Evening star., 1923-10-24

There Is an enterprise In Washing
ton whose annual overhead expenses
run into billions of dollars. yet In some
respects its efficiency management Is
such as no department store would
tolerate for a week. Its departments
are scattered over the city in rented
buildings--one might almost say In
'lofts"-not flreproof and not planned
for the makeshift uses to which they
are put.
For example, one OF the chief de-
partments, instead of being grouped
In a.set of well planned buildings. or
one huge edifice. Is renting twenty
two buildings erected for all sorts of
purposes except their present uses
In addition to its own buildings. that
department alone Is paying landlords
Slff.71o a year rental
what time Is lost in travel between
fhese twenty-five buildings has nevp~
zen computed. yet the department
itself, has an efficiency EXPERT who
nuhrshed a pamphlet a few weeks ago
'el!ing how many miles In extra steps
housewife takes when her Kitchen
is large. instead of being comnact and
wen arranged Like the housewife
ne nty-tWo-roomed department
Is ranging all over the city and must
be making record as traveller
whatever IL is doing in its legitimate
functions Lucky are its messengers
II they are never lost in the maze.
v X X X
Another department of this strange
business Is practically a great collect
ing agency. II is housed in nine
buildings, far apart. and it's collectors
say the cost of doing business is
about 80 per cent more than II would
be IL they were all together. where
the cashier could consult his assist
ants when his cash does not balance
or a debtor fails to remit
Then there is vast bookkeeping
q 'partment OF course, when book
Keeper handles billions. he becomes
an accountant-Somn ntimes even an
expert accountant" or auditor I'M
aEtne the books scattered in nineteen
hu'idings-rented quarters. How is
even an exnert accountant going to
most daybook into patty ledger. or
strike trial balance when one book
| Is in building on the seventh floor
| and the Other may he in any one OF
the other eighteen buildings. on the
twelfth floor back. or on the uDper
SHeli VI one OF the nineteen pas ment
vaults?
They should all be In one grand
! ekvscraper win all the labor saw
ing convenienc"s. like the farm
kitchen as recommended by the eff
cheney expert referred to.
y X y x
The head of this immense enterprise
so badly housed is Uncle Sam. The
branch scattered over the city In
twenty-five buildings is the Depart
ment of Agriculture The collection
agency in nine buildings Is the bu-
r"au of internal revenue Of the
Treasury Department. The account
ants In nineteen buildings are the
general accoun ants of Uncle Sam.
Our Uncle Sam is so easy-goIng
because OF the inefflciency OF his
housing. All experts tell the same
story. Besides. he Is paying land
lords annually. in rentals s524.690. 600.
/ with nothing co show for that ex-
nenditure but lot of fading rent re-
! ceipts.
| u " X
! The value OF Washington down
town space is increasing with dizzy
ing rapidity. Within a few years.
this will be a city of millionspopu-
! alton, and all property values In
! good locations will multiply. For IL
/ Iustration. note the "unearned lncre
) ment" on a purchase by Uncle Sam.
July IL 1922. He bought the land
i on which are the War Trade build
ings, known as Temporary Nos 5