The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-11-13

aggregating $253OOO It operates two great clothing
factories, one at Brooklyn and the Charles
ton, 3 C. In another aspect it one of the biggest
purchasing agencies in the country
SO remarkable have been it's achievements in the
twelVemonth that many requests have come to it
recently from business establishments, public and
private, for information its new methods
The spirit behind the change is that of boyish-
looking, wide-eyed, ever-smiling officer, who just
Iorty-nve years old-and he does look it-holds
the rank and draws the pay of a rear admiral he
being paymaster general of the navy and chief of
the bureau Rear Admiral Samuel MCGOWAN he is
10 outsiders Mr. McGowan is the form of address
he insists within the bureau. But in the navy
generally, by all ranks and all grades. he is dubbed
behind his back of course, Sammy MCGOWAN.
In the II months he has been paymaster general
ne has made over his bureau. What is more he has
secured the hearty and enthusiastic support of the
entire force. That, to anyone who knows how any
government organization is welded to precedent is
amazing
Somewhat given to the making of epgrams in his
instructions, oral and written. Admiral MCGOWAN
has uttered two that give hint of the predominant
ing IDEAS behind his reforms Make it bureau with
a small b and navy with a big NJ" one, and
Remember that the stores exist for the feet not
the fleet for the stores
The paymaster general and his bureau of supplies
and accounts have their offices in the great nile
known the state, war and navy building on
Pennsylvania avenue, fanking the White House on
the west. When the building erected some
forty years ago it the largest Office building
in the world Each corridor in it has the appear
of a battalion of barrooms, for each of the
many corridor doors has its middle two-thirds
masked by shutter door The are all inter-
communicating.
The paymaster generals Office is the end one in
a suite of five Across the hall are seven
more rooms. In the navy building, in a street
near by, offices of the bureau.
When Paymaster General MCGOWAN took over the
job he inaugurated at once a cleanup campaign,
Down from the walls came the dusty old pictures.
Bookcases and file went out. Current and
absolutely necessary bureau files went into one
room in a set of steel vertical containers, for
general purposes and in the purchasing end,
across the hail. they likewise reduced.
Private libraries also went out. Upstairs the
navy department maintains splendid naval IL
brary, and this is available for all purposes.
Abolish roll-top DESKS the word. Where
1at-top desks not available the department
carpenters took off the roll tops. Since then
standard Office furniture has been adopted for
the entire bureau.
All intercommunicating doors in the suites
were taken of the hinges. Walls painted
in light colors Then the chief of each room or
division chief required to put his desk in
the middle of the with his force grouped
about him. Now the paymaster general can
stand in his and look down the line and
exactly what is going
But that isn't exactly the point The object
is not to keep eye the people much
it is to convey the idea of unity. The division
chief who sequestered in his own little nest
might be tempted write letter to the chief
next door, doesn't do it under these conditions.
He says, Say. Bill, how about and 500"
goes and discusses it at close range
Stationery in reduced to the fewest
possible simple kinds.
On shelf handy to the paymaster generals
hands is a book IA inches long by Is inches
wide. In it is all the information that once
cupied big fleroom This information pertains
to the present duty and availability for
shore duty. the may be, of all OF the 230
officers making up the pay corps.
The pages of the book faced with trans
parent celluloid. When pay officer is sent on
cruise his and the essential date are in
scribed typewriter slip and inserted at the
bottom of the section devoted to pay officers on
sea duty. Place by place the slip moves up au-
tomaticalIy and in this way may observe
at a glance who is due for shore duty and who
for sea duty as, under the law, for every two
wears of shore duty paw officer must take three
years of duty.
And thus with all records. No effort has been
spared to reduce them all to the simplest and
most graphic form. The messenger force
reorganzed and a squad told OF to act express
messengers. This insures speed in the move
1nent of papers from desk to desk and to the
secretary's Office No paper remains more than
Is minutes awaiting transmission.
One of the very first things Paymaster General