Evening star., 1948-03-10
Tax Bureau Is Silent
On Charge Of Laxity
And Loafing on Job

H1Iu LVoIlHy VII JVU
The Bureau Of Internal Revenue
refused today to enter into a pub
lie argument with the House Ap-
preparations Committee over the
committees charges OF lax" admin
istration and "loafing on the job
in the Washington office.
Internal Revenue Commissioner
George j. Schoeneman announced,
through an aide, he had no COM
ment. Irving Perlmeter, bureau
public relations chief, declared
House committee investigators
spent good part Of their time
last summer counting people in the
coffee bar"
He referred to House committee
investigators reports that time
spent by Bureau employees here in
the snack bar. plus an estimated
additional Is minutes taken at lunch
time, came to 1,372,00 work-hours
Tor I'll 500 employe days., lost each
year at a cost to the taxpayers Of
$2,217,495.
Discipline Held Lax.
The House Investigators, accord
ing to the committee report on the
Treasury and Post Once appropria-
tions bill, found discipline and ad-
ministrative control lax in the
Washington office of the bureau
and estimated it is getting mo more
than six productive hours of work
per day.; on the average, from it.
employees" .ltT1:f &H
During the closed hearings on tn,
Treasury bill by q subcommittee, i
was revealed yesterday. Represent.
ative Canfield. Republican, of New
Jersey, said the investigator.
reported that covering only hal
the exits on August %, 1947
1863 individuals were noted leaving
the main Internal Building between
4:25 and 4:44 pm, and on August 20
1947, covering the same number o1
exits, 544 were so noted"
The Investigators report stated
that ION two separate occasions
employees were observed sleeping on
the job"
Referring to the main internal
revenue building at Eleventh street
and Constitution avenue NV, the
investigators said that "a search of
almost any open room in the base
ment will reveal several or more
empty gin or cheap whisky bottles.
Examination Of these bottles proved
they had not been used to carry
anything but the original contents
or something related"
Basement Rooms for Storage.
Mr.. Perlmeter commented on this
charge by saying that the basement
rooms are not occupied but are used
for the storage of bureau equip
ment and custodial supplies.
On the question of the employees
leaving their post early to 60 home
Commissioner Schoeneman testified
during the hearings that he had
given a great deal Of thought to
the matter and had made two or
three checks"
He said he had thought of in
stalling q check-in and check-out
system, but that he concluded 1t
would use more man-hours than
the amount then being lost. He
said he was mot so sure" the loss
Of time reported by the investiga-
tors was correct, but he added that
Il know there must be some of 1t
happening"
Il do not know" he added, "how
many of those were taxpayers rep
resentatives or taxpayers who were
in the building, or how many OF
the people who were supposed to
leave at $50 had gotten leave and
gave the appearance of leaving the
building early"
Closing Of Snack Bar Considered.
On the question of how much
time employees spend in the snack
bar, Mr.. Schoeneman told the House
subcommittee that the snack bar lis
a small room, and if it has 100
people in it. it gives the appearance
Of being filled OF course, 100 out
Of our total force is not a large
proportion"
The bureau had 5,06s employees in
Washington as. of last July /.
The commissioner said he had
thought of closing the snack bar
but if I do we will be the only
Government building in Washing
ton that has taken that action, and
I think it is important for us to
keep our morale up as high as in
other departments.
IF somebody else takes the lead
in closing the snack bar. I will close
mine, too. We only have one, and
a very small one"
The House committee report,
highly critical of the Internal Rev.
enue Bureau in practically all Of its
operations, recommended that the
Hoover Commission on Re-organ-
ization Of the Executive Branch Of
the Government give the highest
priority" to a study Of the bureau.
A spokesman for the commission
said last night the group has not
yet gotten around to the bureau but
viii before it is through
Soroptimists to Heor Howell