| Show Bru charts washington digest F federal government so huge few can grasp its mag magnitude multiplicity of Bu BurC reatis tius and agencies Dieni demanding anding reports of all kinds places ham tremendous burden on business many agencies covering 0 same lines by WILLIAM BRUCKART service national press washington D 0 washington many times in li these columns I 1 hove have written ex pres of fear about the size of 0 this thing we call the federal 9 gov ov ern ment it Is so huge that few per sons grasp the magnitude of thi the machinery and it can not be ex satisfactorily certainly oni one can not say that it Is just so big and measure it by extended arms on the other ocher hand incidents or notions of a unit of the federal govern ment may furnish an indication of 0 the size on the basis of a corn compall parl son such on an incident came in the news recently and unfortunately very little attention was paid to it ir in dally daily newspapers of the nation here Is tho the basis of comparison and it tells its own story as to the size of our national governmental machine As of july 1 1038 the director of 0 the census estimated there were persons persona living within the continental united states during the year 1038 citizens and corporations within the united states were compelled by law or regulation or special orders to file with federal government agencies a total of reports information forms questionnaires statistical facts and other required statements that total is the official calculation by chairman stuart A rice of the central statistical board who had made a survey of all federal agencies upon orders of president roosevelt tho the president wanted to know whether there was a real basis for the thousands of complaints complain ti and editorial criticisms about the tremendous burden that has been placed upon every kind of business including individuals by their government ern ment the rice conclusions however have demonstrated in an understanding way just what on an octopus our national government has become and it may be indeed it is likely that mr rice rica has perr formed a chore hero here which will mark the beginning of the end of federal gover government expansion ills his findings ought to have that effect in any event then began an expansion of if the federal government shortly after the world war enaif ended d and the federal government got back t to 0 normal in the matter of size and the functions it was performing there was a time when the populace raised loud shouts because their government was spending a billion dollars a year there wore were some hard times along in and 1920 and a year or so more and there was ads the call of the suffering for far help from their notional national government there were ivere too numerous ideas being fomented and allowed to ferment each one contemplated something now new in tho the way of government functions well each ono one contemplated some additional federal expense in thi this sway way there began an expansion pan slon of the federal government th that athas has carried on with an ever accelerating pace until the new deal took over six years ago then wo ave rea really ily went to town in expanding the number of arms and legs and aad yes eyes and ears cars of the federal g ove rn ment yes and with that expansion there camo came additional expense expense not in millions but ih hi billions recently you know president roosevelt asked congress to appropriate more than for far ahe government year beginning july 1 1139 1939 that total Is not all there will be other and additional sums called for as vach each one dt these a agencies gen Fles or many of them falls to live within its appropriation and goes back to congress to ask for more money the relief administration istrati came in a few weeks ago andi and asked for more to run it until july I 1 when congress Vell believed eved in may 1838 1038 that tha t it was botin voting g enough funds to meet the needs of relict rellies until the coming july nods dut t to get back to mr rices surd survey vy I 1 am am not informed as to de tails OF or whether the figures have been segregated to show how many of these reports are filed with each of the several agencies certain of the great offenders in the matt matter e r 0 of ado manding demanding reports can be enumerated however to show the trend it Is ne cessa obviously in some cases foran for an agency of the government to have all details of businesses over which it has supervision yet I 1 can not help wondering whether it is necessary to have such supervision in the first instance how many of these agencies can we get along without hence the rice survey calls attention to something much deeper than just the burden that govern ment places on ita IH citizens it suggests the question how man many of these governmental agencies and their functions can we do without how many can be abandoned with benefit benci lt both in the matter of sound government and in the elimination of useless exi expense ense to the taxpayers and the individuals or corporations required to meet government demands my guess Is that nt at least a third of our present government structure Is of no value that ot at least that portion could bo be eliminated and everyone would be hap pier and that if a largo large chunk of these functions were forgotten living be so complicated and certainly not so costly it must be remembered that every time cost of government Is increased there Is moro more than the outlay tor for government expense involved every time a government agency gets slimy nn aln gers into business just then does there arise nn an added cost of living it Is not hearsay with me when I 1 say isay that high pressure groups force additional government expenses upon the nation I 1 have watched their operation year after year I 1 have sat in the galleries of congress and observed the operation of lobby ests who have checked and rechecked their lists of members I 1 havo have seen their propaganda their threats of dire consequences nt at the polls and I 1 have seen cowardly senators and representatives capitulate to the pressure A million or so or several hundred millions are arc voted a now new federal agency Is created and starts spending money the personnel that gets on the payroll at the start begins immediately to look tor for ways to keep its jobs and the agency establishes a liaison with congress in order that con congress gres con can bo be informed there are arc 20 or 30 boards and bureaus and commissions in the government today that created for temporary purposes but which continue to convince bemb members era of congress that unless the agency 1 Is continued thousands of persons will suffer maybe die too much burden placed on every kind of business surely mr rice has corroborated the contention that government Is placing too much of a burden on every kind of business by demanding and obtaining all of these reports dally daily weekly monthly annually of my knowledge I 1 can point to a hundred small businesses that have had to hire extra accountants and other experts to do nothing but make out reports to the federal government and answer correspondence from some squirt hero here in washington who tells them they have not tilled filled in the proper items on line 87 etc it has happened to me personally more than ahari once and all there Is to my office Is myself and my secretary I 1 imagine that farmers got a taste of this business of reporting to washington in connection with the agricultural adjustment program in wandering around the department of agriculture I 1 have seen hundreds of persons checking anil rechecking farm contracts reports of agents and inspectors county counts committees etc those farmers who did not encounter r demands for statements about this that or the other still have something to which they can look forward because they will got get such demands sooner or later like the government machine itself I 1 can not help puzzling as to what reports mean of course it can be said that it Is one report for every man wom woman n and child in the nation but it Is not a true perspective there are arc of course ninny many millions of persons who make no reports to the government in washington that means others must make many reports why so many different agencies doing same work from the standpoint of effective administration assuming that many mandof of the government activities are proper why Is it necessary for the government to have 11 different agencies interested in housing why should the departments of commerce labor and agriculture as another ek example ample be asking the same business man inan to make reports to each one on the same subject cly should there be 1 federal deposit insurance company a board ot of governors of the federal reserve py system stern and a comptroller of the currency all concerned with one industry banking why should each of these agencies have examiners or investigators doing very much the same thing making investigations investigation i and examinations and reports to their respective agencies and I 1 forgot this one the securities and fv ex change commission also horns into bank management every now and theal aside from these types there is the ever present taxing authority now there must be taxes and they must be collected and it must be admitted d that not all taxpayers are honest but hundreds of tax investigators are going around and around and undoubtedly they get their feet tangled up with other investigators and examiners one wonders where the endis end is Q western newspaper union |
