Evening star., 1922-06-09
Departments Fight Grouping
of Auto Transportation in DC
Proposed 100000 Appropriation for Purpose Includes
100000 for Garage and Repair
Station.

Efforts to have the government au-
tomobile transportation in the Dis
trict of Columbia centralized under
one head and in one garage in WASH
ington, suggested following a study
of the local situation, has met almost
with general disapproval by the
heads of the various departments af-
fected. 1t was proposed to have Con-
gress pass a bill appropriating $780,
900 for this centralization. of which
100000 was to be used as working
fund for the operation of the vehicles.
to be returned proportionately ny
each department for services rem
dered, and S500.000 for the erection OF
a large central garage and repair
station, to house approximately 9oo
freight and passenger automobiles
now G=ed bv the various agencies OF
the government IN the District OF
Columbia
The tentative draft of the bill pro-
vided, in addition to the appropria-
tions, sections authorizing the Presi-
dent to detail an officer of the Engl-
neer Corps OF the Inlt.n Sta.es
Army to direct the opera atlons and
placed the service directly under the
President. This latter provision was
inserted, 1t was pointed out. so that
the transport corps would not be at.
tached to any other department and
to prevent friction which ar!S>. from
the feeling that that department was
favoring itself in furnishing the
vehicles.
500 Autos in Daily Service.
Following a study of the govern
ment automobile transportation In the
District, both passenger and freight.
1t was found that there are 916 We
hicles attached to the various depart
mentS and bureaus, of which about
500 are in daily operation. There are
\ sixty-one makes of cars. housed In
>tv enty-three garages of from 10 to
S2J car capacity cIcn, anu iortS -SlN
makes of cars housed in garages Of
from one to eight capacity. This
costs the government in rentals alone
about $4,000 a year. The average
cost OF maintaining an tutomop;!s
with chauffeur in the District is $l75
q month, or S2.100 year.
1t was found that large number
of the drivers are idle a large part of
the day, and also that one of the
heaviest costs was the operation OF
mail trucks of the various depart
ments in going 10 and tom inc post
office and their respective depart
ments. These trucks, with hgnt
loads, duplicated work, and 1t was
pointed out that fewer trucks could
handle economically all the mail Of
the departments. II was suggested.
however, that tie motor transport OF
the War. Navy. and 20 fuel ya.uS and
Post Office departments was well or
ganzed, but the others were operated
in Il more or less haphazard manner.
100 Cars s2OO,OO0 fenr.
Passenger automobiles in use by
government officials We're found upon
Investigation to be in use only about
25 per cent of the available time. and
that 100 of them cost 100000 4 year
to operate. Under the suggested
plan cars would not be assigned to
any one official, but would be kept at
the central garage and sent out on
call, thus permitting reduction in
the number of cars and chauffeurs.
However, this suggestion for the
elimination of assigned cars. which
await outside the government depart
nnents for use of government officials
formed the basis of the principal OBJ
lection to the proposed plan. Many
of the department officials believed
that it would be good plan to CEN
tralize the motor transport for others.
but they could not see how 1t would
work in their respective departments.