Imperial Valley press., 1941-02-16

tract
You arrive in town at night. get
n bic boot out of the sight of tht
capitol dome lighted up, taxi to 6
hotel-and find that it's sold out
Tourists. You go TO a more eX-
pensive place with better luck, but
realize that if you're kept arounc
very long its going to cost you
more than you've allowed far. The
seafood. though. is good and its
too bad you can't get it fresh back
where you come from.
You get a guide book TO the city
and with a telephone book and map
sprawled out on the bed, you figure
cut your attack for the next morn
ing. You'll bust right down to the
Defense Commission, giving 'em
Just time enough to get their mail
read, and do business.
DEPARTMENT. OF PURCHASES
DOES NO PURCHASING
The Defense Commission is in
the new social security building
which seems q bit cockeyed, but
YOU don't let it get your goat. You
walk right by a policeman seated
at desk. but you can't flno am
information desk and you can't
make out all the signs ON easels
near the elevators, so you 90 back
ia the bluecoat who doesn't know
the answers himself but does send
YOU to the information desk OF the
department of purchases.
You get shunted around bit
by a number of nice but green
secretaries, till you finally get to
q man who speaks your language
"a fellow from one of the cham
store outfits. loaned to the govern
ment for the emergency. This gent
brings YOU up with a shock. how
ever. when he tells you the depart
ment of purchases doesn't do nay
purchasing.
That is. it doesn't monkey with
anything under S50000O, and on
Jobs over that amount, it merely
acts in advisory capacity.
Where you should have gone is
10 the War Department, army
quartermaster corps.
Undaunted, you taxi across town.
To get into the building, you have
to stand in line to sign a card
and be given a three-inch red but
ton with a number on it, which
you wear all the time you're in
the building. surrender when you
leave. You don't know whom you
want to see. but the clerks are
helpful and finally steer you to
an officer in the contract informa-
ton section who listens 10 your
story. grins. and then sympathe-
ticallv tells you that the only
place the army buys currycombs
is at the quartermaster depot in
Jeffersonyille, Ind.
P.S. You have to get permit
to take your own briefcase out OF
the building
ABC'S OF BUYING
Now. it really isn't as bad as
that. of course, Not few business
men do come to Washington and
GO through experiences like this,
but it's all unnecessary, and as in
efficient on the part of the busi-
nessmen themselves as it is an
indication of red tape in the gov
ernment.
Army and navy buying has been
going on for years. There are simple
pamphlets. Selling to the Navy
and Army Purchase Information
Bulletin" which give the ABCs
of what the services buy where
and how. Simple letters, which toe
MANY businessmen don't write
would clear up most of the diff
Culties and the answers would
tell where any factory or selling
outfit would have to go to do
business.
Buying for a war is highly spe-
cialized and standards are high, FOL
the stuff has to be good. Bargain
basement buying would be disas-
trous, and just-as-good substitutes
mostly don't work.
General supplies purchases or
the open market through competi-
tive bidding are advertised ir
technical and trade journals, ir
the government bulletins, ant
there is a mailing list on which
any sales agency can get, to re.
ceive information on contracts tC
be let.
It's nice cash business, if yol
can get it.
ADD WASHINGTON
The Presid lent cuff links
gang" goes back to 1920, when HI
was candidate for v.p. After th'
campaign, he gave a few faithful
followers gold cuff links, with FDF
monogram on one side and thu
recipients initials on the other
Now, the links go to those whit
dined with him on his birthday
and they are badges of admission
The gang" numbers about 80
Formation of sixth column
has been advocated before Wash
ington Rotary. II would includ,
members of U. S. knife and fork
clubs dedicated to service of coun
try. Census Bureau report
number of farms in U. S. has de
creased 10000 in 10 years. Valu
of farm lands has dropped ST.
billion. Goal of army ordnanc,
output from big new Smokelese
powder mills is production of