Evening star., 1932-05-08
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

With the prospective opening of the
new House Once Building for occu-
pancy next December, there is one
agency OF the House which performs an
important work inconspicuously that
viii have its burden doubled. And this
Is one OF the real economy agencies
saving about $4,000 a year by eper-
ating furniture repair shops in which
old furniture is made like new for as
to 30 per cent less than the work would
cost If let to outside bidders.
This comes under the Office of the
clerk ef the House, but for 13 years
William r, Oehxenreiter has occupied
the same Office as superintendent of
shops and for the past eight years also
custodian Of property. The scope of
thlS job can be estimated when one Is
told that there are approximately $4,000
pieces OF furniture in the House Office
Building and the House end of the
Capitol.
When the furniture in the cloak
rooms of the House was put in in 1901
Mr.. OchSepreiter was then with local
furniture store and superintended the
construction of this furniture, which
was covered with pigskin. He went to
WORK at the Capitol In la1S and found
thls same furniture had been neglected
and the pigskin covering was badly torn.
He got an outside bid that was 80 per
cent higher than his own estimate
Tor recovering and did the work In the
Capitol shops within his ewn estimate.
During the last recess Of Congress he
nad oil OF the massive furniture In the
speakers Lobby refnished and re-
upholstered. He also took charge Of
putting In rubber floor in the House
between the seats, with carpeted sisles
Among the House furniture are 500
big oyerstuffed Turkish lounging chairs,
some 200 large bookcases, 2,500 straight
chairs with leather seats and backs and
500 arm desk chairs for members.
Just now these shops are engaged on
the task of taking the tops off OF roll
top desks and converting them into
nat-top desks-and they are doing a
mighty neat job, All Of the House
members desks were originally mahog-
any roll tops.
Another little job that these shops
are doing-with only seven artisans and
two helpeTs-is to make gavels that are
used by the Speaker and the various
committee ehairmen, OF course, Speaker
Garner has been presented with more
fancy gayels than any Speaker in the
history OF Congress, but the real work
ing gaves that are used during the
turbulent sessions when the presiding
ofiieer has to pound vigorously for COR
Der" are made In those shops, with
ngnum vitae heads and hickory handles.
There also are made hickory sounding
blocks, which when pounded make the
welkin ring"
Among the treasures of old and his
torie furniture which Mr. Oehsenreiter
Is preserving for posterity is an old sec
retary and desk used by the great
speaker Thomas B. Reed of Maine, who
presided over the House in the Fifty
hrst, Ffty-fourth and Fifty-fifth Cen-
crosses. When this piece of furniture
Is thoroughly restored" in the Capitol
shops It Is going to be placed In the
National Museum, where the school
children of the land and their elders
can see IT daily, This is q massive piece
with beautifully hand-carved doors and
long pier mirrors.
But the most important feature of all
about these shops Is that where hereto
fore II member broke leg of chair,
or desk draw got jammed, or a key to
0 filing cabinet was lost at a time when
there was demand for prompt use Of
the papers therein, the member had to
hlde his time in patience until an out
side artisan could be called in-net to
mind the expense of these small jobs
hut with the artisans at work In the
same building, any such repair job can
be done Immediately.