South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-04-28

The congressional investigating committee
shed aafternoon quiz of the paymaster general Of
the and members of his staff AS the officers
to go. the chairman asked dryly
Admiral MCGOWAN have you stolen anything
And the reply was rather characteristic of navy
efficiency:
Not yet sir"
Amid all the expansion Of government activities due
war, with far-reachns changes in methods of
Quoting business denominations increase personnel
and addition of wholly new departments one big bus
mess agency the government has changed ALL
except in magnitude. That agency is the bureau
supplies and accounts of the navy which purchases
practically everything required by the navy
plate, and shells Ii feeds and clothes the
navy, buys its steel, metals. lumber, textiles and
chemicals, provides transportation for the navy's
plies Goals its ships and pays its ofcers and 1nen
During the past year this bureau has been greatly
from civil life and clerical workers but its orsanza
ton and methods have fully all tests of and
have required practically no change.
WHAT FIGURES SHOW.
Any business concern able to increase in
of $500 per cent in l. months without radical
changes methods would be. admittedly, a pretty
organization. The navy has stood that in
its purchasing department. as the following figures
will show:
For the year ending six days before we entered the
April l, 1917, it expended s19OO0OOO; durins
the year war ending roughly April /. 1918 the
volume of business aggregated $5OO,OOOOOO.
million dollars worth of provisions fed the navy
year peace. while $40 600 900
required during the first year Of war.
Five million dollars worth of coal suffced during
needed in the first year of
Twenty-eight people attended to all the peace-time
requirements of the navy in this department while
today there $50 workers and by this time next
year there Will be 400.
on April 1917. the bureau of supplies and accounts
transacted its business comfortably in $500 square
feet of floor space in the War, state and Navy build
ing Washington today has $1,000 square feet or
space secured chefe through the throwing up
quickly built emergency structures.
The erection of of these spectacular. Ground
for Ct loaned by the Corcoran gallery
WASHINGTON
Der. and the uniformed yeomen and yeOwOmen the
bureau entered for work Il days later finding a
Portable office building 200 people, warm light
roomy. Before the end of this year the bureau will
than 100000 square feet floor space anq
provide for further expansion after that
After thorough investigation. congress recently de-
clared this great business Office OF the navy Dc
notable efficiency well of the biggest
business enterprises in the United states
BUREAU ABHORS SECRECY.
any particular that viii explain this
efficiency?
The bureau of supplies and accounts abhors secrecy
All its dealings studejy open and above-board
There 'secrets"-but there are reasons-two OF
The is found excellent business
stem, and the second in excellent business
Admiral MCGOWAN. who first became identified with the
navy's purchasing affairs years ago.
his ability purchasing officer for the Amer
fleet when il round the world 500.
The chief point Of merit in the purchasing
system Capitalization. All supply activities
administered from Washington. matter how widely
American fleet may be scattered the world
ships proVisioned the Indies. sailors are
provided with winter clothing for destroyer
submarine around the British isles
dispatched ships the Philippines nltrares
brought from Chile. clothin< is manufactured in