Evening star., 1925-09-16
HOW UNCLE SAM SAVES
BY WILLIAM P. HELM, JR.

where new sewing, pressing and iron
ing machines were installed to such
economy that "62 employees have been
dropped" Readjustment In the station
cry department also dispensed with
the services of one clerk.
At one navy yard it was found that
the cost Of making wooden deck chests
Is inches high was s44, whereas by
reducing the height to 14S inches the
chests could be made for SIS. The
chests naturally were lowered.
By bearing down hard on all pur-
chases and applying up-to-date busi-
ness methods to its administration,
the naval bureau OF supplies and ac-
C. ,nts was enabled to return to the
easury total of $4,000, 900 from its
= = ;'ropriation during the year.
At Puget Sound, Wash, naval de-
signers allowed bidders TO modify
slightly certain details and specifica-
tions of the contract for constructing
pier to cost about SI,100, 700. This
In itself was new thing, as most
contractors will testify, for Army and
Navy engineers generally have stuck
obstinately by their own plans, re-
gardless of cost, in the past.
In this case. however, the modifica-
| tions saved the Government about
100000.
passenger automobiles during the
year from 243 to 224 and its trucks
from 1872 to 1,34S. The Bureau OF
Yards and Docks also rearranged it's
classified field service SO that A clerks
| were no longer needed.
Air Service Economics.
Among the many pages of listed
savings one notes that the Naval Air
Service. now the subject of much
discussion, 'by strenuous efforts has
maintained its civilian personnel. both
in the bureau and in the field, at
such numbers that an appreciable
balance Will remain unexpended."
Also. that "by arbitrarily reducing
allotment at certain stations and by
postponing public works projects "a
far as possible. the bureau has been
able to accomplish much additional
flying, with but small increase in
funds
Further, one reads:
THE Bureau (of Aeronautics) has
continued its policy of utilizing sur
plus material TO the maximum pos
sible extent. During the year 1t
placed in operation a number of H-l6
and F-5-L flying boats. Although
these were lacking in many important
military characteristics, this action
avoided the purchasing of new ma
terial."
In such a wealth of citations indi-
vidual instances of savings are hard
to select. OF interest, however, are
the savings recited by the Navy's
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.
Among these one finds the following:
Due to rapid strides in the devel-
opment of new and more efficient rem
AIi Haf- nF Ir.t va duo I
ly becoming obsolete. The planning
section has analyZed some 500 items
! used in common by 3S shore stations
with a view to reducing stock which
is gradually falling into disuse. As
result of this analysis such drugs
will not be carried in stock at supply
depots and in hospital storerooms
but, in view of the small quantity
| used, will be purchased locally as
needed, obviating the pyramiding OF
stocks that soon become useless"
Lower Price for Milk.
One reads also of brush between
the commanding officer of the Naval
Hospital at Brooklyn. n. Y, and what
he terms a combination 10 raise the
price of milk Here Is bis report:
"Our milk was being received in
l0-quart cans. The contract price
steadily went up until it reached
such a ridiculous figure that II would
have been cheaper to go outside and
buy milk at retail.
II had the whole matter thoroughly
investigated. and the explanation Of
fered was that our requirement that
the milk be delivered in small cans
was so expensive that they had TO
raise the price. I knew this was
not true, but only an excuse, and
that a combination had been formed
to raise the price on all Government
milk.
$50 made a requisition for cans
and supplied all that we needed for
the hospital, and then hal a new
contract made requiring deliveries In
the standard 10-gallon cans. During
a single month, under this contract,
we have saved over $3.50. which not
only paid for the cans, but also
showed a saving of over $500"
These savings are not charted by
the Navy's past. They are new, the
result of a policy-one wonders if it
is not a pressure-from above. They
smack of the way Of Calvin Coolidge.
and, though the details are not of
his conception, the policy which die
tated them is his. andsthe professional
money-savers who helped carry out
the details carried on them the stamp
of hia appHovni,