Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-11
JOINT PUR CHASE OF DISTRICT
AND FEDERAL SUPPLIES URGED
Gibson Subcommittee Told City Could
Save Coodly Sum by Pooling Plan.
Prison Industry Suggested.

Plans for saving many thousand
| dollars of District funds annually by
pooling purchases of supplies for local
governments with the vast purchasing
pool of the Federal departments
through the General supply Committee
and by placticing other economies
were preached before the Gibson sub
committee OF the House District Com
| mittee, surveying District affairs, by
Herbert ID. Brown. chief of the United
States Bureau of Efficiency, at meet
ing last night.
Figures of strict comparison between
Federal and District government pur-
chases of automobile tires and tubes
of the same sort. quality and quantity
for the period, between July l and
December 81 last showed that the Dis
trict spent exactly S4.023.29 more for
the same articles than the Fedcral
Government. These figures We're pre-
scented by Mr.. Brown as an indication
Of only one of the many possibilities
of saving local government money.
Some $4,000 a year, Mr.. Brown esti-
mated, could be saved in automobile
tags alone and the worry and trouble
now besetting local officials could be
eliminated by the establishment of a
$4,000 plant for the manufacture of
Mr.. Brown estimated that an addi-
tional $4,000 would be needed for cap
ital to put the plant in operation by
purchases of the materials needed
stating that if such action were taken
speedily next years tags would cost
the District approximately 8 cents
apiece instead of the present price of
L cents
Such a plant also could be used,
with slight changes in machinery. for
producing street signs and traffic
markers, it was pointed out.
Foundry Suggested.
Another industry suggested for Oc-
coquan was small foundry for cast
ing CRATE bars, manhole covers and
the like, which, Mr.. Brown said. could
be set up at comparatively small cost
and would result in a considerable
saving to the local government.
A lengthy discussion of the brick
plant at OccoQuan was entered into
the witness stating that bricks there
were being produced in excellent quail
ity for n production cost of approx
mately Sc per 1000, many of which
were sold to contractors doing work
on local schools for SIS a thousand
at 1.-The local wharves, the District col
ANCIAtAS7 lAAC iiAOiAC5 Wy Nt@NuNlAlAS1 NiiN
price per thousand from the contract
price of the building operation.
At the outset of the hearing Repre-
sentative Gibson of Vermont, chair
man of the subcommittee, examined
the witness regarding the survey OF
the office of the Recorder of Deeds
which the Bureau of Efficiency under
took and later supplied facts, and or
which the bill embodying several i'm
provements of the system in force
there was based.
Mr. Brown said that, starting or
the first of this year, it was the plan
to handle current work and catch W
on accumulated back work as the
time went on.
He mentioned particularly the haz
ardous method of keeping the valu
able land records of the District on
shelves in jeopardy of any blaze that
might break out in the building now
occupied by that office. Even though
! the building is fireproof, he said, the
records are not immune from a fire
within the walls of the building.
The photostatic method Of recording