Show Summary of the Federal Governments Government's Many Operative Difficulties i By GEN C C. C G. G DAWES DANES Director of or Budget Bureau Her Heretofore our government in routine business administration has bas labored under difficulties analogous analogous analo analo- Ip gous to those of a private corporation in which The president of the corporation gave practically no attention to its ordinary routine business He Her r avoided a his responsibility for or the proper conduct o othe of the business of the corporation and amI neither assumed nor delegated active control over it I The rhe administrative vice presidents of the corporation corporation corporation corpora corpora- tion were allowed to run their several departments without any enforced cd contact in the discussion of r routine business matters of the corp corporation ration and as if each separate department department department de de- de- de was an independent authority in all matters of routine Because o of the lack of any outlined business plan resulting g from the absence of executive pressure and supervision the several departments operated operated op op- with almost an entire lack of co The corporation was not operated for profit and its principal funds for operating expenses were obtained b by a levy upon stockholders an appeal appeal appeal ap- ap peal to congress for an appropriation involving a collection through tuxes taxes or imposts No balance sheet of the corporation as us a n whole was ever prepared No complete inventories of its properties existed No statement of its current current current cur cur- rent assets such as salable material and current supplies supplies' had ever been made nor was there any easy method existing of of securing it When Then cash was placed by the stockholders at the disposal of the corporation corporation cor cor- p ration for its purposes the custom was to notify the different departments departments depart depart- n ments that a certain amount of credit was available with the treasurer of the tile corporation to be drawn upon as might be necessary to meet any es esti estimated estimated es- es ti expenditure re involved As a re result of all this the corporation in effect seldom reconsidered an unwise project entered into by any department nt I IThe The administrative heads of the departments of f the c corporation rp were selected as a rule with less reference to their business qualifications than to their qualifications as advisers to the president of the corporation along I other h r lines lines' than routine business administration i n. n l' l I |