Show WERE WE'RE COLD TO REFORMS We have not had In our time a President President President dent who was a business man or who had close a acquaintance with business methods The Chief Executives have for the most part not been executives as that term Is now understood Anything Anything Any Any- thing but hut The They regarded the governmental governmental govern govern- mental machine as one regards a hired motor car car car-a a piece of mechanism In r which to get somewhere here and with no thought of ot I Its power transmission power system or economy of operation Mr Taft Tart did sense the fact that he was at the bead of ot an organization whose activities are almost as varied as os those of ot the entire business world Mr Harding I believe shares thIs tills feeling As AB Mr Taft Tuft pointed out this great greut organization has never been studied In detail as one piece of administrative tive mechanism No comprehensive effort lias has been made until very re re- recently recently recently to list Its many activities or to group them in such a way as to present present present pre pre- sent a clear picture of what the government government gov gov- Is doing No satisfactory W statement has ever been published of the financial transactions of the gOY got government as a whole With l large r e interests Interests Interests In In- at stake congress and the executive executive executive ex ex- have never bad had all aU the Information Information information mation which should be current currently available a If It the most intelligent direction direction c. c tion is to be given to the dally daily notional national business Congress the President and the lie administrative administrative administrative ad ad- officers have been et n attempting attempting at ot tempting to discharge their duties without full fun information as ns to the i agencies through which the work of or I Ithe the government Is being performed In lathe Inthe the past services agencies bureaus I what not have been created one l lone byone h by I one as exigencies have buve seemed to demand demand de de- mand with little or no reference to tonny any scheme of ot organization of or the government government gov gov- as os a whole Mr Taft pointed out all nil this and made an nn earnest effort to change It With what result Why Just exactly none Congress was cold The public pub lic lIe meaning meaning you and me was me-was was colder We didn't take any Interest t In the thc I project and therefore congress polItely politely po po- yawned ned It away Into the tall grass gratis ant and out of ot 81 sight ht Mr Taft was given ghen enough nough money to employ un an efficiency effi etli- clency and economy commission and to make Inquiry Into the methods of or transacting the public business of ot the executive departments and other government government gov gov- ov- ov establishments The Time inquiry was made and ond th the changes recommended but nothing has baa ever evear been done about it This economy and efficiency commission writ waa very verr conservative conser and cautious II It took Mr Tafts Taft's view that the hem lem of good administration Is not one ODE that can be solved at one time It Iia Is Ii Isa isa a continuously present one him commission lon made up of excellent men suggested that the revenue cutter servIce service Ice be abolished and It Its activities b be betaken betaken taken over by br other i services It wa wu a estimated that by so doing a saving savin of not less thun than could b bf be made Another report recommended that the lighthouse and und saving life services service be a by a single bureau In Instead instead stead tead o of as ns at that time b by two bureaus bu rC renus us lo located In different departments It was estimated that this tion would result In a Ii saving of ot nol not less than yearly eally The fhe abolition of ot the return returns office ol oj the Interior department was wae recommended mended at an on estimated direct saving of about a year In a addition to a lur large e Indirect economy In tb the reduction of or work to b be performed Ir r the several offices The consolidation of ot the six auditing offices of ot the treasury and ond the inch slon slots In n the auditing system of ot the seven tn naval officers who audited cus eus customs toms accounts at nt the principal port was urged Th The change was expected expect to produce an Immediate staving raving of ot ni nl least yearly From Irom this modest start other changes change and reforms and aud ud savings were to b bf be But we weren't Interested In the thi high cost of ot government or the time high cost of living eleven years ago Mr Air Taft didn't get a n rise out of u UK us Ht Ih didn't have ha much of ot a pull with con congress congress gress gless either poor man mean and all nil his 1115 In went for tor nothing as us fur far sir us as an and action W was concerned He lIe and his commission did bring out and establish however certain oct nets und and conditions It was a 0 trustworthy and und competent Investigation ns liS far tar at nl atIt atIt It went That Is something to th the good There Is a patent disposition In curs con I gross now to take the whole of the routine administrative processes of the government under and see how best bet to Improve them Whether anything really worth whits will come out of ot It will depend en entirely on the degree of Interest yet yO display If It you will take the trouble to show that you OU know that the U ua an Donal business is II mismanaged an ani costs o ts too touch much and that you ou are tire tiree of or It fl there will nill b bo be action |