The Washington herald., 1921-03-31
TOUlUTE SHIPPING
BOARD OFFICES
EFFICIENCY STEP
Benson Order Is Second
Big Move in Federal
Retrenchment.

The second important step in con-
solidating government bureaus and
divisions to do away with overlap
ming and ineficiency. will he taken
about May 1. when the scattered
off,cials of the United States Ship
ping Board are placed under one
roof by their removal to the new
Navy Building at Seventeenth and
B streets, northwest.
This was announced yesterday by
| Admiral Benson. chairman of the
Shipping Board. who said about $780,
900 in rents would be saved to the
United States Treasury, besides va
rious smaller economies.
Bcundary Beard Feels Az.
The first step in this direction
since the beginning Of the new Id
ministration. was the removal Of the
International Boundary Commission
from Fifteenth street and New York
avenue to the buildings occupied by
the United States Coast and Geodesic
survey on Capitol Hin just west Of
the House once Building and the
abolishnent OF the commissioner
ship OF the boundary commission.
announced in The Washington
Herald q week ago.
Col. Lester Jones. director OF the
Geodetic Survey. who will have
charGe Of the Boundary Commission,
said yesterday the changes have
been completed aid the commission
Is now snugly ensconsed under the
roof Of the Survey from which II
trigfnally sprung. Besides the
IS, 900 salary Of the commissioner
and about 5000 rent, numerous
smaller economies will result from
the changes. particularly in printing
and map-making.
Means More E0ciency.
Admiral Benson said the removal
Of the Shipping Board Offices DID no;
signalixe any consolidation of the
board with. any ether department.
but merely the bringing Of the va
rious ofiices into close contact SO
that a higher degrce Of efhcieat op-
Grafton and a saving In rent mag be
obtained. The Offices at present are
in two buildings at Fourteenth and
+ streets and another at Sixth and
B streets northwest.
BY the time the new Congress
Conyenes, the committees OF the
Senate and House which have been
working on reorgs nization. reclassi-
fication and budget plans, Will be
ready to report progress on leSisIa-
tion looking to strides In govern
ment efficiency.
Hundreds of millions of dollars
will be saved when the new systems
are In force and the government
machinery is on a business basis,
it is said.
Mediation Board May Go.
Rumors that the United States
Railway Wage Board. with head
quarters in Chicago, would be
abolished have given rise TO much
current speculation as to what
would become Of the United states
Board of Mediation and Concilia-
ton, of which Judge William l.
Chambers is the head, in that event
Judge Chambers said the laws
which created the various boards
should be revised, but his position
prevented him from expressing any
opinions. In the Department OF
Labor there is a Bureau OF Con-
ciliation which takes care of strike
troubles in a way very similar to
that of the Wage Board. while the
Wage Board is similar TO the Board
of Cancellation, the difference being
that the Board Of Cancellation con-
fined itself strictly to transporta-
ton problems and concerns itself
only with keeping trains moving
when strike troubles arise. The
Wage Board confines its work to
railroad troubles in general, while
the Cancellation Bureau Of the
Labor Department functions in
mediating strikes OF all trades.
I Wage Board Cost. q. s. S4o0. 700.
The Wage Board costs the gov
ernment some $500. 900 a year. while
the expenses of the Board Of Medi-
alton and Cancellation, of which
Judge Chambers is the head, costs
s35. 900 a year and the bureau which
is an adjunct of the Labor Depart
ment costs even less than this
amount.
Judge Chambers has paid trib-
ute to the work of the lesser bu-
reau and called attention to the re-
port of his board which showed the
settlement of some serious strikes.
That one and possibly two of the
mediation units will be done away