New-York tribune., 1920-02-16
Campaign On
For u. S. Board
OfPublicW
Creation of Department to
Take Charge of Tasks
Now Widely Scattered
Urged by Business Men
Waste in Present Method
Adolph Lewisohn Heads
Committee Which Begins
Its Activities Tomorrow

Adolph Lewisohn. capitalist and
philanthropist, will head a movement
of New York engineers. business mer
and civic leaders to aid nationwide
campaign whose announced purpose is
= the transformation of the Department
OF the Interior by the creation of q
national department of public works
A New York committee is now form
Ing to work with other committees
in every state in the union.
f. Mr. Lewisohn has accepted the chair
manship of the committee. it was an
nounccd last night at the headquarters
eof the organization at G1 Broadway
The vice chairman is J. Parke Chan
ming, vice-president Of the Miami Cop
per Company. and leading figure in
the American copper industry. Mr.
: Charming is chairman of the engineer
ing council, which embraces the men,
bership of the American Society O.
of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers
American Institute of Electrical Engi-
neers, American Society of Mechanical
Engineers, United Engineering Socie-
ties and American Society of Testing
Materials.
Many Lines To Be Interested
Mr.. Claiming said last night that
the work of organizing a New York
committee was proceeding and that
the response from every quarter was
gratifying. The personnel, he said,
would be announced in a few days and
would embrace q large number of men
representative of many phases of COM
merce, industry and the professions
Professor James T. Grady. Of Colum bia
University, has been named secretary
of the committee. Francis Blossom, o.
Sandcrson & Porter, and chairman o.
the War Department board of review
of construction, Is among those who
are actively cooperating with Mr.
Lewisohn and Mr.. Charming in the
organization Of the New York COM
mittee.
Mr.. Charming stated that ia ma
tional. state and local societies. having
an aggregate membership of more thar
100000 engineers, architects, con-
structors, manufacturers chemists,
geologists, economists and business
men, were behind the movement. The
National Public Works Department
Association, league composed of
these societies, has been founded -
press the campaign in every section
of the country.
The first public demonstration by
the New York committee will be mass
meeting Of engineering societies on
Thursday night at $3.50 o'clock in the
auditorium Of the Engineering Societies
Binding. % West Thirty-ninth Street.
The call, sent out yesterday by S. N.
Castle of the General Electric Company,
is an appeal to the engineer to respond
to the demand for the highest civic
leadership.
An address outlining the purposes OF
the movement will be delivered by
Marshall O. leighton, of Washington,
chairman of the National Public Works
Department Association. Charles Whit
ing Baker will preside. An imposing
gathering of scientific men is expected
to be present, as the meeting follows
q gathering earlier in the day of Enei-
neering Council, az we'll as the annual
convention sessions of the American
Institute Of Mining and Mettallurgical
Engineers, and American Institute of
Electrical Engineers.
Among the New York men who are
sharing in the organization of the New
York committee are Colonel w. A.
Starrett, 175 Fifth Avenue; F. L. Gran
ford, Brooklyn, who is president of the
General Contractors Association; D.
W. Webster, 80 East Forty second
Street; Otto M. Eidltz, 1877 Fifth Ave-
nue.; Colonel Evan Shelby, SO Wall
Street, and Burt L. Fenner, 1O1 Park
Avenue.