gb THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Ordinarily, then, it is the section head or project leader 

 who actually begins the preparation of the estimates, partic- 

 ularly with respect to the amounts of money to be requested. 

 In this task, he must of course be governed by a number of 

 considerations : ( i ) due regard must be had for any special 

 instructions contained in the letters from the Secretary and 

 the Chief of Bureau; (2) there are many rules, based either 

 upon statutes or administrative orders, governing changes in 

 salaries both on lump sum and statutory rolls; and, (3) if 

 any increased amount is requested either for additional 

 workers or for the prosecution of new work, a comprehen- 

 sive statement justifying the request must be submitted. 



If no change, either in amount or content, is requested, the 

 work of preparing estimates is a comparatively easy task, 

 and the ascent of the administrative ladder will probably be 

 made without much friction. It is only where there is de- 

 parture from the estimates of the previous year that any 

 serious difficulties are likely to be encountered. This fact 

 constitutes the chief defect of the entire procedure. A line 

 of work, once established, may be continued long after the 

 original objects have been attained, while new projects of 

 equal or greater importance may receive recognition only 

 with the greatest efifort, or not at all. 



It is true, as we shall see, that Congress has attempted 

 to correct this defect by imposing upon the Secretary of 

 Agriculture the duty of reporting, from time to time, the 

 status of the work under each project. So far as the writer 

 is aware, however, there is no systematic attempt to corre- 

 late this report with the estimates themselves. This tend- 

 ency to perpetuate work once begun is accentuated by the 

 desire of each executive officer to magnify his own position. 

 He is always willing to essay a new task, but never willing to 

 forego the old. 



Since the passage of the law, in 191 3, requiring each de- 

 partment head to designate some official to supervise the 

 preparation of estimates, each bureau in the Dej^artment of 

 Agriculture designates one of its officers to cooperate with 



