FOREWORD ix 



ices had they knowledge that such facilities were in existence. 

 With the consitant shifting of directing personnel that takes 

 place in the administrative branch of the national government, 

 the existence of means by which incoming officials may thus 

 readily secure information regarding their own and other serv- 

 ices is a matter of great importance. 



To members of Congress the monographs should prove of 

 no less value. At present these officials are called upon to 

 legislate and appropriate money for services concerning whose 

 needs and real problems they can secure but imperfect infor- 

 mation. That the possession by each member of a set of 

 monographs, such as is here projected, prepared according to 

 a uniform plan, will be a great aid to intelligent legislation 

 and appropriation of funds can hardly be questioned. 



To the public, finally, these monographs will give that 

 knowledge of the organization and operations of their gov- 

 ernment which must be had if an enlightened public opinion 

 is to be brought to bear upon the conduct of governmental 

 affairs. 



These studies are wholly descriptive in character. No at- 

 tempt is made in them to subject the conditions described to 

 criticism, nor to indicate features in respect to which changes 

 might with advantage be made. Upon administrators them- 

 selves falls responsibility for making or proposing changes 

 which will result in the improvement of methods of adminis- 

 tration. The primary aim of outside agencies should be to 

 emphasize this responsibility and facilitate its fulfillment. 



While the monographs thus make no direct recommenda- 

 tions for improvement, they cannot fail greatly to stimulate 

 efforts in that direction. Prepared as they are according to a 

 uniform plan, and setting forth as they do the activities, plant, 

 organization, personnel and laws governing the several serv- 

 ices of the government, they will automatically, as it were, 

 reveal, for example, the extent to which work in the same field 

 is being performed by different services, and thus furnish the 

 information that is essential to a consideration of the great 

 question of the better distribution and coordination of activi- 

 ties among the several departments, establishments, and bu- 

 reaus, and the elimination of duplications of plant, organiza- 

 tion and work. Through them it will also be possible to sub- 

 ject any particular feature of the administrative work of the 

 government to exhaustive study, to determine, for example, 

 what facilities, in the way of laboratories and other plant and 



