The Washington times., 1910-02-13
Secretary MacVeagh TO Re-
model Structure With Per
SOnal Comfort in View.
DEPARTMENT HEADS
TO HAVE ELEVATORS
Private Baths for Higher Officials
Are Among Unique Improve
ments Planned.

Persons familiar with the interior Of
the present Treasury building viii hard
y recognize ii a year hence. II the plans
contemplated by Secretary AIacEeach
are carried out These improvements
necessarily VII not ne carried out uu-
der q year because they are extensive
including features especially intended for
personal comfort, and VII require a
special appropriation of cousidcrs BILE
proportions which must first Doe OBJ
tained from Congress.
Two features of this Improvements pro
gram VIII make the Treasury unique
among the Federal departments They
are private elevators for the Secretary
and private bathrooms for inc assistant
secretaries. probably four in alI Their
proposed Introduction already has Gre
ared more than ordinary interest among
The employees OF the department because.
- the past. the successive secretaries
have made 10 plain that the buiIdin- was
intended for workshop. without refer
eHCe To the personal comfort OF its
heads
Improvements Needed
Ever since Secretary MacEeazh a~-
sGmed the reins of rhe Treasury ne has
looked with unfeicned disgust on Ger
Accustomed 10 up-to-date and well
furnished business Offices in Chicago il
occurred TO him that similar conditions
should surround himself and his imuc-
date assistants ID, Washington The fact
Jnat the Secretary had Eet out Ia &C
ComDIisn certain economic reforms wIth
reference 90 the. clerical force did not
weigh against the necessity iu his 5udS-
meut. OF undertaking. Improvements
which would put the department more
in harmony with his ideas
fIe was encouraged in this rv Assis-
tant Secretary Nortc7s and Supervising
Architect James E>nox Taylor when
hc sought their opinion and advice. Tn
1Ir- Tayior's case, iL was given with
aIacrJy because he had already ILL.,
stalled a private bathroom IN couuCc-
ton with the improvements of the new
portion of the Treasury building into
V hich the supervising architect has .e-
Gently moved
hccordlnEIy. Secretary 1IacVea-h-
Nr- Norton, and Supervising ArrhiteCl
Taylor evolved a plan or improve
mcurs- In connection with the pro-
posed change "a Chicago architect rrE
nigh reputation was called ON TO az
wise as TO the interior effects Il IS
understood that he VIII shortly submit
2 detailed plan, which the Secretary
VIII forward 90 Congress when Eg IS
ready To- ask FOR the appropriation noe
CsSaTv &C carry nHr .liS plans THE
sum viii he about $1,000. f. is tHovS-t.
Offices Remodeled-
MeauwhfIe there is a hustle Of lr1-
proveueuts going ON in several SEQ
tons of the Treasury building The
second floor or the south wins. which
Is occupied by the offices or Secretary
lTacEeaEh and mis- three assistants.
AIeSsTs. Norton Curtis, and Hills, is
beinE remodeIed a private elevator
- being installed al the west end ur
the south wins and the offices stretched
along this corridor are being made
less accessible 10 the public
when these Improvements are GE-
fSred the private offices OF the three
assistant secretaries viii all have ante
rooms where the secretaries 10 the PR
vare secretaries may greet callers All
the rooms viii be reDaiuteI and re-
decorated When the transformation is
complete visitors Wl4 md new and
rp-to-date furniture and artistic rss---
Several o. the offices already have
been fitted with new mahogany desks
o. the Secretary +hat this kind of floor
covering although more expensive AT
the outset VIII OUtidSJ several carpets
and make for economy in the end
More Money Needed
These incidental Office improvemar-=
began NOT long after secretary Ma
EesCH took charge. and are IN line
with his general -houSecleanin-- plans
At of the S1SgO1 carried in last years
urgent deficiency bin for general eN-
rcnses has been spent in making these
improvements and the Secretary has
asked for like sum in the ur-eu,
deficiency b5I whiCu is now En- con-
ference
g Is further understood that when
The SeCretsTr'S scheme of larger ina
proEemcuJ Is carried ont several OF the
offices VIII no transferred TO uITn-
parts OF the nuilainE- Iu at least on
Instance a whole division. the issue
division probably viii he moved I'D
another building