﻿90 
  JOURNAL 
  Olf 
  THE 
  WASHINGTON 
  ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES 
  VOL. 
  12, 
  NO. 
  4 
  

  

  portation 
  should 
  be 
  effected 
  only 
  by 
  stage 
  coach 
  and 
  canal 
  boat 
  

   instead 
  of 
  by 
  railroad. 
  But 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  this 
  anachronism 
  is 
  clearly 
  

   traceable 
  to 
  some 
  abuse 
  in 
  the 
  employment 
  of 
  official 
  automobiles 
  

   for 
  private 
  use. 
  This 
  is 
  an 
  example 
  of 
  an 
  ill-advised 
  law 
  enacted 
  

   because 
  of 
  a 
  breach 
  of 
  trust 
  by 
  some 
  individual 
  or 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  

   individuals. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  also 
  hard 
  to 
  understand 
  why 
  the 
  Federal 
  scientist 
  should 
  be 
  

   penalized 
  when 
  traveling 
  on 
  official 
  business 
  by 
  not 
  being 
  reimbursed 
  

   for 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  his 
  expenses. 
  It 
  would 
  be 
  equally 
  logical 
  to 
  force 
  him 
  tO' 
  

   contribute 
  toward 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  renting 
  or 
  heating 
  his 
  laboratory. 
  The 
  

   law 
  limiting 
  the 
  amount 
  paid 
  for 
  subsistence 
  was 
  passed 
  because 
  a 
  

   former 
  commission 
  indirectly 
  augmented 
  the 
  salaries 
  of 
  its 
  professional 
  

   corps 
  by 
  allowing 
  a 
  large 
  per 
  diem 
  for 
  subsistence, 
  irrespective 
  of 
  

   whether 
  the 
  men 
  were 
  working 
  at 
  the 
  home 
  office 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  field. 
  

   Unfortunately, 
  Congress, 
  when 
  it 
  uncovers 
  such 
  an 
  exceptional 
  

   abuse, 
  is 
  wont 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  abuse 
  is 
  general 
  and 
  enacts 
  sweeping 
  

   statutes, 
  whose 
  real 
  purpose 
  is 
  to 
  rectify 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  a 
  few. 
  

  

  Although 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  growing 
  tendency 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  restrictions 
  

   on 
  Federal 
  disbursements, 
  yet 
  we 
  can 
  comfort 
  ourselves 
  with 
  the 
  

   thought 
  that 
  both 
  efficiency 
  and 
  economy 
  are 
  now 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  war 
  

   cry. 
  Probably 
  the 
  modification 
  of 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  dozen 
  statutes 
  would 
  

   suffice 
  to 
  do 
  away 
  with 
  the 
  obstacles 
  that 
  prevent 
  Government 
  work 
  

   being 
  carried 
  on 
  efficiently 
  and 
  therefore 
  economically. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  curious 
  

   fact 
  that 
  most 
  reformers 
  have 
  yet 
  to 
  discover 
  that 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   verbial 
  Government 
  red 
  tape 
  has 
  been 
  eliminated 
  and 
  that 
  much 
  of 
  

   what 
  is 
  left 
  is 
  imposed 
  by 
  law 
  and 
  not 
  by 
  tradition 
  or 
  executive 
  order. 
  

  

  A 
  private 
  institution 
  of 
  research 
  supported 
  by 
  trust 
  funds 
  is 
  also 
  

   under 
  the 
  obligation 
  to 
  provide 
  definite 
  regulations 
  to 
  control 
  ex- 
  

   penditures. 
  These 
  regulations 
  can, 
  however, 
  be 
  framed 
  to 
  meet 
  its 
  

   special 
  needs 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  not, 
  like 
  a 
  Federal 
  bureau, 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  part 
  of 
  

   a 
  colossal 
  organization 
  charged 
  with 
  the 
  disbursement 
  of 
  huge 
  trust 
  

   funds. 
  The 
  bureau 
  chief 
  must 
  enforce 
  the 
  law 
  as 
  he 
  finds 
  it, 
  even 
  

   though 
  he 
  knows 
  full 
  well 
  that 
  it 
  decreases 
  the 
  efficiency 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  

   organization. 
  

  

  I 
  take 
  it 
  that 
  all 
  will 
  agree 
  that 
  the 
  first 
  test 
  of 
  good 
  administration 
  

   of 
  science 
  will 
  lie 
  in 
  the 
  choice 
  of 
  investigators 
  to 
  do 
  the 
  work. 
  In 
  

   this 
  matter 
  the 
  endowed 
  institutions 
  have 
  a 
  great 
  advantage 
  over 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  Government, 
  in 
  being 
  able, 
  in 
  a 
  measure 
  at 
  least, 
  to 
  adjust 
  

   their 
  salaries 
  to 
  meet 
  competition 
  in 
  the 
  commercial 
  world. 
  On 
  

   the 
  other 
  hand, 
  some 
  will 
  be 
  attracted 
  to 
  the 
  Federal 
  service 
  because 
  

  

  