ITEMS OF INTEREST January 27, 1912 Issue

ITEMS OF INTEREST

President Taft in a message to Congress tells how millions of dollars annually can be saved in the operation of the governmental machinery by "economy and efficiency." "What the government does with nearly one billion dollars each year," says the President, "is of as much concern to the average citizen as is the manner of obtaining this amount of money for the public use." The President proposes that all administrative officers of the government in the departments at Washington and in the field be put under civil service; be removed from the influence of politics, and that their terms of office be not limited as at present to four years. Such officers should not be appointed by the President with the necessity of Senate confirmation, but upon merit. His message was based upon a report of the economy and efficiency commission created by act of Congress a year and a half ago.

Senator Smith and Representative Barlett, both of Georgia, are working on a plan for helping the cotton farmers of the South through the regulation of the New York Cotton Exchange. They propose to introduce a bill in Congress, and press for its passage, requiring the exchange to deliver the same grade of cotton that is sold on future contracts in the exchange. The Georgians believe Congress has the power to enact legislation denying the Cotton Exchange and its members the use of the United States mail if they persist in selling one grade and supplying another grade of cotton. Moreover, they believe it possible for Congress to enact legislation that will also deny them the use of the telegraph wires for transmission of their business on the same basis.

Toledo's new Museum of Art was formally opened with dedicatory exercises and an inaugural exhibition last week. The new building is of white marble, the style being Greek Ionic of the Periclean period. It has a frontage of two hundred feet and is located in the center of the city in a grove of forest oaks. The building and grounds represent a total expenditure of five hundred thousand dollars, one half of which was the gift of the president of the museum, Edward Drummond Libbey. The remainder was secured by popular subscription in sums ranging from ten cents to ten thousand dollars. All classes of citizens contributed. The museum will be opened absolutely free from debt.

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