AGRICULTURAL APPROPRIATIOX BILL, 1024 



By tlie exi'icjse. of stiitt ec^jivmiv at tlie dose of the year the deiiattfiieiit was 

 able to Jidd fiu'tli^r, muised bjihiiKvs in the auunint of .$678,740. and this. 

 tOfiether,'\vith.^|a^..'<;l,40a.fm t'esju-ved. made total savinfi.s of $2.0Sr.,783 turned 

 hack to-flrt- TiWsur.r in tlie Tonn' of nnexpended hahuices from the annual 

 appropriations. 



In addition to tlie fore.noing a reserve of .^s.inO.oOf) was set np from the so- 

 falled continniiifr api»ropriations of the department, which are available until 

 expended. While this money will eventually be expended, it was found ])os- 

 sible under the necessities of the times to <lefer the expenditures beyond the 

 present fiscal year, and thus for the r>i"t'sent to save the withdrawal of the 

 cash from the Treasury. 



The cllorts toward reduction in expenditures were not confined merely to 

 keeping: intact the reserves reported in the fore^oini:. The business adminis- 

 tration of the department .lienerally has been subjected to close .scrutinv and 

 specific economies inauguratetl all alonjr the line. The department has i)et'n 

 actively represented on the various coordinntinjr ajrencies create<l under the 

 auithority of the Bureau of the Budget. A tratlic manager has been apptiinted 

 to coordinate and handle the large volume of shipments and extensive jia.s- 

 senger niovt ments in connection with the work of the department. Careful 

 attention has been given to economies which might be effected by changes in 

 organization, and worth-while results have been achieved in this direction also, 

 .some of which will be mentioned later. 



I'articular attention has been given to the purchasing work of the depart- 

 ment. After a survey of this work was made by an expert detailed from the 

 Bureau of the Budget, a directcu- of purchases and sales was designated to 

 coordinate the purchasing work and the dispf)sition of surrilus property. 

 Chan.ges have been made .in former procedure, llie work has been placed 

 upon a more businesslike basis by a closer scrutiny of purchase requirements. 

 By reorganization and extension of the powers of the department board o^ 

 awards competition has been widened on supplies and equipment bought. By 

 consulting with commodity experts in this and other departments prior to 

 purchasing the department has kept informed on market conditions in various 

 lines and has been able to place orders more advantageously. The purchase 

 of certain commodities has been centralized for Washington and near-by field 

 stations, enabling the department to secure better prices b.v quantity orders. 



Investigation is constantly being made into the availabilit.v of surplus 

 property fmni other departments and its use wherever econonucal instead of 

 the purchase of new equipment by the dei>artment. The stocks and equip- 

 ment of the entire department itself have been gone over carefully, both in 

 Washington and in the field, and under a system which has been established 

 a large amount of surplus equipment for which the holding bui-eaus have no 

 further use is furnished to other bureaus, thus avoiding additional purchases. 

 Serviceable motor trucks have been secured at nominal costs from surplus 

 stocks of other departments to replace worn-out trucks in the centralized 

 trucking unit of the department, making better hauling service available to 

 the bureaus at lower cost. The revenues from the sale of perisp.able products 

 from the field stations of the department near Washington have been more 

 than doubled by a sjiecial order issued during the year centralizing all such 

 sales in the department's supply division. 



To sinnmarize, here, as elsewhere in the service. " Economy with elliciency " 

 has been the watchword. Tlie constant aim during the year has been to 

 develop a consciousness on the part of each oflicer and emi)loyee of the dei)art- 

 nient of the necessity and p(>rs(mal responsibility on bis iiart for (he maximum 

 efficiency and economy wilh respwt to his own particular work and the items 

 of expenditure with which he may have to do. Economies and increased effi- 

 ciency effected in this way in connectbm with the routine business operations 

 of the department can not be adeqtiately measmed by figures, but they are 

 of fundamental importance as the sound foundation of the whole economy 

 l)rograni. The record of the year includes gratifying reports of this ,tyi>p 

 and reflected increases in the efficiency of the lines of work alTected. A f«'W 

 tvpical instances are interesting. 



Ucdiiction in manufacturers' price of automobiles and tires and tubes for 

 field use taking plac(> after lu-oposals hav(> b(>en submitte<l to the department: 

 have been secured by the board of awards calling for ri^vised prices instead 

 of accepting the bids as originally subndtted. 



A department shop f(M' tli(> reiiair of awnings has been established at a 

 savipg of ai>proximatelv .^.'J.tMM) a year. Facilities for the repair of typewriters 



