TASK FORCE ON PAPERWORK MANAGEMENT Mr. ANDREWS. I notice of the $263,475 you request, you want $25,000 for a task force on paperwork management. Mr. HOLLISTER. Yes, sir. Mr. ANDREWS. You state that the estimated savings as a result of that work will be approximately $250 million? Mr. HOLLISTER. The work of this task force was divided into two parts. The first part involved the saving that the Government might accomplish in the event they put into effect what we call birth control of paperwork. A great deal of paper work which was carried on never should have been started. . The second part is a study of paperwork required of private business by the Federal Government. This task force worked through industry committees and various governmental departments. This already, by common consent, has eliminated a great many reports that were formerly made. The task force estimated a saving which industry backs up, of about $10 million both by industry and by the Government itself. Mr. ANDREWS. How many reports have been issued by the Commission? Mr. HOLLISTER. The Commission has published nine reports. There will be 11 more. Mr. ANDREWS. You will have a total of 20? Mr. HOLLISTER. A total of 20. We may consolidate 1 or 2 before we get to the end; but that is roughly the number of major reports. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR TASK FORCE ON PROCUREMENT Mr. ANDREWS. Your second request is for $58,000 for additional requirements for the task force on procurement. Mr. HOLLISTER. Yes, sir. Mr. ANDREWS. What is the situation with reference to that task force? Mr. HOLLISTER. The work of that task force turned out to be much more arduous and required a bigger staff than we originally contemplated. In estimating for these different studies, it is not always easy to allocate the exact amount to a particular study and we have Occasionally switched certain sums from one particular study to another when we found it was going to cost more than the other. And procurement was one which we underestimated in the amount that was necessary. It is not quite finished. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PRINTING OF REPORTS Mr. ANDREWS. You want for additional requirements for the printing of reports an estimated $82,650. Mr. HOLLISTER. The reason for that is this: Very early in our work the Commission decided, inasmuch as our Commission reports were based on the task force reports and referred to them very often, it was only proper that we file with Congress the complete task force reports. Some of those are rather large. Some of them run 600, 700, and 800 pages. In making our Commission reports, we have condensed them to a more readable size. Nevertheless it seemed to our Commissioners that the Congress should have access to all task force reports in printed form for the future reference and use. printing bill than we ever anticipated. This caused a higher REQUIREMENTS FOR EXTENDING LIFE OF COMMISSION FOR 1 MONTH Mr. ANDREWS. Your next request is for requirements for extending the life of the Commission for 1 month, $60,000. Mr. HOLLISTER. Yes, sir. I can give you a breakdown: Office of the Commissioner is $21,000; staff official personnel, $22,000; other obligations, $12,000. And we will have to call some of the task force people back for consultation. We estimate that at $5,000. That gives a total of $60,000 for the month of June. Mr. ANDREWS. Is that what it has cost in the past for operating the Commission? Mr. HOLLISTER. That is down considerable from previous monthly costs. Mr. ANDREWS. How many employees do you have and will you have? Mr. BRASSOR. The average number of employees for the fiscal year 1955 is 220. Mr. ANDREWS. We will put the table on page 7 in the record showing the funds needed to June. (The matter above referred to is as follows:) (c) Other obligations (except printing) (d) Cost of certain personnel from task forces called back on a consulting or "when needed" basis Total cost for June__. REQUIREMENTS FOR EDITORIAL AND LIQUIDATING STAFFS DURING JULY, AUGUST, AND SEPTEMBER Mr. ANDREWS. The next item is for $37,825 for requirements for editorial and liquidating staffs during July, August, and September. We will insert the table on page 8 which shows a breakdown of this amount. (The matter above referred to is as follows:) Office of the Chairman (1 part time and 3 full time) Office of Executive Director (1 part time and 1 full time) Office Services Section (6 persons). Research staff (2 persons) Editorial staff (2 part time and 2 full time). Total. Mr. HOLLISTER. That is for a 3 months' period. $7,245 2,280 7,520 6, 570 4, 610 9, 600 37, 825 Mr. ANDREWS. Now of the amount requested of $263,475, $137,325 will be for personal services? Mr. HOLLISTER. Yes, sir. Mr. ANDREWS. $82,650 for printing, and all other obligations, $43,500? Mr. HOLLISTER. Yes, sir. Mr. ANDREWS. Do you anticipate you will have any unexpended balance when you wind up your job? Mr. HOLLISTER. Mr. Chairman, I would hate to conduct any operation and not hope to come out a little ahead, rather than be left with nothing. But we have cut it as fine as we feel is safe. ANALYSIS OF NEEDS Mr. ANDREWS. I think it would be well to put this entire statement in the record. (The matter above referred to is as follows:) COMMISSION ON ORGANIZATION OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH of the Government SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET ESTIMATES AND JUSTIFICATIONS This is a supplemental request in the amount of $263,475. Our appropriations, in the amount of $2,585,059 are available for the life of the Commission. The justifications for this request are presented below. 1. Requirements for a Task Force on Paperwork Management_ 2. Additional requirements for the Task Force on Procurement. 3. Additional requirements for the printing of reports. $25, 000 58,000 4. Requirements for extending the life of the Commission for 1 month. 5. Requirements for editorial and liquidating staffs during July, August, and September.. 1 $12,000 for June; $12,000 for July; $10,500 for August; $9,000 for September. 1. Requirements for the Task Force on Paperwork Management 263, 475 No funds were requested or received, in previous appropriations, for this study. The original concept was that the study would be confined to the development of recommendations aimed at (1) the reduction of paperwork in the executive branch of the Government, and (2) the saving of space and filing equipment now used for records which might be disposed or of records which can be sent to inexpensive record centers. The Commission absorbed the cost of this part of the study ($20,000). Last February (February 21, 1955) the Commission completed and released this report to the Congress. It was entitled "Paperwork Management—Part I, in the United States Government." In this report the Commission recommended programs and methods that would apply "birthcontrol" to paperwork at its source, with an initial annual saving estimated at $250 million. Realizing that this is only one part of the paperwork problem of the Federal Government and being spurred by the savings potentials of the first phase of the study, the Commission immediately accelerated its work on part II of the study. This is a study of paperwork required of private business by the Federal Government. It deals (1) with paperwork which private citizens and American business are required to perform in answering the questionnaires, and in filling the requests of Federal agencies for various data, and (2) the cost to the Government of unnecessary items in questionnaires. Some 25 committees were set up in various commercial groups to study these matters. They have been brought into contact with the Federal agencies concerned, and simplifications already accepted by the Federal agencies are expected to save $10 million annually to the Government and a like amount to industry. This successful experiment can be extended. To date, we have spent nearly $15,000 on this second portion of the study. It will take about $10,000 more to complete the work in hand. Although we absorbed the $20,000 which the first part of this study cost, we need supplemental funds to cover the costs of part II of the study. Therefore, the total amount requested in this submission for paperwork management is $25,000. 2. Additional requirements for the Task Force on Procurement The cost of the Task Force Study on Procurement was originally estimated at $151,000. This study covers the principles, the methods, and the organizational structures for Federal procurement in the Department of Defense, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the General Services Administration. The billions spent for procurement affect our national economy in many ways. Also, the progress reports indicated that the possible improvements through the study could result in savings of hundreds of millions of dollars; therefore, a larger staff than originally contemplated was assembled, and they continued their investigations beyond the date originally scheduled for completion. The progress then being made, and the improvements and savings being pursued, justified these steps. If the recommendations being developed in this study are put into effect, the cost of the study will be a small fraction of 1 percent of the savings to the Government. As a result of the above developments, the Procurement Task Force study will cost us $209,000 rather than the $151,000 originally estimated. Therefore, the amount included in this submission for the procurement study is $58,000. 3. Additional requirements for the printing of reports In past appropriations, $60,000 was made available for printing the final reports of the Commission to the Congress. Since then the Commission has decided, as a matter of policy, that all reports of the task forces or study groups, as well as all Commission reports to the Congress, should be printed. The cost of printing the reports of the first Hoover Commission was $81,000. When we reduced our estimates by $21,000 below the actual cost to the previous Commission, we were of the opinion that we would have fewer reports and since they covered functions or programs of Government, that they would be less voluminous. We now find that our task forces have assembled a great volume of very informative analyses and statistics regarding a great number of expensive Government programs. This material was assembled by consultants and experts who have outstanding capabilities in these various fields of Government work. It, therefore, seemed to the Commissioners that the Members of Congress, the executive officials, the press, and the general public should have access to this very valuable digest of information regarding our Government. Secondly, it seemed to our Commissioners that, since outstanding experts in these fields of work made these surveys and gave us the benefit of their experience and allowed us to capitalize upon their combined knowledge, their findings and recommendations to the Commission should be made available to the congressional committees and the public officials who will have to decide upon the implementation of our recommendations. In other words, if we considered them as "experts" to conduct these studies for us, then whether we agree with their findings or recommendations or not, we think that the Congress is entitled to have their views. By prorating the cost of the reports already printed, to the reports yet to be printed, we find that the total printing costs will be $142,650. We now have $60,000. Therefore, our additional need to print all reports is $82,650. 4. Additional requirement for extending the life of the Commission for 1 month As is usually the case in a gigantic study such as this, new leads continuously are developed. They, in turn, require that new areas be explored. In a number of task force studies these new leads and areas pointed to such substantial improvements and possible savings that good judgment dictated the need to extend the scheduled dates for the completion of the task force reports. The extensions increased the cost of these particular studies. As a result, savings from other task forces which completed their assignments at a smaller cost than originally contemplated were totally absorbed. This late filing of staff papers and task force reports by two task forces (intelligence activities and depot utilization) which were started very late and by five which had their filing dates extended, is creating an impossible concentration of task force reports for Commission action in May. [(1) Procurement, (2) business organization of Department of Defense, (3) real property, (4) budget and accounting, and (5) water resources and power.] Therefore, the Congress has been asked to extend the life of the Commission for the month of June and to provide a 90-day period for liquidation, and for editing and printing the final reports. Practically all of the task forces will be liquidated by the first of June. Therefore, the funds needed in June are for: (c) Other obligations (except printing) (d) Cost of certain personnel from task forces called back on a consulting or "when needed" basis. Total cost for June. $21,000 22, 000 12,000 5, 000 60, 000 5. Requirements for the editorial and liquidating staffs during July, August, and September The reports acted on during June would be rewritten, edited, and prepared for the printer in June and July. The reviewing of proof, the final printing and the publication of these reports will be completed by the end of August. Also during August and by the end of September, the numerous details involved in the liquidation of an agency such as this would be completed. The following tabulation gives the details on these needs: Office of the Chairman (1 part time and 3 full time) Office of Executive Director (1 part time and 1 full time) Office Services Section (6 persons). Research staff (2 persons) Editorial staff (2 part time and 2 full time) Total__. $7, 245 2, 280 7, 520 6, 570 4, 610 9, 600 37, 825 July, August, and September editorial and liquidating staffs_ LEGAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ADEQUATE PARCEL POST RATES Mr. GARY. Mr. Hollister, I notice in one of your reports to Congress dated May, 1955, under recommendation No. 11, you recommend that the Postmaster General shall, if the current rates do not cover all costs of the parcel post service, including indirect costs, seek a further increase of rates. Mr. HOLLISTER. That was with respect to parcel post. Mr. GARY. With respect to parcel post. În connection with that recommendation, apparently your Commission was not familiar with what has been done in this connection and, in order to keep the record straight, I would like to call your attention to the fact that when the parcel post law was first adopted, in the twenties, there was included a section which reads: The classification of articles mailable, as well as the weight limit, the rates of postage, zone or zones, and other conditions of mialability under sections 240, 293, and 294 of this title if the Postmaster General shall find on experience that they or |