The Washington times., 1936-05-12
MCCARL BALKS
FANCY DESK
PURCHASE
BY J. EARLE MOSER

6SCduSS O11ACAhAS VI VIC = OASA GA
Alcohol Control Administration
failed to observe proper procedure
in inviting bids for some unusually
nice walnut furniture, Comptroller
General McCarl has stepped firmly
on their toes.
A voucher for $2,21S.50, submit
ted to General Accounting Office
for preaudit from FACA, has been
su,nmarily turned down on
grounds that purchase of the fur
niture was contrary to existing
laws, regulations and decisions OF
this office" although FACA had
protested that the equipment was
necessary because it "harmonized
with the present architectural
characteristics" Of the agency's
quarters In the Justice Department
Building.
II seems that FACA's rulers
knew what they wanted in ad-
vance. The usual Government
stuff was 'out." The Justice Build
ing being what it is, something
sWanky was needed, perhaps even
in the futuristic "moderne" style,
so that desks and filing cabinets
need not apologize for the room
they were in.
Accordingly, permission from
the Treasury Procurement Division
was received to buy the necessary
euuipment, but it was stipulated
that proper competition by bids
must be carried out in order to
comply with the law. This, Mr..
McCarl declares, was not done,
adding sarcastically:
''The situation presented here
warrants the assumption that
the particular furniture desired
had been determined upon prior
to the request for bids and Sc
lected from the successful bid
der prior to the issuing Of the
advertisement. In any event,
the procedure followed does not
appear to have complied with
the spirit and intent Of the
applicable decisions Of this Of
flee"
pointing out that but three bids
were requested, two from COM
panies which do not handle such
swanky furniture, he concludes
that If the rules weren's followed
it would be cleft entirely to the
whim of the particular Govern
fnent establishment as to what par
ticular variety or grade OF an artl'
Gle it should purchase.
@. A. o. is keeping the voucher
for $2,218.5O for its permanent
records and FACA today was won
dering how to pay the bill.
Odds and Ends
Announcements for the next file
clerk C., S. test are now being
printed at Government Printing
office, a reliable little bird sings
so the current file register, now
very old, is probably picking at the
coverlet the washington chap
ter of the Interprofessional Asso
citation has joined other units IN
condemning the discharge OF Rob-
ert Durand from Federal Power
Commission and william Sanders
from Government Printing Office
for their alleged union activity.
COPIES Of resolutions have been
sent IN p1Ihlic Printer Giegengack
and the FPC. Miss Lisbeth zir-
kin, Venture Club program chair
man, announces that Miss Emma
Buechele, trade mark examiner at
the Patent Office, will be guest
speaker when the club meets to-
morrow at the Lewis Hotel Train
ing School. her talk is one Of a
series. friends of Miss Celeste
Page, office Of information, Hole.
reveal their regret that she IS
shortly to leave the agency. now
assistant to Theodore Tiller, she
has been connected with her pres
emit office since it was set up, and
will deprive Hole Of an engaging
personality if she leaves. mem
bers of Local los, Women's Union
of Bureau of Engraving and Print
ing, gather tonight at the Willard
the Departmental Baseball
Tear1le. still STRUGGLING along, Is