Show Officials of Dep of Interior Spend on a Year Traveling r Dy By Harry T J. J Drown Brown s Officials and employees of the k- k tenor r department are spending u- u ward of a million dollars a year ear j. l on OfficIal business ThC T exact amount of oC the s travel bill for past Va-st years cannot accurately determined from thee records of oC life various bureaus a ii J available records do not give ever everan nn an approximation of oC expenditures s for for- travel during the year e r which closed June 30 but In the year which closed June 30 1932 1932 1 travel expenditures totaling 1 1 have been checked up arid and the list admittedly is far from com On making this distl cover covert Secreta Secretary ry W Work rk notified l' l chief of oC bureau In his department t t call a halt upon nIl all unnecessary travel and to revise se past methods cu sending men Into the field with a aview view to effecting what apparently Isa is isa a needed much economy ee StrIct orders have gone from Crom the secretary to permit no travel at government expense that Is not necessary and where traveling expenses must be Incurred orders direct that Int intelligence intelli- intelli gence and judgment judgment- be used Sn In routing those who ho travel el on gover- gover ment busIness Heads of at further have haye been notified to ke kelp kelpin P in mind the distinction between per peri convenience and the lie govern moats moat's service Economies U Result suu Secretary Work who has leas brought about man many economies tin in the interIor interI- interI or department In the fifteen months he be has been at its head had an inkling ink ink- ling that an unduly large travel bill was being run lun up by those who go goon on the road but when he set about I getting the h had no Ot Z il p. p ti p-ti D mate a million dollars in one yeah yeu Nor were the heads of at most of the bureaus aware of the large amounts which were wele being expended by themselves and b by their subordinates In traveling at government expense In fact until Secretary Work Worl called for Cor a complete Showing ot of travel e ex expenses I In each bureau the heads o of the various ire b bureaus US with the sing single exception of oC the pension o office ce hall had nto no accurate idea or of what their travel bill amounted to And what Is worse most of the tho bureau heads toda today cannot tell lell to toa a c how much has i een spent for Cor travel by their own o officials an and employees The records have haye not no been kept In the past past- save In the he pension In a way that this ex- ex expenditure ex- ex can be tram other costs But still this Is oe nn changed and beginning July 1 each burt bureau head bead has beets instruct instruct- cd to keep an itemized account of all expenditures within his bureau t. travel so that the cots costs may may-be maY u studied and and unnecessary bj travel al The general land is spending spend spend- ing more for Cor travel than an any o outer h r bureau of the interior its expenditure 1 In the main the traveling expenses of special agents Inspectors tImber cruisers mineral mIneraI ante surveyors most of whorl must mun travel extensively In the performance of their duties Men Ien The Ibe reclamation bureau on the outer other hand has the largest travel travel- big Ing personnel of oC all the bureaus and anel I the explanation is made that the majority of the tho 1371 employees drawIng traveling allowance are laborers laborers lab lab- on the tho government works who are seasonally from the proJects projects pro pro- ot of the north to those or of states raving having a milder wInter climate and ana back again in spring This accounts accounts ac- ac counts for the large number of oC those drawing travel el pay and for Cor the relatively rela- rela small per capita capita expenditure for tor travel tra Indian S Service r lc Travel Tra In the Indian service is simIlar sim- sim liar Ilar to that in III the land office and the diversified character of oC Its work makes travel necessary for many of the officials and employees In both boU tho land office and IndIan service a arge part of the travel Is done by bj those having a a. travel status rather Ulan than duties confine them at atone I one place and the taste ame thIng Is true or of the field force cf c the tho bureau I or of mines which now nor operates ten rescue mine cars which are kept on the go throughout the year The cost ot of moving these cars by tine way ay Is not InclUded In the total fravel expenditure of the bureau of oC mines There Is In the bureau of education tion on no record Which will show ho what rs Is spent by field representatives In travel but of officials stationed at Washington this bureau shows more Imore travelers than any other bureau in 11 inthe the department In fact three thirty of Its officials were on the g go dur- dur h the year covered by the foregoing forego forego- ing figures whereas the bureau or of mines with primarily field activities had on only y eighteen traveling out of Washington and those who traveled for the bureau of education spent p nf more than did the Washington officials of any other bureau burean of the department l Pension Force In n checking up on pen pension fon applications the bureau of oC pensions keeps busy a corps of at examining surgeons And nd Inspectors and only two trips were re made anade out of Washington by of- of or of the bureau The sixty four inspectors pe and surgeons ran up a travel vavel bill of oC less than and what Is more every cent expended ex- ex 1 by any representative of that Is accounted for regularly j reo er field representatives or 01 orthe the he pension bureau travel ally llY eyer every trip trip is mapped tout out in vance to Cover a given territory the least travel and at the mut- mut um or of expense The travel accounting cc- cc counting counting ot the pension bun bureau bu- bu reau n is going to be adopted by aU all alli i io o bureaus of the interior depa depart depart- ent In the future f so that every every an tg l can tell on l call all just us UW l r p ri Io t r hi his budeau IS going gorng Into tr travel l- l just what travel is per per- ormed and what elements go t to tomake make malee up the totals Travel Expensive Unquestionably the major J part or of orthe the expenditure Of the Interior department department de- de for travel Is a necessary expense which cannot be avoided but through the introduction of system ss s's tem and economy In travel and more especially by the elimination of all unnecessary travel Secretary York Work is confident lie he can cut the travel expenditures to a point away below a million dollars a year ear Just wh where re and how the economies I will wUl be brought about will wUl be determined deter deter- mined In October when detailed reports reports re- re ports are made malIc by each bureau chief on the travel expenditures of his I f subordinates during the months at 01 i July August and September It If Se Secretary Sec Sec- I Work Is successful In cutting down clown the lra cl expenditures of its Ius department through the nt of economy econom and aud curtailment the bUdget bureau is tn fu touch with the present survey will com com- this plan to all of tho rho The pros dent who vho Is a a. lend for economy in government nt operation Is awaiting with Interest lie he result of Secretary Works Work's campaign campaIgn to cut down travel sIn In his department o |