau Is moving movin ahead rapidly Here is one place where there seems to be a duplication duplica- duplica tion of work with that carried o on in Jn the he he department of state by th the consulate service The rea real purPose purpose purpose pur pur- pose of this bureau Is to increase Americas America's export business Trade Trad inquiries are sent direct to Industries Industries industries Indus Indus- tries asked asted about Under this bureau bureau bureau bu bu- bu- bu reau there Is issued a large weekly bulletin giving all manner of bus busness business bus busi- ness statistics including analysis of imports and exports The wor work of this bureau covers a wide range It U issues reports on many articles such as cOtton leather investigates investigate textile markets It is the business getter for American business I It promotes and fosters commerce Sometimes It studies a question very closely For Tor the year 1923 th the bureau spent Investigating sources of crude rubber 6 6 The bureau of fisheries on one of the most interesting of all gov government ov- ov bureaus Is today under th the direct supervision of Mr Hoovers Hoover's department so are the fish hatcheries hatch hatch- eries cries For Tor 1923 1 was spent This amount is expected to be cu cuto cut cutto cutto to approximately 1 for 1924 7 7 The steamship inspection servIce service service ser ser- vice cost the department for 1923 About the same will b bused be used in 1924 The same ratio applIed applied ap ap- ap- ap plIed piled to the bureau of navigation This small department spent for the fiscal year 1923 and ex expects expects ex- ex to spend a about out for 1924 CONSTRUCTION iON ITEM RISES I 8 The only other big work of the department of commerce is that o of public works Under this division is carried on the building of new lighthouses fish hatcheries and other other projects of such a nature natureS For 1923 there was spent while for 1924 the estimated amount to tobe tobe tobe be s spent ent is These then are the big works v no now carried on in the different bureaus of the department of commerce It required the sei services vices in 1923 of 2794 persons in Washington and of persons outside of WashIngton Wash Wash- Ington to do this work It took 21 and the services of ot 11 persons to carry carryon on the work vork outlined outlined outlined out out- lined above of the department of ot commerce for the fiscal year endIng ending end- end Ing lag June 30 10 1923 Under Hoover who is primarily a shrewd keen een and able business businessman man mn the business emphasis will be pl placed ced on private enterprise Help private business to to develop more more efficiency and more sales ales fales- both at home and abroad is the basic principle of the department I under Hoover Ills His department will spend three times as much on busl bus I. I ness promotion in 1924 as was spent in 1923 In his own department Hoover sees the need of a complete overhauling over over- hauling Under the tentative plan of now being worked out by the bureau of economy and efficiency about which more will willbe willbe willbe be written later the commerce de department department de- de would have three major fun DUPLICATIONS TO BE CUT OUT 1 I. I Promotion of trade 2 2 Promotion of industry 3 3 Development regulation and protection of or the merchant marine except the merchant marine which would remain as an Independent department department department de de- de- de having Jn In charge the government government government gov gov- fleetIn fleet In this plan the tile bureau of mines and the patent office would be taken from the interior department and given to the commerce department And they should To 10 put the bureau I of mines and the bureau of standards standards standards stand stand- ards together would wipe out many duplications It would mean more efficiency and better service The patent office work worl likewise Is closely closely cosely close cose- ly associated with standards and mines They should all be together Then again Tho war department today is doing doing- much w work ork not really war work The lake survey the in in- in land and coast course couise waterways service the supervision of New York harbor and compilation of the tho statistics statistics statistics sta sta- of internal commerce on the lakes and rivers of the country in order to judge tho the value of river rl and harbor harbol improvements all this Is Isnow Isnow isnow now carried on by the engineering bureau of the war department This would go o to the commerce department depart depart- ment So would the hydrographic office and the naval observatory I Inow now under the navy department I With these changes the hydrographic hydrographic hydro hydro- graphic and geodetic services hYdrO I of ot the entire government would would Instead instead of ot being under three departments as asat asat asat at present all present all be under one department department depart depart- ment that of commerce What practical results would follow follow follow fol fol- fol- fol low Let us see The hydrographic office has had offices in sixteen cities in America In five of those these cities the coast coat and geodetic curvey sur cur survey survey vey also aso has offices Separate ones of course In two of oC these cities tho the lake survey maintains offices Now Jow each one of these offices collects col col- col- col bets and distributes marine information mation Under this new plan all this duplication would be eliminated ed This would mean just one ono thing better bettor service at lower cost TREASURY NOW HAS LIFE SAVERS I Again The life saving service ser Ice another aid to navigation on the tho lakes as well as on the high seas seas would be transferred to tho the commerce com com- merce department from the treas- treas r a J fr ft ury ry Imagine the treasury department department depart depart- I ment having charge now of the life lifesavIng lifesaving savIng service The treasury department would also Iso lose to the commerce department department depart- depart ment nent the inter-America inter high commission com coin mission These men and women working in the department of commerce commerce commerce com com- merce under the driving power of ot y V did a big piece of government govern govern- ment work last year They spent I But that relatively is ismall I small mall For each raised in i America in 1923 for the government of f the United States this department department department depart depart- I ment spent of It It We Vo must look ook elsewhere for our big expendI- expendI tures ures There is one point I want to tomake tomake tomake make especially clear it has lately been een much misunderstood Secretary Secretary Secre- Secre tary ary Hoover said tc to m me There is a pretty widespread notion that the nt government is doing too many I things It is concerning concerning- itself with too oo many Especially is this lis true regarding certain development development development develop develop- ment work worl in this department tho the interior department and the tho agriculture agriculture agri- agri culture department I want to say that lat every bit of ot this development mid and constructive work repays a hundred fold Instead of Ing ng such work In the government we should increase It Just as asas fast fast fasts I as s possible Anyway the total amount mount spent for such such- work vOrk Ork Is not not over ver We spent thirty times mes that amount last year for tor all I purposes FOR COMMERCE 1 54 54 FOR WAR I f I You mean mean that If it any cuts in Iii government expenditures are to be bo made lade they should not come out of ot I our ur expenditures for constructive work ork For Tor ever every doll dollar sp spent nt by your our department in 1923 the war var department spent thirty dollars ollars the navy avy department spent twenty four dollars ollars Perhaps then then these cuts I should come out of our expenses for fore forthe forthe the e army and tho the navy I r suggested Hoover looked out of ot tho west window of his office The sunset afterglow had painted the sky In myriad colors color He lIe pulled on his dead cigar Then smiled a rather sick sickly smile Better see Weeks about that I did TIle The The Department Tomo Tomorrow of or Justice 65 65 5 Cents in in 1000 1000 t t 1 4 L |