Evening star., 1932-10-15
Figures Given in Probe of
Competition With Private
Business.
SAYS DUTY TO TAXPAYERS
JUSTIFIES OPERATION
Highest Seating Capacity Is in New
Commerce Department Home.
Which Accommodates 814.

Lieut.. Col. U. s Grant, Sd, in charge
OF the Welfare and Recreational Asso-
citation Of the Public Buildings and
fupllc Grounds and of other Govern
ment buildings in which cafeterias and
uncn counters are operated, today COM
pleted his report on a uuestionnaire
submitted by the National Restaurant
ASSOCIATION through the special House
committee, headed by Representative
shannon of Missouri. which has been
Government competition
with private business.
Inc Grant report covers five cafe
terlas and five lunch counters operated
unoer the Welfare and Recreational
ASSOCIATION and nine cafeterias and
lnree lunch counters operated in other
Government buildings.
Inc chart accompanying the report
SHOWS the seating capacity Of these eat
ing places runs from nothing. as in the
elgntn wing OF the Navy Building and
tne mail equipment shop, to 5l4 in the
navy Building and 8l4 in the new
commerce Building. This chart also
SHOWS the space occupied by these eat
ing places Is not Of such character that
it could be used by the department in
which 1t is located for other purposes.
Inc exceptions are the lunch counter
coffee shop in the Munitions Building.
the lunch counter in the eighth wing of
the Navy Building and the cafeteria in
tne interior Building, which has a seat
ing capacity of 1922.
Eating Places Listed.
The cafeterias operated under the
Welfare and Recreational Association
are IN the Commerce, Interior. Internal
Revenue, Mall Building and Tempo.
NO. l. The lunch counters operated
under the same association are in the
General Accounting and Patent Offices,
state, treasury and eighth wing of the
Navy Building
Cafeterias operated in other Govern
ment buildings are at the Bureau Of
Engraving and Printing, with a seating
capacity OF 674, operated by the Bu-
reau of Engraving Rest Association, be-
cause employees are not allowed to leave
the building during noon hour or until
securities are checked al night: Bureau
OF Standards has two cafeterias, City
Post Office, General Post Office. mail
equipment shop, Navy Building, Tempo
No. and a new cafeteria in Tempo
No. 5 for the Federal Trade Commits
sion, which has just been started.
Other lunch counters in Government
buildings are the coffee shop in the
Munitions Building; another in the
annex of the Agriculture Department,
which has just been started, and one
at 1925 H street, also Just started.
In justification for their operation COL
Grant said: 1T is in the interest of all
taxpayers that the Government admin
istration should be as efficient as possible,
and there is just demand at this time
that the Government business shall be
transacted as efficiently as that of any
private business enterprise. Practically
all our major industries and large retail
establishments have found that it is
good business to have cafeterias and eat
ing places for their employees This is
true in Washington as elsewhere. They
DO not do this so much for love of their
employees as because it is good business
and most of them find it good business
even when they have to pay a consider
able deficit each year to keep these
cafeteriaS going. Surely the Government
has a right to do the same, and the
selfish desire of few. who think they
might profit by exploiting Government
employees, should not be permitted to
interfere with the best interests of the
many"
Figures Presented.
Included in his statement, Col. Grant
gave figures OF the extra costs to the
Government if the luncheon period
were heightened SO as to avoid the ne
cessity for cafeterias in Government
buildings and explains the difficulty of
the lunch period SO that
there would be no interruption of Gov
ernment business.
In reply to one of the questions as to
what meals are served Col Grants
answer is luncheon only, except in the
case of the Revenue, Commerce and the
Interior cafeteriaS, where breakfast is
also served. and in the case of the War
cafeteria, where breakfast
and dinner are also served" He eX-
plains that breakfast is served because
employees requested it.
Col. Grant explained that the serving
Of dinner at the War Department cafe
terra was started during the wartime
because there was so much overtime
work required at night and there were
no other restaurants in the neighbor-
hood
1T has been continued" he said.
since the management of this cafeteria
was taken over from the quartermaster
generals office of the War Department,
not only because there is a demand for
this meal, which has been served for
many years, but mainly because of
desire to avoid aggravating the unem-
ployment situation by discharging those
who are engaged in preparing it,
Few Outsiders Served.
Answering the question as to whether
meals are served exclusively to Federal
workers. Col. Grant answered: THE
cafeterias operated by the Welfare As
sociation are intended to serve only
employees. 1t is known,
however, that officials of the depart
ments at times invite outside persons
who are in the building on official busi-
ness to have luncheon with them
but it is not believed that any number
of outside persons patronize them
Answering the question as to the
total number Of meals supplied by the
various Federal department restaurants,
Col. Grant said that during June the
meals served by cafeterias and lunch
counters under the Welfare Association
were: Mall, 24,139: Interior. 1880;
Revenue, 29.894; War, 37,557; Com
merce, 46.542; Treasury lunch, 1882;
State lunch, 14,119; Civil Service lunch,
3 1859; General Accounting lunch, 12,l46.
Questioned regarding the total volume
of business of these restaurants, Col.
Grant gave the receipts during June
as follows: Mall. $8,3l8.82; Interior,
S3.657.53; Revenue, S7,5473l; War,
$l2 2,52043; Commerce, $13,674.74; Treas
ury lunch. $1,619.75; State, S1.94S.01: