Evening star., 1927-10-19

letter writer had dawned. If the Glib
son committee had followed down |
every clue il would still be in heated |
session today. With other allegations |
received, one or two came before the |
committee to the effect that tn signal |
lights ordered for the District by the |
Traffic Bureau were not UP to stand |
ard The Bureau Of Efficiency was
called upon to investigate the Traffic
Bureau While the bureau found !
nothing criminal, 1t did find that there
were irregularities which could not be
overlooked. no matter how good the
excuse for their existence, The Traffic
Bureau affair. uncovered by the Blu
reau of Efficiency. added a feather to
the bureaus cap and. following as it
did the great excitement over the Fen
ming case, put tn" whole District es
Ia ablishment more or less under s,ls-
piCion. The Bureau of Efficiency main
tained that ii had ample authority in
the first place, so ii began it's investi
cations as it thought Investigations
should he made Their thought i'm this
matter is that much of the good OF n
investigation would he lost through
notifying the Commissioners, or their
suhordnateS Of wherG they will strike
next. So they decided their procedure
for themselves and followed it p. Al
the bureau it is stated that every at
tenn has been made to avoid III feel |
ing on the part Of those. investigated. |
but they attribute the i'll feeling and
lack of cooperation @ lcountered frank |
" to the fact that those investigated !
are only human enough to resent the |
ordeal.
mmendatiOns Watched.
As far as following UP it's reports |
are concerned, the bureau takes the |
attitude that 10 submit recommends |
tons and to let them end with Their |
submission would accomplish little: /
For this reason they have watched |
closely 10 see II their recommenda |
lions are being carried out, and if not. |
why not. The procedure has been |
10 send mon in pairs although large |
force worked on the inveStlga ton oI !
the schools. the report Of winch IS
Net to be made public and after an IN
vestiga ton of the matter at hand 10 |
send their report to the Commission |
ers. They have carefully abstained |
from making reports public or dls
cusSing them, leaving this for the |
Commissioners After the reports |
have been submitted. and IL there Is |
any tendency at the District Building
not to carry out the recommendations |
jlte tutcdd itNCottEsutoi1 u" y" F'''S'N
hearings before the Commissioners a |
which they argue their recommends
tons against the objections of the !
heads of the division concerned. 1t |
is further stated at the bureau that
if the recommenda tions are not |
adopted by the Commissioners. the |
bureau will present them TO the ap- |
preparations committees Of Congress. !
Whether there is an implied threat |
i'm this statement depends upon the |
point of view.
But d,scounting altogether the harm |
or the good that will come to the Dis |
trict as result of the Bureau of |
Efficiency's widespread activities. |
there is no doubt that the bureaus |
procedure has differed from that con- |
templated at first at the District |
Building. Whether ii has differed !
from that planned at the Capitol re-
mains to be seen.
The Commissioners anticipated a |
Summer devoted to making them
selves more thoroughly familiar |
with their tasks. of exa mining |
the machinery under their care |
and OF improving it II they found |
it in need of improvement. They eX- |
pected that the bureau would stand |
by As an able and willing ally, to he |
called in when needed for consulta
tion or special investigation for which |
the bureau might be bette. equipped |
than are the Commissioners. Instead, |
they have witnessed the Bureau of |
Efficiency darting about here and |
there in the District Building. making |
it's Investigations and drawing up its |
reports unlimited, and at the same |
time maintaining a sort of secrecy |
about the whole thing that places the /
Commissioners and their government /
in the position of being guilty until !
proved innocent. Instead Of a CO.
operative endeavor to right any
wrongs that might he found, the Com
missioners and the Bureau OF Efi.
cheney working hand in hand TO that
end. the real condition today is that |
the bureau has taken over the Job t
of reorga aniZing the District govern
ment and of forcing their recommends !
tions upon the Commissioners. In
stead of occupying the role of assist.
ants to the District Commissioners.
the authorized heads of the District |
government. the Bureau of Efficiency
investigators have taken it upon them.
selves to tell the Commissioners what |
to do. In effect, there comes into ex.
istence another city governing agency. |
Writes to Bureau.
Some citizen Is not pleased with I
the District government and feels |
that he has grievance. 1t may be |
the case that he has been unable to
impress the Commissioners with his
point of view. So he writes TO the
Bureau of Efficiency about II. 1t