Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-05-29
$4,000 10 Enlarge
Munitions BUILDING
Cafeteria Ready
Present Facilities Unable
To Serve Stoff Of
$500 Workers

Good news today for $500 War
Department workers is the imme-
date availability of a 100000 ap-
preparation to enlarge the cafeteria
space in the Munitions Building
which is capable of seating only
about $50 persons at a time.
For nearly year the lunch period
from II am. to 2 pm, when thou
sands of clerks are forced to stand
in lines for a chance to eat, has
constituted what many term faceti-
ously the No. l defense bottleneck in
Washington. Bureau chiefs COM
planned of time lost in the tray lines.
Until now, for lack of funds and
demands for Office space, admins
trative officials had confessed them
selves completely stumped in plan
ming a solution.
Last March the War Department
added IS minutes to the usual half
hour allowed each worker for lunch.
1t helped the individual, but it
didn't eliminate the bottleneck for
the reason that about 400 new work.
ers were going on duty in the Mu-
nitions Building each week.
Sef-appointed statisticians flg-
ured the extra Is minutes allowed
each of the $500 workers repre-
sents loss to the War Department
of 2,125 man-hours of work per day
or $50 300 man hours year.
Funds Just Available.
Finally, in desperation, the War
Department turned the problem
over to the Public Buildings Ad-
ministration with an urgent appeal
10 obtain some money from Con-
gress and permission to plan a new
cafeteria. Their efforts have just
now been rewarded and the money
is coming from the deficiency ap-
preparation bill which President
Roosevelt signed this week.
The new cafeteria, designed to
accommodate 800 persons, will be
built in the second wing on the
ground floor adjoining the two
lunchrooms conducted by the
Quartermaster Corps. 1t will be
ITO feet wide and 100 feet long.
The width will be obtained by ex-
panding the 60-foot wing Is feet
on each side. Public Buildings off,
Gals said a contract would be let
soon for the remodeling.
The outgrown cafeteria facilities
were designed for the days of pre-
wartime leisure and were fully
capable then of serving the mod
erate-siZed force in the Munitions
Building. Working now under
pressure three hours day, they
can serve only about 1000 meals.
The other of the two cafeterias
Is operated by the Welfare and Rec
reation Association which also con-
ducts a hot-dog, pie and drink
fountain serving about $500 addi-
tional customers.
Lunch Stand Busy.
These workers, unable to get into
the regular lunchrooms, eat when
and how they can. A news stand
which sells soft drinks, fruit and
cookies, has a standing fringe of
customers from opening to closing
time. On rainy days, when the
luncheon crowds extend almost the
entire two-block length of the main
corridor, as many as $50 persons
crowd about this stand at a time.
The overflow from the Munitions
Building has caused nearby Gov
eminent departments to take pro-
tective measures. Formerly, hun
dreds Of the war clerks used to eat
in the larger cafeteria of the adjoin-
ing Navy Building. Recently. the
Navy Department took steps to bar
all visitors from its cafeteria and
the War Department retaliated by
refusing admission to Navy workers.
A month ago hundreds of NUM-
tons Building workers used to swell
the crowds in the Interior Depart
ment cafeteria at all eating hours
until Secretary Ickes took q hand.
He reserved until l o'clock for his
own employees. The Federal Reserve
Board, across the street, was an
other eating refuge, but outsiders
are not allowed until after / o'clock.