The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-05-12

finding out how business is done. The bureau of supplies and accounts, which has to do with feeding and clothing the navy With the purchase of all it's mate riats and the paying of all the bills, is under Rear Admiral Samuel McGowan. Who had held his position several years before the war began, and had put the department on war basis. Secretary Daniels does not believe in one system Tor peace and another for war. and Rear Admiral McGowan says that a peace time navy is like policeman without a club. For this reason the navy has been on war basis ever since Sec retary Daniels took charge. It has been run on the motif of. John c. Calhun, when he was Secretary of War in the cabinet of President Monroe. Mr. Cal noun said that his business was ITO get ready, and stay ready all the time, voicing the same spirit as that of the young officer in comand of our first flo- tilla of destroyers sent abroad last year. Upon the arrival of the ships in Eng land the English admiral asked eiris officer when his ships would be ready to start fighting the submarines. He replied, We are ready now.''
 This spirit was in evidence as I went through room after room of the naval section in the big building of the state, war and navy departments. Business was going on everywhere, and that with out the red tape so often complained Of as to other departments since our war with the Germans began. In fact, the management of the navy business is more like that of modern manufacturing in stitution than the old style government plant. The rooms of the naval branch of the state war and navy building have been thrown together and in order to give more rapid access from one to an- other, the doors have been taken of their hinges, so that one can scan a long series of rooms at one glance.
 The business of the bureau of supplies requires six times as many employees as it did 10 months ago, and new build ings have had to be erected to accom- modate the overflow The first of these was put up within a few weeks after the war began. All of the departments were crying for more room when Admiral McGowan observed the vacant space taken up by the court or hollow square around which the state, war and navy building runs. He communicated a part of the court and within F days built a frame structure called Sande court It is about 60 feet square and four stories high. It was filled as soon as it was completed, and the demand for more room was not met.
 He then went to the other side of Seventeenth street and built what is now known IS Corcoran court. so called because it 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 It was built within two or three weeks, and it is one of the most comfortable of the many new office structures in Washington. Like Sanda court it has :ong since failed to supply the neces- sary room for clerks and at present a large part of the great 10-acre build ing 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 con- structed. The money for this has al- ready been appropriated, and the building will be going up by the time this letter is published. II is to te situated in Potomac park within rifle shot of where the state. war and