Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1918-07-18
ganization. Growth has been entirely
from within out.
Can See Bids Opened.


from within out.
Can See Bids Opened.
In Sanda court, the bureaus tenn
porary structure in the central court Of
the state, war and navy building, a
room is provided which can be entered
by anyone without pass, question, or
formality. There is an open door, en-
tered from the street, giving access to
a room called THE Public's Room"
and there any person interested in Of
fering a bid on navy supplies or wish
ing to see that bids are opened fairly
can go and watch all transactions.
Employees engaged in opening the
thousands Of bids received daily work
in open view of any person who wants
to enter this room. AS fast as bids
are opened the amounts of each item
are posted In books and placed upon
counters, where anyone may examine
them, learning all the facts about the
prices bid by competitors.
Admiral McGowan's views on pub
licity for government purchases are
very pronounced.
"In handling other peoples money
things must not only be right" he
says, "but they must look right" And
the best way of having them look right
in his belief, is to let the public super
wise operations to the utmost extent.
Only in war has the navy found it
necessary to keep any information
about Its purchases confidential, and
even in war secrecy is necessary for
but very small fraction of the pur-
chasing, where knowledge Of details
might afford assistance to the enemy.
Centralized purchasing with we'll
planned organization has made it pos
sible for the navy to increase its turn
over many thousand per cent, not mere
ly without congestion or other diff
culties, but with actual increase In
incomes and efficiency. AS purchases
have grown larger and more numerous
they have been handled with greater
speed and at lower cost.
Quality Safegyarded.
And with growth and magnitude
there has been every care to safeguard
the quality of supplies purchased for
the navy. When we entered the war
confusion existed in commodity mar
kets, and there was apparent short
age of wool and other supplies. 1t was
believed for a time that navy specifi-
cations.would have to be revised, with
q lowering of quality. But the bureau
of supplies and accounts took deter
mined stand on that point. Very often,
in view of assumed conditions, 1T look
ed like a stiff-necked stand against
reasonableness. Despite widespread
belief among textile men that navy
uniforms would have to be made partly
of shoddy, if the enormous require
ments were to be promptly met, the
bureau refused to consider any lover
ing Of its standards for uniform cloth,
and, through the department of agri-
culture, secured actual figures regard
| ing the available wool stock in this
country at that time. This survey not
only proved that there was ample wool
in the country for military purposes,
but checked wildly rising market.
The same stand has been taken on
food for our sailors, coal for battle
ships, and practically every article re-
quired by the navy.
1.-THE best that is humanity possible"
says Admiral MCGOWAN, lis none too
good for the men at the front, wheth-
er they be in the army or navy. I
hold myself personally accountable to
every father, and every mother, and
every wife, and every sweetheart, that
the men 1 have any supervision and
care over are as well clothed and as
we'll fed as it is possible for them to
be. I acknowledge that as a personal
responsibility resting on me. I freely
acknowledge it; excuses are not re-
ceivable, and alibis are not accepted.
What we want for the navy is the
best!'