MEjSFOUD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, OREGON
WEDNE8DAY. JUNE 19, 1983
si-
Your Money's
Worth
By SYLVIA PORTER
Copyright, HjII Syndic. Inc.
McNAMARA'S WAR ON WASTE
"I, personally, consider you to be great Secretary of
Defense": Sen. Paul H. Douglas, Democrat of Illinois, and
chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Defense Procure
ment, to Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara.
"Yours is an extraordinary achievement": Sen. Jacob
K. Javits, Republican of New York, a committee member,
also to McNamara.
"You're an unusual Secretary of Defense": Sen. Wil
liam Proxmire, Democrat of Wisconsin, another committee
member, to McNamara.
Why this recent outpouring of praise from economy
conscious Senators in view of the fact that McNamara has
submitted to Congress for 1964 the : biggest peacetime
defense budget ever? Because McNamara openly agrees
with the Senators that there is enormous waste, duplica
tion and extravagance in the defense budget; because he
has initiated major new programs to cut the excesses; be
cause programs he has launched are already producing
annual savings of $1.9 billion and McNamara expects to
step up the rate of annual saving to over S3. 4 billion by
fiscal 1965; because he has had the courage to put through
reorganizations which, in the words of an earlier Defense
Secretary, are "no more painful than backing into a
buzz saw."
McNamara Isn't oromisina that tht defenit budget
won't rise to all-iima peaks on the contrary. He is,
though, trying what amounts to a crash program to curb
the costs of dafanst by eliminating bad practices and
malpractice in the face of stern opposition and dedi
cation to the traditional ways of doing things in the De
fense Department. Thus, the compliments of the budget
cutting Senators.
McNamara's most significant single cost-cutting move
has been the creation of the Defense Supply Agency to buy,
stock and sell supplies common to all the services.
By weeding out excess inventory items the Depart'
ment of Defense has 4 million items valued at $40.6 bil
lion, of which $13 billion is excess or "long stocks" by
slashing surpluses and by controlling purchases, the Defense
Supply Agency, McNamara says, is right now saving $1
million a week over the previous system. A minor but
memorable illustration: in 1961, each service was buying a
different type of butcher smock in several sizes, a total of
18 different inventory items; today, the services stock only
two types in fewer sizes, a total of seven different inventory
items.
Also of fundamental importance has been McNamara's
drive to change the method of awarding defense contracts
from negotiation and cost-plus-fixed-fee to formal or compe
titive bidding wherever feasible. j
In 1962, almost 87 per cent of all military purchases
were still by negotiation. The estimate is that 25 cents can
be saved on each dollar shifted from non-competitive to
competitive buying and that shifts under way will be
saving nearly $500 million a year by fiscal 1965. The
changes are starting. In 1961, only 15 per cent of aircraft
spare parts were bought competitively; in 1962, the per
centage was doubled to 30 per cent and the trend is
upward. '
The cost-cutting probe is touching the most delicate
areas duplicate weapon systems, research and develop
ment. As a dramatic illustration of what this can mean,
basic to the now famous controversy over the TFX experi
mental tactical fighter plane is not just the question of
awarding of defense contracts. Basic is the fact that Mc
Namara chose General Dynamics over Boeing because he
insists that the General Dynamic design was closer to a
"common plane" usable both by . the Air Force and Navy
and that Boeing's design actually was two different planes
which would have made an award to Boeing far more
costly. .
The Defense Department is asking today not only.
"What will it cost?" but also, "Is it worth It?" and,
and, "Are we buying only what we need?" This is why
Douglas and hii committee are so "extremely gratified"
and Douglas said a few days ago "a good beginning has at
long last been made ... to make the economies which
are desirable and possible."
Involved in the size and content of the 1964 defense
budget will be even more than our military power and
economic strength. Also deeply entwined will be the fate
of tax reduction-reform, for manyCongressmen really mean
it when they say they'll vote against tax cuts unless there
are signs the budget is being controlled.
The schedules today indicate the defense budget and
the tax bill will be reaching crucial Congressional voting
dates around the same time which will dramatize Mc
Namara's war on scandalous waste.
Dennis the Menace
Quotes From. the News
By UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
Washington Sen. Wallace F. Bennett (R-Utah) charging
that President Kennedy's program of aid to depressed areas
would be used for political purposes in the 1964 election
year:
"I Imagine they can find a lot of depressed areas
where Democrats are out of work."
New York Singer Eddie Fisher, commenting on reports
that his wife, Elizabeth Taylor, and actor Richard Burton
plan to get married as soon as they can:
"I wish them all the happiness. My plans art, and
always have been, to accommodate the lady."
St. Louis, Mo. Mrs. Katie Johnson, refusing on reli
gious grounds to contest a speeding ticket because the sub
urban court involved is held in a tavern:
"I won't go into that tavern to be tried. If I go In
side, they're going to have to . . . drag me In."
Caracas, Venezuela A Communist gunman, regretting
the raid he and others had just made on a U.S.-affiliated
accounting firm:
"What a pityl We wasted our time. There art no
Amtricant here."
Dancing in the) Streets
A 3
Nesting Place of Bristle-Thighed
Curlew Discovered 15 Years Ago
By DICK WEST
Washington-UPD-ln writing
about a "protocol course" to
be offered at Southwestern
University here this summer.
I noted that
it w o u 1 d in
clude a lec
ture on the
use of "party
props." A par
ty prop Is an
obscure news
item that can
be used to
start a conver-
wtit sation at par
ties. As an example, I cited
the fact that 1963 Is the 15th
anniversary of (lie discovery
of the nesting place of the
bristle-thighed curlew.
It occurred to me latcf that,
because of the context In
which it was mentioned, some
readers may have gotten the
impression that I was treating
the anniversary frivolously.
It so, I want to clear that
up at once.
I fully recognize that the
discovery of the curlew's nest
was an ornithological mile
stone. Perhaps it will make
us all feel better if we pause
for a moment and pay hom
age to this remarkable
achievement.
It was, as you may recall,
on Junt 18, 1948, that word
of tht discovtry rtachtd tht
waiting world. Tht news
was flashtd by Dr. Arthur
A. Allen, htad of an expedi
tion that tht National Geo
graphic Socitty had sent to
Alaska to starch for tht
ntii.
"We have found the cur
lew's nest," Allen said sim
ply. It was a signal for rejoicing
and dancing in the streets, for
It cleared up a mystery that
had battled man for 163
years. Ever since 1785, when
man first realized that there
was such a bird as the bristle
thighed curlew, man had won
dered where the darn thing
nested.
By 1948, the curlew was the
only North American bird
whose breeding grounds and
summer home remained undetected.
Things like that are what
drive men crazy.
25 Per Cent Cut
In Foreign Aid
Seen by Morse
Washington -(UPD- Sen.
Wayne Morse (D-Ore.) says
he thinks President Ken
nedy's $4.5 bililon foreign aid
request can be cut "in the
neighborhood of 25 per cent."
Morse made the statement
to newsmen after Secretary
of State Dean Rusk appeared
before the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee to an
swer quetsions about the re
quest. The Oregon Democrat
is a member of the com
mittee. Morse told Rusk at his ap
pearance that he was advis
ing constituents that he
planned to "cut where it is
safe to cut."
He also told Rusk that the
U.S. should be Insisting that
its West European allies pay
a larger share of the bill for
assistance in such areas as
Africa.
Pressing Vigorously
Rusk replied that the U S
was pressing vigorously for
the allies to expand their aid
programs.
Morse also was critical of
U.S. trade policies. He told
Rusk that he has just about
given up hope that U.S. nego
tiators will retaliate under
tariff and trade agreements
against foreign governments
discriminating against Amer
ican poultry and fruit.
Rusk testified that such ac
tions as those against U.S.
poultry were difficult to com
bat because retaliation, which
might help other commodi
ties, does not help poultry
itself.
The reader is perhaps won
dering why the National Geo
graphic expedition was sent
to Alaska rather than say,
Minnesota. Well, Allen had a
hot tip that some of the birds
had been sighted off the
Alaskan coast.
Had he gone to Minnesota
he might be searching yet.
For tht btntfit of thost
who havt n t v t r teen a
bristle-thighed c u r 1 1 w, I
shall attempt to dtscribt
ont, even though I may bt
accustd of trying to pull
your leg.
It is between 16 and 18
inches long and has brown
feathers, some of which stick
out from its sides like bristles.
It spends most of the year in
the South Pacific, but goes to
Alaska each spring,
"Why these curlew should
want to leave the warm, lux
urious shores of Tahiti and
other South Sea islands, fly
5,500 miles over the open sea,
and arrive at one of the most
forlorn stretches of tundra in
North America, deserted by
all other birds and still large
ly covered with snow, just to
lay four eggs, is hard to un
derstand, Allen once commented.-
My guess Is that' they do it
for publicity,
uiuu uonw casurru. wotuwoa
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