Evening star., 1942-03-21


e's'sS' OF the Bureau OF
Henry MeLemere. the B u d 6 ct
range from the Alaska Communica-
tions System and the Bureau OF
Mines Except helium production) TO
the Beltsville Research Center and
the Smithsonian Institution dn-
cluding the National Gallery OF
Art.
Nothing In this country has -four
ished so beautifully in the past few
years as Government agencies.
They have grown like kittens In a
dairy. At the end of 1882 there
were only 81 independent agencies.
employing a total of 66,302 workers.
Now, 10 years later. there are 207.-
214 Uncle Samuel employees in
Washington. No, there are more
than that. Those figures. and they're
official ones, were issued at the end
OF last December. Now. and we're
using the minimum estimate Of sew
eral Of Washington's best unofficial
statisticians, there are between 225.-
900 and 100000 doing one kind Of
work or another.
This is a heap OF workers. A real
heap Of workers when you remem-
Der that at the peak Of Government
employment in World War I there
were $4,000. There were roughly
10000 new workers brought to
Washington during 1917 and 1918.
The World War II rush to WASH
ington hasn't stopped by any means.
So many men and women are still
pouring into this city that housing
has stopped being problem and
become a nightmare. The place is
so congested that it is dangerous to
wave your hand to friend because
there's always a chance there won't
be room enough for you to get 1t
down again. But the congestion
apparently hasn't frightened any
one. There Is talk now OF adding
IS 900 more workers before the end
Of the year.
What do all of these workers do7
Frankly, I don't know. Neither does
| any one else whom have asked. But
the general feeling in this neigh
borhood seems to be that there is
more overlapping in Washington
than there is on a shingled roof. A
lot Of people who have been around
Washington long time suspect that
great deal Of the governmental
work is being done In triplicate-not
carbon copy tripHcate, but human
triplicate. They suspect that the
various agencies get in one another's
hair so to speak, and that there is a
solid need for another or 283d
agency, which could be called the
Bureau Of House Cleaning.
1t seems to me that spring, which
Is almost upon us. II my almanac is
not up to some high jinks. would be
good time to create the Bureau Of
House Cleaning. The director Of the
bureau would be nothing more than
governmental housewife. If my
Aunt Pet were alive she would be
good one for the job. When
spring came she cleaned house so
thoroughly and so completely got
rid Of the useless things that had
accumulated during the winter, that
one year her husband. Uncle Jim,
disappeared and never has shown
up since.
Who knows but what there are
thousands of Uncle Jims" in
Washington? Who knows but what
national house cleaner, welding a
broom heavy with authority, would
find thousands of useless jobs Gre
ated by agencies on the grounds that
they (the agencies were a necessary
part Of the war effort and must be
brought to full wartime strength,
just as the Army, Navy and ma
rines?
Common sense tells you that in
time Of war many of the agencies
must of necessity undergo tremen-
dous expansion. But common sense
also tells you that there aren't 2s2
agencies vital to a war effort, no
matter how complete that effort is.
When the first robin sounds his
spring song why not get the Gov
ernment's rugs out on the line for
beating; the curtains down for
cleaning: the blankets out for wash
ing and airing, and all the rummage
out for inspection and sorting.
The House Cleaners might find
all manner OF things.
Distributed by McNsurht Syndicate, Incl