The Washington times., 1933-09-02
JUGGLING j. 8.
OFFICE MOVES
A RARE JOB
H. A. CandIand, Secretary of
Buildings Board, Orders at
Least 2 Shifts WeekIV

If you are one of those unfor.
tunate individuals who annually
pack your household belongings
and migrate to another apartment
or home, then bend your head in
humble tribute to the trials and
cares of Harold A. Candland, Sec
retary Of the Public Buildings
Commission. He moves twice
weekly.
Candland, who has been execu.
tive secretary for the buildings
commission for two years. has di
rect responsibility for more major
moves than any other person in
the District.
It is his lot to assign ard re-
assign Government offices in Fed
eral structures and private office
buildings. Not only that, but he
has to keep laborerS and trucks
constantly on the move, with one
eye on effecting economies at
every turn and the other on NOV.
ing schedules so departments may
be shifted around with the least
possible interference with Govern
ment business.
This Year the Worst
This year has been far worse
than previous years owing to the
extraordinary expansion of the
Agriculture Department and the
creation of four new, large bu-
reauS, General Hugh S. JohnSon's
NRA, the Tennessee Valley Au-
thority, the Public Works Admin
iStration, and the Agricultural Ad-
justment Administration.
Furthermore the buildings COM
mission has been faced with
sharply reducing the Govern
ment's rent bill, which, so far,
it has succeeded in doing beyond
expectations, and at the same
time with emptying unsafe war
time temporary buildings so they
may be destroyed.
During the past two months,
what with many Government
offices being abolished or trans
ferred to other departments by
Executive order, Candland and
his staff have made an average
of two office moves a week, re-
Quiring juggling of thousands Of
square feet of office space. Last
year the commission made but
q moves.
Job Is Complicated
When a Government office
moves it is no simple task. The
space left vacant must be filled
Immediately to save rent, or, II
in a privately-owned building, re-
turned to the lessor for the same
reason. In the new quarters
partitions have to be torn down
or hastily SHilt. Connecting
doorways have to be cut, walls
and floors refinished and lights
and telephones rearranged.
AS though that weren't enough
to make a mans hair whiten,
Government employees keep Cand'
lands phone busy with requests
that furniture be arranged dill.
ferently to suit their personal
tastes and even that he send
somebody right over' to hang
pictures.
Laborers must work for the
most part at night, frequently, IN
smaller moves, completing their
task between 4:3O p. m. and
o'clock the following day. Cand'
land admits he has little trouble
with persons unable to find their
form offices, but he is often de-
luged with calls from persons
anxious to locate another Office
recently moved.
The really trying situation, how
ever, he admits, is when move
approved by the Buildings Com"
mission because "absolutely neces"
{ ry'' is blocked by certain Gov
ernment officials who politely, but
firmly, decline to be moved. This
results in all sorts of angry cor"
respondence and tearing of hair.
But he likes his job, Candland
says, and hopes to save Uncle Sam
a great many more thousand dol
lars this year than he did last.