Evening star., 1945-01-15
Plan 10 Reduce
Street Lighting
IsUnder Study
Proposal Weighed
To Cut Off Lights
IS Minutes Earlier

IS Minutes Earlier
Col. Joseph D. Arthur, jr., Assist.
ant Engineer Commissioner of the
District, said today the Conservation
Committee which he heads probabl,
will recommend that street light.
be turned out IS minutes earlier ir
the morning as a fuel conservation
measure.
Col. Arthur said the recommenda-
tions of the committee will 70 te
the Commissioners tomorrow. H,
said also recommendation probably
would be made to turn out one OF
the lights on all standards having
two lights of 1000 watts. Such a
step, he said, would save approx
mately 500 tons of coal a year.
Street lights in Washington now
are turned off Is minutes before
sunrise. If the proposed cnange had
been made today the lights would
have been turned off at 1855 am.
The announcement by Col. Arthur
= was made after he conferred with
w. E. Kern. electrical engineer for
the District.
Might Cut Traffic Lights.
The question of turning off some
of the traffic signals at intersections
has not progressed beyond the stage
OF the recommendation made ct the
conservation meeting held Saturday
in Col. Arthur's office.
Director of Traffic William A. Van
Duzer recalled that more than two
years ago signals at between 70 and
30 intersections were eliminated as
conservation measure. He said
the matter Is one for continuous
study, and where the study shows
signals are not needed they are elm
mated. He pointed out, however.
the signals do not use much power.
Since War Mobilization Director
Byrnes ordered Government build
ings set to 68-degree heat to con-
serve fuel, Mrs. Roosevelts S bedroom
has been very cold. In fact, she told
press conference today, to keep
warm she has piled Everything on
my bed except the kitchen stove"
The Presidents wife hastened to
add that she is not complaining. The
68-degree temperature not only con-
serves fuel, she said, but it is prob
ably very good for me. Maybe we
keep too hot" On the other hand
she said, she probably gets the worst
of the ration system because her
bedroom is in a corner.
Her sitting room stays around Ga
and the rest of the rooms in the
White House are moderately COM
Portable" she said.
Some Workers Complain.
Meanwhile, the job of adjusting
thermostats and other heat con-
trols in Government buildings goes
ahead, with the readjustment period
accompanied by complaints from
Government workers that they are
working in frigid rooms.
One worker in Temporary Build
Ing H complained the staff was
working in coats and that when
she went into one room where the
temperature was 64 it felt warm.
To this complaint and to one that
staf1s working on Sunday encount-
cred uncomfortably low tempera-
lures, a spokesman for the Federal
Works Agency said the readjust-
ments cannot be accomplished in a
few days because of the tremendous
amount of technical and mechani-
cal difficulties. In the Department
Of the Interior and some of the
other newer buildings adjustments
can be accomplished in the central
heating plant.
However, it was pointed out in
the Pentagon Building there are
5000 thermostatic controls which
have to be put in proper balance.
Those thermostats are being adjust
ed now. They are not like the usual
home thermostat, and can be ad-
Justed only by trained engineer, it
was said. And many of the trained
engineers have gone into the armed
services.
Regarding the complaint of Sun
day workers, the FWA spokesman
said lack of heat on Sunday might
have resulted if department heads
had failed to notify the superintend-
ents of their buildings that workers
would be present on Sunday. If no
such notice is given superintendents,
the heat is reduced to 60 degrees
after hours and on Sundays.
School Superintendent R. L. Hay
cock said the recommendation for
curtailment of activities in the
schools after class hours is waiting
action by the District Commission
ers tomorrow. After that the matter
will be presented to the School
Board, which meets Wednesday.