Evening star., 1924-01-28
URGE DEPARTMENT
OF PUBLIC WORKS
Engineers Believe Activities
Should Be Placed Under
One Head.
ARCHITECTS FAVOR PLAN
Present Spreading of Work Over
Several Groups Opposed
by Institute.

Engineers spoke for the creation of
h department of public works at to-
days session of the hearings being
held by the joint congressional COM
mittee on reorganization of the gov
. ernment departments in the Senate
Office building.
Brig. Gen. r. c. Marshall, jr., for
mer head of the construction depart
nent of the Army; Col. John H. Fin
ney of the Federated American Engi-
neering Societies, and Col. Lincoln
Bush of the American Society Of Civil
Engineers argued for the creation of
such a department
Declaring that the postwar period
has shown the value of construction
10 the economic life of the country,
preventing depression, Gen. Marshall
said that the transfer of the non
military engineering work of the
war Department to the proposed
civilian department would make for
cooperation, avoiding of duplication.
economy and efficiency.
Urges Merging of Groups.
He declared that such reorganiza-
ton would tend to place the en-
phasis upon the broad aspects of en-
gineerlng, from L national stand
point, and would provide for means to
hoOSGiS lIc" lLSlllOuS ali dIOHe lnG INT
Gen. Marshall, who is no longer in
the service, said that, in his opinion,
the Army today is not sufficiently
large for adequate defense. He
agreed that under any such depart
Inent of public works as he proposed
the Army engineers could be utilized
AS at present, being assigned to the
department.
The speaker inStanced the coast and
geodetic survey, the hydrogra phic Of
fica q 1lL a
services which might be economically
combined. Il can't believe that they
would take as large a force as at
present if all three were. combined"
he said.
Col. Bush told the committee that
the government departments had
been formed for certain major pur-
poses. but now had under them
widely varying services. The Treas
ury Department, he said, was or
ganized to look after the finances of
the country, but today finds itself
with the office of the supervising ar
chitect. He gave other instances
along the same lines, and said that
department of public works"
would allow the government to
handle its public works along the
economical lines used in large private
industries.
Want Work Department.
L. c. Kemper, executive secretary
Of the American Institute of Archi-
tects, said his organization wants a
department of public works. but If
that does not eventuate, would like
10 have the architectural work of
the government allocated to some
one department. and architecture made
one of the main divisions.
The committee will meet at $3.50
hm. tomorrow.
Secretary Weeks has recommended
that the duty of building roads in
Alaska, now conducted by Army en-
gineerS under the War Department.,
he transferred to the jurisdiction of
the Department of Agriculture. In
case pending plans for the reorgani-
zation of the executive departments
are put into effect. Mai. John G. Got
walls, Corps of Engineers. who is sta
toned at Juneau in connection with
government operations in Alaska. is
now in this city to supply informa-
tion on the subject.