The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-09-26
U. S. OFFICIALS
AUTOS EAT UP
PUBLIC FUNDS
Thousands Squandered ON
Hight Powered Cars
in Washington.


ment garage a 5000 limousine as
signed for his official use, there still
are more than 500 federally owned
automobiles, adding to tariff con-
gestion and boosting the cost of
government
Many OF them are $4,000 and
$4,000 machines, more are in the
$1,000 class, and many are listed at
less than $1,000.
Average maintenance on a car runs
from S35 10 S1GO a month. excIu-
sive of the chauffeurs wage. This
is quite an item, because compare
lively few are driven by officials
. themselves.
Attorney-General William
Mitchell's driver is paid $3.50 a
year. The man who drives for
Henry Stimson, secretary of state.
gets only S1,560. Other drivers re-
ceiye $1,000 10 $3.50, outside CT
enlisted men in the army and navy
who are assigned as chauffeurs.
Put Many on Jacks
Congress last year, upon the
Initiative Of Representative Joseph
Byrns (Dem., Tenn, chairman of
the appropriations committee, took
notice Of automobile expenses. Byrns
directed the bureau of efficiency to
make a survey Of government
owned cars.
When the bureaus report was
submitted in January, the appro-
prlations committee proceeded to
put many cars on jacks, by refusing
maintenance funds.
On the assumption that the gov
eminent service, outside of Wash
1ngton, is cluttered with needless
automobiles, the bureau has been
directed to make nationwide
survey for effecting future econo-.
mics.
Until the house committee said
mo more automobiles, except where
necessary" scores Of Washington
officials rode to work in the morn
ing, home in the evening and to
their social engagements at night at
taxpayers expense
Find 513 Cars Used
There were 289 cars used by the
District of Columbia government
and 224 by federal government Of
f1cials. There were cars for the
President and his secretaries, cabi-
net officers and their assistant sec
retaries, bureau chiefs, various COM
nissioners, army and navy officers,
and various government employees.
Assistant secretaries no longer
have cars. Neither have many of
the commissioners. 1t should be
observed that few of these cars
were stamped official"
Speaker John N. Garner gave
congress its cue when he refused
to accept the $4,000 car always pur-
chased for the. Speaker He set an
example by riding to work in 20
cent taXicabs or on the street car
Vice-President Charles Curtis con-
tinues to use a SiXteen-cylinder
1882 Cadillac, purchased out Of sem
ate funds.
Housed by Government
Mr.. Hoover uses a sixteen cylin-
der Cadillac, too, but the White
House garage also contains Lincolns,
Pierce Arrows, and a Packard.
Cabinet officers have Cadillacs
and Packard limousines. Their as
sistants used to have Packards and
LaSalles. The efficiency bureau re-
ported these were used for "busi-
ness, pleasure and social functions.
Most are housed in government
garages.
Each of the four assistant post
MASTER generals had automobiles, as
we'll as the postmaster general, who
just has got a new one, but con-
gress ruled last winter that there
should be but two cars in that de-
partment one for the general and
the other for official use by all Of
f1cials.
Cut From 81 to 3
Although Treasury Secretary An
drew Mellon used to drive around
in his privately owned aluminium
hooded Rolls-Royce, there still were
thirty-one cars assigned to the
treasury and its bureaus in Wash
ington. The current appropriation
bill reduced this to three, one for
the secretary and two for general
use.
Similar cuts were made in other
departments and bureaus, forcing
officials to hire their own vehicles
or walk.
AT the shipping board, where the
wartime merchant marine is being
u
by the commissioners to and from
Office, to and from hotel for lunch
and occasionally at night. These
we're reduced to two. Each car had
chauffeur, whose pay ranged from
$1,000 TO $1,000 The alien property
custodian had sedan and $1,620
full-t.me chauffeur. The civil
service commission lost its car and
$l,620 ~ ufTeur.
Many Branches Ignored
Controller General Joseph r. Nc
Carl, who watches the governments
pennies, succeeded in retaining his
1881 Packard and 81, $50 chauffeur
for business purposes and social
functions"
There were thirty-four cars used
by the navy department and its
branches in Washington, but the
current law reduced maintenance
and operation costs of all navy au-
tomobileS through the country from
$4,000 to $4,000 a year.
The efficiency bureau report said
government cars were used by rank
ing war department executives fol
social functions" although annual
army appropriation bills since 1920
have specified that no funds appro-
priated shall be used for the main
tenance of automobiles employed
wholly or in part for personal, So
cial or similar use"
But not every government official
rates a car at taxpayers expense. A
surprisingly large number of bu-
reaus have no passenger cars, in
Guiding interstate commerce, tar
iff, federal trade. federal power and