The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-16

 OFFER CRITICISM Administration Has Poor
 Business Methods OFFICE FURNITURE Critics State Committee Is Penny Wise and Pound Foolish-Depart- ment Heads Conduct Also
 Is Attacked
OFFICE FURNITURE
By SIDNEY EsPEY

Washington, June 15.-(Special.) )-"Penny
 wise and pound foolish" is the character ization given the economical attitude of
 the present administration by some of the leading standpatters at the Capitol, who
 have been advocating more liberal ex-
 pendtures in all governmental work. Not
 only is economy in general assailed, but the manner in which various heads of government departments operates in try Ing to cut down expenses in their re- spectlve departments Is attacked.
 One of the illustrations that has been
 pointed out is the method adopted in let ting government contracts for office fur
 niture recently, by the general supply sup ply committee, an institution with head
 quarters in the treasury department, and which exercises undisputed sway in all government departments in Washington
 This institution, 1t is alleged, has suc- ceeded in the interests of economy" and efficiency" in evolving a set of require
 ments which will result in a refusal of | all the first class office furniture concerns | to bid for contracts for office furniture. 1 This year. the committee has issued | demand for an arbitrary or special line of l 1 distinguished from the standard goods
 used by all the great commercial houses,
 libraries, and like institutions hll over | the country.
 | The reason is to avoid any appearance of l favoring any particular manufacturer As q prominent congressman put it, Tn working out the praiseworthy plan. the gentlemen of the supply committee will , succeed in parting company with all of the manufacturers"
 The peculiarty of the plan lies in the
 fact that although the specifications re-
 tain the standard sizes for drawers, cards. papers, etc, they vary enough in the framework of the filing devices, that
 the units of one manufacturer will nos conflict with those of another manufac-
 turer, or with the hundreds of thousands
 of dollars worth of filing devices already
 owned by the government.
 There is much interest in Congress,
 therefore, as to the effect of thls cam
 paign Hearings have been held by the committee and infuriated manufactur
 CTS have brought out their steam rollers
 in an effort to compel through congress
 sonal influence, the adoption by the com
 mittee of different methods in the letting
 of contracts.
 From testimony brought out during the
 hearings, it developed that manufacturers
 are required to bid only on blanket re-
 quirements. That is to say, while the gov
 ernment specifies the estimated number
 of articles 1t will require, it reserves the right to order any greater or any less l quantity, or none at all. First, 1t was | shown that the manufacturers are asked | to go to the expense of providing special
 work and special machinery upon l special line of devices which may not
 even be purchased One concern making l steel cases, for which bids have been ask Il nFaa for it's standard goods. It has been asked l now to spend almost the same sum for a chance to get some of the government contract work.
 | As the leading file case concerns do
 business of from Sl,000 900 to $5, ,OO0 900 d year each while the total purchases by the government amount to only about
 S60, 900, 1t can readily be seen that the general supply committee has, to say the | least, made a mistake
 To help out the committee, Comptroller
 Tracewell of the treasury department, | made a ruling that the departments are | prohibited from buying anything not | specified in a contract.
 | For example. some bureaus using cards of standard may order these cards when
 ever necessary charging the expense to
 the department. The ruling would prevent
 such practice unless it happened that | those cards were specified in the original
 contract.
 | Applying this ruling to the office furnl- | ture question, an impossible situation might easily arise. Should any depart
 ment or any bureau, desire for any req l son to buy in the open market, some
 standard filing cases to match those 1t
 now has. it could not do so if the pro- posed contract were enforced. The gov | ernment then would be committed to the | purchase of only the freak" goods, and it would be illegal to buy any other furni- | ture to match that now in the offices. l notwithstanding that the new goods are | not standard. and would not coincide | with anything now on hand
 | Tn view of these departures from sound | business administration. it is the intention
 of certain congressnfen to ask that a l change in the methods of letting gov | ernment contracts be made A central | committee of some kind has been urgently | suggested by manufacturers, but the | proposition advanced is that the govern
 ment wants economy, 1t can get it only | by adopting sound business methods |