Show j 1 THE TIlE VOICE OF BUSINESS BUSINESS' A federal commission worth keeping keeling Dy fly d L. L Lesher Pres Chamber of Commerce of the United States Stales The small businessman In California had a problem He lie didn't see why he should have to pay a certified public accountant accountant accountant ac ac- countant to spend 90 hours supplying essentially the same information separately to both the US U.S. Department of Labor and the International Trade Commission This mans man's problem is not unique It crops up throughout the I federal bureaucracy Inmany in inmany inmany In- In many different permutations and combinations Most business people just sigh and fill out the damn forms If they can find the time they may write an angry note to their congressman But nut not the California mushroom grower He called the Commission on Federal Paperwork The Commissions Commission's staff investigated his complaint complaint complaint com com- plaint found it to be valid and recommended that only one of the two federal agencies collect the information then share it with the other The Commissioners Commissioners Commissioners Com Com- missioners endorsed an Executive Order to implement that recommendation less and and less less than two months after the original complaint President Ford signed it Result Federal paperwork was reduced by 40 percent for some 1700 businesses saving more than In CPA and other bookkeeping charges TillS THIS CASE history is representative of the tile fine work being performed by the Commission Commission Com mission which was established in October 1975 for a year two life Its objective is to identify and help eliminate unnecessary duplicative and needlessly burdensome federal red tape What the Commission has done so far will save businesses and state and local governments governments governments govern govern- ments over 65 billion a year and untold frustration and its it's just getting started Ultimately it is the consumers and taxpayers taxpayers taxpayers tax tax- payers who will benefit from these savings The Commission staff is anxious to hear about paperwork paperwork paperwork paper paper- work problems They have worked closely with the National Chamber and other business groups to get our advice And they have set up an Ombudsman to receive complaints and suggestions from individual citizens The Ombudsman's toll-free toll hotline is I 1 sincerely hope that President Carter who has often expressed his concern for making the Federal Government Government Government Govern Govern- ment more efficient will recognise the value of continuing continuing continuing con con- the Commissions Commission's function if IE not the Commission itself TilE THE BATTLE against federal paperwork will never be bewon bewon bewon won It is an endless struggle Each individual agency and bureau has its own requirements and will pursue those requirements single single- mindedly in the absence of some central coordinating body like the Commission I have a suggestion for the Commission too It should take a hard look at the Federal Governments Government's procurement forms A few months ago Government Government Government Govern ment Executive magazine looked into what a small businessman would have to do doto doto doto to become a supplier to the government What they found is that in effect the Federal Federa Federal Supply contract has clauses In them are cited 35 Federal statutes half a dozen Executive Orders and almost countless regulations of the General Services Administration Administration Administration Ad Ad- ministration Department of Labor and other Federal agencies That's enough to give anyone a headache In triplicate Li G When considering saving by freezing food remember to figure in energy costs On the average freezing a pound of food by lowering its temperature to 0 F. F requires about 01 kwh Failure is instructive The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes John Dewey m |