THE FEDERAL PAPERWORK JUNGLE PART 1 OF 5-ALBANY, N.Y. HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON CENSUS AND GOVERNMENT STATISTICS OF THE COMMITTEE ON POST OFFICE AND CIVIL SERVICE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EIGHTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS COMMITTEE ON POST OFFICE AND CIVIL SERVICE TOM MURRAY, JAMES H. MORRISON, Louisiana ALBERT W. WATSON, South Carolina Tennessee, Chairman ROBERT J. CORBETT, Pennsylvania AUGUST E. JOHANSEN, Michigan ALBERT W. JOHNSON, Pennsylvania SUBCOMMITTEE ON CENSUS AND GOVERNMENT STATISTICS HARLEY O. STAGGERS, West Virginia ALBERT W. WATSON, South Carolina TOM MURRAY, Tennessee II AUGUST E. JOHANSEN, Michigan GLENN CUNNINGHAM, Nebraska KATHARINE ST. GEORGE, New York HOMER E. ABELE, Ohio Ex Officio Members ROBERT J. CORBETT, Pennsylvania CONTENTS Allanson, Clifford A., executive director, New York State Council of Bennett, James, secretary of the clearinghouse of Albany banks, Blanchard, Earl E., office manager, Cushing Stone Co., Inc., Schenec- Booth, Mrs. Elizabeth M., owner and operator, H. W. Anteman, Hunt, Gen. George, Schenectady Automobile Dealers, Schenectady, Malmed, Daniel, Army-Navy Supply Retail Store, Albany, N.Y. Masick, Albert A., Masick Soil Conservation Co., Schoharie, N.Y. Miller, Henry, and Mrs. Dorothy DiPace, Capital District Retail Grocers Association, 127 Northern Boulevard, Albany, N.Y. O'Brien, Hon. Leo W., U.S. Congressman from the State of New York.. Priess, Arthur, Joseph Priess Co., Albany, N.Y.. Spangenberger, C. W., Associated Industries of New York State, Inc., Young, Robert M., corporate secretary and general manager, Greater THE FEDERAL PAPERWORK JUNGLE FRIDAY, MAY 1, 1964 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON CENSUS AND GOVERNMENT STATISTICS OF THE POST OFFICE AND CIVIL SERVICE COMMITTEE, Albany, N.Y. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., in court room No. 1, fourth floor, U.S. Post Office and Courthouse Building, Albany, N.Y., Hon. Arnold Olsen of Montana (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Mr. OLSEN. This subcommittee will come to order. Our subcommittee has come to this fine city of Albany to hold hearings on the subject of Federal paperwork. We chose Albany to open our hearings on this subject at the suggestion of our colleague, Congressman Lee O'Brien, of New York's 29th District, who is with us today, and who will be our first witness. Our hearings will continue next Friday, May 8, in Chicago, and then return to Washington, where we open on May 19 and expect to continue on there with hearings for several weeks. Before calling our first witness this morning, I want to introduce our esteemed minority representative, Congressman August E. Johansen, of Michigan. Mr. JOHANSEN. Thank you. Mr. OLSEN. I should like to take a few minutes to explain what these hearings are all about and what we hope to accomplish by them. Let's face it, we are tackling an enormous problem-that of Government reports and paperwork-and we have no delusions about what we are getting into. You may remember that back in 1955 the Hoover Commission estimated the cost of the Federal Government's paperwork at $4 billion a year. Of this amount, $2.8 billion goes for collecting, compiling, analyzing, and publishing reports of all kinds. The remainder, $1.2 billion, goes for copying, filing, recording, and storing of these reports. Some $30 million was used for records disposal and destruction. Now, this $4 billion figure applied to Federal costs alone. It did not include State and local government paperwork costs. Nor does it include what it costs the public to keep all of these records and to fill in all of these questionnaires. It has been estimated that it can cost a business firm 10 times what it costs the Government to handle a questionnaire, especially if the firm's books and accounts do not readily supply the required information. Is it any wonder then that when a request for voluntary information is sent out by a Federal, State, or local government agency, it often winds up in the wastebasket. Or, is it any wonder that the compulsory reports, like the 1 |