El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-05-11

All Of the departments were cry
ing for more room when admiral Nc
GOwau observed the vacant space
taken mp by the court or hollow
square around which the state. war
and navy building runs He com
Wandered a part Of the court and
within 10 DAYS built frame struC-
ture called Sanda Court 1t is about
so feet square and four stories high
tt was filled as soon as it was COM
pleted. and the demand for more room
was not met
He then went to the other side Of
18th street and built what is now
known as Corcorau Court, so called
because il is on the ground and ad-
Joins the COrcOran Art gallery. This
is an artistic structure Of two stories
with several acres Of floor space. tt
was built within two or three weeks.
and il is one Of the most comfort
able OF the many new office struc-
lures in Washington Like Saada
court. II has long since failed to sup
ply the necessary room for clerks and
at present a large part OF the great
ten acre building in Henry park.
erected for the ordnance department
has been turned over to the navy.
This also is filled with clerks. and
the demands of the future are such
that an entirely new building for the
navy is to be constructed
The money for this has already
been appropriated. and the building
VIII be going ND by the time this let
ter is published. 1t is 70 be situated
in Potomac park within a rifle shot
Of where the state. war and navy
building now stands. Tt is inst be
low the white marble palace Of the
pan American union and under the
shadows Of the Washington monu-
ment and the new Lincoln memorial
tt VIII be by far the largest office
ra-rfnrf~n- srnrr
more ground than the combined areas
Of the national capitol and the II
brary OF CONGRESS. It viii have about
40 acres Of floor space. It is 20 he
Of concrete. and as far as possible
ii viii be fireproof throughout.
New BUILDINGS Are Different.
These new buildings OF the navy are
nothing Ike the old time office struc-
lures OF washington. where rooms
were set apart for one. two or a half
dozen clerks. who pl0dded away as
II we're undiSturbed in what might
almost be termed solitary confine-
ment They were famous places for
EOssiping and for the leisurelv red
tame methods Of transacting business.
The present rooms are all large
Some Of those Of COrcoran court viii
cover at least half an acre and the
hundreds Of clerks work away side
by side at long lines Of desks that
run parallel throughout the room.
The whole room is in view OF the
chief and there is no chance TO pu-
your feet on the table and read the
morning newspaper without attract
ing attention Indeed. there is no
temptation 70 do so. for the bust
ness is so speeded that the man who
lays bids fair TO be run over. and
fhe spirit Of getting things done and
doing II now is contaEiOus.
There are no letter baskets for files
- - .-Ta
The principle IS that everything must
be done as II goes over the table. and
The mall must be answered as It
comes in. throughout the rooms
above each desk is a little sign show
ing Just what business is done there
and il is possible 10 find your way
ami learn things without asking
n Won want TO know about the steel
which the navy is buying. YOU 20
TO the deDa rtment marked with that
sign and II YOU are interested in
FOOD. clothing munitions or anv Of
the thousand and one other articles
which make M the supply il is no
trouble to find Just where such mat
GERS are handled There are 1000
firms on the mailing list. and %. 600
bids were received for various ar
ticles last wear
New System Is a Wonder.
The Old system OF copying letters
in a book his long since been thrown
away The new navy has the most
modern filing system and moreover
much Of its filing IS done by machiu-
cry In Corcoran court there are tab
ulating and accounting machines,
each OF which takes the place Of a
score or more clerks Some Of the
machines, in the words Of rear ad-
miral MCGOWAN. can do everything
except sing q song or chew tobacco.
All that you have to do in record
Ia ha 90 h-~
ship is 70 press a button or so like
those Of an adding machine and a
card viii be punched representing by
soles the complicated figures OF each
item or special conditions These
punched cards form the code words
as it were. OF the record which when
run through other machines are au-
tomatically sorted into months and
the other classification necessary to
make a complete record for the book
keeping. After the cards are sorted
they 90 through other tabulating ma