The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1918-03-27
SAM McGOWAN'S BUREAU
GREAT BUSINESS OFFICE

tionwide Reputation for Business
Efficiency.
How the Bureau of Supplies and Ac-
counts at Washington, under Rear Ad-
miral Sumel MCGOWAN, has risen to
the war emergency and made the navy
the marvel Of the country, is indicated
In the report to congress OF the sub
committee Of the committee on naval
affairs which recently made thor
ough investigation of the navy depart
ment. High praise is meted out to
Admiral McGowan for the high state of
efficiency in which his department was
found. Friends Of the "Old Tar" here
Will be interested in reading this re-
port which was as follows:
rho Bureau of Supplies and Ac-
counts is the navy's great business Of
flee. and incidentally it is one of the
biggest enterprises in the United
states. Under its chief, Real Admiral
Samuel MCGOWAN, it has established
and well deserves a nationwide repu-
tation for business efficiency.
1T has the responsibility Of feeding,
clothing, and paying the entire per-
Sonncl OF the navy, and supplying all
vessels of the navy with stores and
equipment for efficient operation
When war came. it found the bureau
with Il pcacc-time organization Of 12S
officers and civilians. That personnel,
however, had been so constantly in
doctrinatcd with tho PaymaSter Gen
erals policy of doing everything with
view Of preparing for any eventual
ity, that ii needed only augmentation
to handle smoothly the vast increase
in its daily business details. The per-
Sonncl increased to moro than 700,
but the system remained unchanged,
and the result was that 100000 men
and 1,100 ships were just as promptly
and well provided for as $4,000 men
and 300 ships had been before the war.
nc Of the most important prob
lens the bureau had to solve was the
placing Of contracts and securing de-
livery Of large stocks OF winter cloth
ing for a navy that by winter had in
creased many times its original size
This could not be accomplished by
merely placing the contracts and then
waiting delivery. The requirements
for the army and our allies had made
such a demand on the mills and on the
manufacturers that all contracts had
to be placed with the greatest care and
under varying conditions to meet the
navy's immediate needs. The Pay
master General sent number Of COM
missioned officers :" the mills and fac
tories TO talk Ia II mployccs and en-
courage them to Increase production
to the limit. These efforts were so
successful that all nc. ..noat and at
the training camps and stations were.
before cold weather came. provided
ing, including ovcrcOats, heavy blan-
kctS etc. The deck force Of the de-
Stroycrs. battlcships, and other yes
scls were furnished with special arti-
clcS Of winter clothing, wind and rain
proof suits, heavy WOODEN socks, boots,
etc, and thus wcll prepared to endure
wind and weather.
Tho daily stocks Of raw materials
wore rapidly increased ana storchous-
cs were erected at certain cast coast
yards TO meet the enlarged demands
for fitting out the greatly augmented
fleet BY wise foresight. the bureau
mot immediate needs promptly, and in
addition. provided n reserve supply OF
tho more important articles Of raw ma
tCrials such as tin. copper. steel, etc.
The bureau, we find, has preserved its
well established open door policy
with respect to purchases Of every
kind for the navy establishment Some
idea Of the magnitude Of the increase
in the Navy'S purchases since the war
may nc gained from the fact that the
total expenditure for an entire year
in the comparatively recent past did
not exceed nineteen millions, whereas
expenditures arc now being at the rate
OF thirty millions q day.
The fact that the navy has been
able to secure prompt deliveries al
most without exception under its CON
tracts is due in a large measure to its
elimination from the bidding list OF
all failing to comply With tho follow
ing rCMnirnmnul OF nrlicln 2I2 of Tho