Travel – with government as well as in private business – is necessary and there’s no way to eliminate it. But it should be controlled carefully, with the purpose of each trip examined and made of record. What brings up this subject is a report to the U. S. Senate by the Office of Management and Budget disclosing that no purpose can be identified for 27 percent of the trips madeby federal employees whose journeys are expected to cost the taxpayers $4 billion this year. OMB Deputy Director Edwin L. Harper cited a 10-month study as basis for assertions of widespread abuse of travel privileges “due largely to the inapprgpriate use of travel au orizations that did not require management attention to the purpose and need for the trips,” This is an old story in government which comes to the forefront periodically only to occur again and again. Sen. William V. Roth Jr., R-Del., chairman of the govemmental affairs committee which received the report, said a similar study by the General Accounting Office in 1977 found that 17 percent of the conferences attended by federal employees were not essential to their jobs. The report disclosed that executive agencies spent about $2.9 billion for travel in fiscal year 1979 and about $3.2 billion in 1980. Harper said the figure could reach $4 billion this year. Sixty-three percent of the travel funds were spent by the Defense Department which, with both military and civilian employees, constitutes more than 73 percent of the federal work force. Next was the Agriculture Department, which with 2.3 percent of the federal staff had the second highest level of travel expenditures – 4.7 percent of the total. The report said about 46 percent of the federal travel dollar is spent for transportation, with 39 cents going for lodging and meals, an 15 cents for miscellaneous support service.” A big part of the travel is required for operational and managerial activities in the farflung government operation. Relocation of employees from one official duty station to another accounted for 15 percent of employee travel. in the spirit of President Reagan’s economy drive within govemment, no opportunity should be missed to cut travel costs. Harper put his finger on possibly the most important single control when he said: “We have to have managers and supervisors to look at the reason for a trip. We must know where people are going and why they are going.” The Reagan Administration should examine the whole travel setup. But until guidelines are clarified, it seems elementary that a department head or other designated authority check and evaluate every travel request in detail and in advance.