OCR Text |
Show In keeping with our policy, a standard grade of goods was bought, wholesome but not fancy food supplies, good and serviceable cloth-ing, shoes, etc., best quality of drugs, and coal givin the largest British thermal unit values for the money invested. %lose inspec-tion of the deliveries made by contractors and others, following care-ful purchasing, guaranteed a maximum return in service for every dollar spent. The transportation of supplies required an expenditure a little less than $550,000, based on commercial tariff less land-grant rates. The reduction on account of shipping, wherever practicable, over land-grant mads resulted in a saving to the Government of approximately $125.000. ~6twi ths tandinth~e general uneasiness throughout the winter regarding the procurement of coal, the Indian Service experienced practically no difficulty, all requirements bein met either before the season started or during the early months of it. A consistent im-provement in the quality of fuel now being bought largely on the British thermal unit basis has been noted. Bills for supplies and services were promptly paid throughout the year, complaints for failure to do so being negligible in number. ' ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY. The present administration of Indian affairs has made economy in the expenditure of public funds a live subject and has directed its inspection service 6 report definitely wherein savings could be effected within the various jurisdictions visited. In the interest of both economy and eficiency, the policy has been to combine, wherever practicable, several small agencies into one jurisdiction with central headquarters. Among the more important instances of the past year are the Consolidated Chippewa Agency, with headquarters at Cass Lake, Minn., and the Consolidated Ute Agency, with headquarters at Ignacio, Colo., composed, respectively, of the several Chippewa agencies and the Ute Mountain and Southern Ute agencies. It is the purpose to cooperate fully with efforts of the Chief Executive to lighten the load of taxation incident to the war, and in order to give further emphasis to this matter an appeal was issued on June 28,1923, as having special bearing upon the suceeed-ing year's work, and it is gratifying to add that of the practically unanimous response from the field, a very large percentage has been letters heartily assuring full support to the spirit and letter of the circular, which follows: To Suuerintmdents and Disbursing Odlo(al8: Herewlth are fnclosed We recent addme6 of the Prealdent and the Dlreetor of the Bureau of the Bud$et, which you are urged to study carefully, because they contain the gospel of our 5uanelal practice. They furnish the cogent logic of the timely maxim, "More buslness In Government." They bring to us an unusual oo~or tuni ttro understand the ouroose and nractical worklnea of the ~~~~ ~ ~ ----- ~-~~ * ~ ... -. -- -. budmt system whlch~forhmatelr became a fact of Federal admlnlstratlou at a t h e when it was most needid: at a time when the relentless extortions or w:tr had entniled the must diflrult problems of pence. These ud~lrcssrPs hould reaclr every emploxee in our service as an inspiration to cuonerale In the nost-war victuri$!s that must be won. It will be seen Ul~t ~~~ ~~ from the signal rrlimyl~~ C "hUalr ~nccd budget" tbe president leads on to a maximum expenditure next year of LP3.OOO.O0,000, exclusive of We national deht redlstion, which me:ins u cut in the rstlrnated expenditnras of npproxi- |