Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-31
House Committee, in Report,
Charges '1ProfIigate Ex-
penditures" by Body.

as hotels as long as they are needed
| and are self-supporting, then they
or removed.
Among the specific cases Of increases
in salary since the signing of the
| armistice the Langley report gives one
illustration Of a man who was IN
creased from $4,000 to $3.50 and who
says, for which $4,000 is usually con-
sidered a good salary"
Findings in Report.
Mr.. Langley's report, in part fol-
'aThe legislation which this bill
seeks to repeal was reported out by
| this committee and passed by Con-
gress purely and simply as an emer-
| igencies of the war. It was abso-
| lutely necessary at that time that the
government should not only raise
great armies and fleets, but 1t was
/. just as imperatively necessary that
mammoth stores Of arms and NUM-
tions should be provided: that mate
rails for the construction Of ships.
railroads, bridges, etc, should be man.
ufactured; that immense quantities OF
+; clothing should be made. and that
/ great stores of food should be collect
| ed; and to do these and many other
| only became the duty of the govern
ment to employ millions Of workers,
but as private capital could not or
would not do so. it became the duty
| of the government to embark in the
business Of building and furnishing
| houses near these great industrial
plants and manufacturing establish
ments in which these very necessary
workers and their families might live.
Intended to Be Temporary.
ut was also imperatively neces-
sary that the legislation should be
speedily enacted. 1t was never m
| tended by the committee on pubic
buildings and grounds, nor SO far as
this committee is aware. by any mem
| that the said legislation should be
other than temporary. Nothing could
have justified Congress in entering
upon such an undertaking except the
existence Of the worldwide war. and
then only when 1t became evident
that private capital had failed to
meet the emergency. In the framing
and enacting Of the legislation It
| was the intention and expectation OF
| this committee that as all OF the con-
struction to be undertaken by the
| government was to be by contract. q
very small organisation to let and
| supervise the proper execution OF
contracts would be all that would
| be needed, but Immediately the leg
islation became effective an organf-
ration was very soon created sufiici-
| emit, in numbers at least, to have con-
Quoted the affairs Of one of the great
departments of the government.
college professors and alleged ex-
perts In various lines were called
in and placed on the pay roll at large
4 salaries and designated as town
! planners town managers, etc. ad
/ nauseam and ad absurdum. This COM
mittee is sure that no private build
lasted any length Of time with 30
1 top-heavy an organisation a. was
4 created for the management OF this
1 government. outfit with the attendant
colossal overhead charges.
Senate Sought to Stop Work.
some time after the signing Of the
larmistfce the Senate passed joint
resolution which in substance provid-
ed for the immediate cessation of all
work under the housing act and for
the salvage Of a1l property which had
been acquired When this Senate joint
resolution came to the House and was
referred to this committee very thor
ough investigation was made and the
committee concluded that 1t would be
/ for the best interest Of the govern
iment to complete twenty-five OF the
existing projects and sell them In
their completed state. believing that
way OF salvage by pursuing this
course. The United States bureau OF
housing and transportation, which
was the agency created under the
housing act to carry out its purposes,
knowing from the action Of the Sem
that 1t was the desire OF Congress that
said bureau should cease to function
at the very earliest possible day; that
their force should Immediately be re-
duced to the minimum and that no
new work should be engaged in, took
no steps to make any substantial re-
duction of force, engaged in new con-
struction work, increased salaries and
did other things indicating that these
bureau officials considered themselves
as a permanent governmental institu-
ton.
one-Half Of Employees Here.
"on the 1st day of April, 1918.
| nearly Ave months after the signing
Of the armistice. this bureau had more
| than 800 persons on it's pay roll, about
one-half of whom were at the WASH
ington office, and the remaining one
| half were scattered over the country
| ION the 18th day OF June, 1919, more
than seven months after the armis-
| tice was signed. this bureau still had
34I persons on its pay roll, 228 Of
| whom were at the Washington Of
! Zee, and 103 were in the field.
I with this immense force In the
! Washington Office the bureau has q
! large part of one Of the most mag
inificent buildings In Washington rent
/ ed for it's use at more than $4,000
! per annum.
! This bureau has COMMITTEES of It's
! own officials whose duty it Is to reg
ulate salaries, and 1t appears that the
chief regulation in which they have
engaged has been the raising OF sala-
! ries. Since the armistice many sala-
ries have been raised, and here are
some Of them: 500
] carl v. Badger, from $4,000 to
1 $500; H. D.. Belcher, from $500 to
/ $4,000; C. Birdseye, from $4,000 to
! $500; C. n. Brewster. from 5000
I to $500: F. A. Brown, from 81 500 to
/ $2,400; E. r. Burn. from $1,920 to
| $500: e. F; Chase. from $500 to
| $4,000; william Dali. from $500 to
$4,000; w. w. DibreH. from $500 to
| $4,000: N. A. Dyer, from 1900 to
$1,000; w. Howe. from $4,000 to
! $1,000; e. e. Jacobson. from $4,000 to
/ $500; Miss n. James, from $500 to
| $500; w. c.. Lewis. from $4,000
to $4,000; I. e. Macomber, from $4,000
to $4,000; L Moses. from 5000 to
81, 000; C. r.. Parker, from $500 to
$4,000; E. Y. Parker. from $4,000 to