The Owosso times., 1922-07-21

...v puv,,r cummings COMMISSION is
out to save the government money, and
II points proudly to the fact that Its
economy begins at home. 1t has no
crew of stenographers, clerks and mes
sengers Three years ago when Ii
started Ii was given an initial apprO-
priatlon of $4,000 by congress, and it
still has $1,000 to its credit in the
hank.
In three years 1t has saved the gov
ernment more than half million dol
lars in rents by moving bureaus out
of rented buildings into government
owned offices. Thus the commission
notes that the Veterans bureau per-
sonnel is shrinking daily and 1t finds
that there Is room In the war risk
building for the entire force Of the
alien property custodian. This official
and his staff have been occupying
six-story apartment house at a cost to
the government of $4,000 year rent.
The commission arranged with the bu.
reau to move and credits itself with
saving the country $4,000.
Lavish Building at an End.
Unless there is a sharp reaction from
the present tendency toward efficiency
and economy there will be no more
elaborate monumental effects in de-
partment buildings. Sixteenfoot CELL
ings, fireplaceS, thick walls and labOri-
ousy-carved room decorations such as
are seen about the state, war and navy
building, and other early government
editices, are cOnspicuOusly absent
from recent government construction.
An example of the old-style ponder
BUSINESS which characterized the first
federal buildings is found in the gran
lite pillars Oh the treasury facades.
These huge pillars were quarried in
Maine and shipped to Washington on
sailing vessels. 1t took lS oxen and
eight horses to carry each of them to
the building. Time was no obstacle In
those days. Seventeen years were
spent In constructing the state, war
and navy building. The new navy and
munitions buildings were run up in
five and half months.
The state, war and navy building
cost S10,W0,OOO at time when labor
was cheap. The new buildings aver
age about $3,0OO,OOO. They have Ionic
and DOric. columns and they are shin
ingly white, but they are distinctly
busineSslike in appearance. They |
suggest, rather than initiate. Athens
and old Europe.
Post Office to Be Palmer.
1t is probable that the day of the |
beautiful, be-columned marble post Of
fee is past Since 1913 there has been |
no public buildings bill to provide mt |
one time several hundred post office |
buildings for the country. These bills |
had very little to do with economy. 1t |
was not uncommon for town of a |
few thousand souls which was repre- |
sented by live congressman, to win |
$4,000 post Office Each congressman
voted for the appropriation bill be-
cause it contained some item in which
he was interested and to disapprOve
of any clause was to ditch the whole
measure.
Congress was criticised for this sort
of pork legislation. The most success
full post Office getters retOrted that a
federal building Of beauty and dignity
was an inspiration to the citizens Of
a town, and that from that point of
view 1t was a worthwhile investment
The European war put stop to such
argument and to the marble-front post
Offices
A few post offices are still being con-
from the provisions of the
1913 bill, but no construction work for
the government Is being done in Wash
lnStOn. Nor is there much prospect
Of any new government buildings for
a year or more. The important ar
chives building waits only for the word
Of congress.
Two recent fires in the treasury
have shown that the old buildings are
not invulnerable, and that documents
Of great value stored in them are far
from safe. But economy is rampant
and it will doubtless be many months
before congress can be persuaded to
spend money for building program,
even TO insure the safety OF the ma
.ional records.