Show I A WELCOME NEW COMMISSION The Thc average American businessman and private citizen are arc being literally buried by an avalanche of required And the thc snow is government paperwork getting deeper Between December 1967 and June Junc 1974 businessmen found more mandatory forms on their leeks desks to be filled out That made a total of 2178 in 1974 Individuals Individuals Indi Indi- too loo filled out additional federal government forms in the same period Not only are arc Americans Americana filling out more government applications compliance reports and statistical questionnaires question question- its it's its it's also taking them longer to do it By y June 1974 for instance American businessmen were spending million a year to complete these forms forms forms- up million man hours from 1967 Individuals also were forced to up the thc time they spent on this paperwork by million in this period These figures do not include time spent on state stale and local forms forme Expanded federal programs such as the thc Occupational Safety and Health Act social security manpower training train ing environmental protection and e equal lual employment opportunity compliance account for most of the 50 percent per pcr percent cent increase in the reporting burden borne by hy American business since 1967 Fortunately relief is in sight in the thc form of a proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed Commission on Federal Paperwork to study the thc problem and recommend ways to ease the burden hurden Legislation creating such a commission has merit we wc believe Someone somehow must help to shovel American Amerian Ameri Ameri- can an business and industry out from under the costly paper avalanche now threatening to suffocate it |