Evening star., 1949-09-09
Defense Officials Scan
$50 Economy P|ans;;
Big Layoffs Are Out
By John A. Giles

SSht FH ~'f~~
Defense officials are plowing
through a backlog Of $50 economy
studies at the rate of S-to-4 a
day, ranging from consultations
of armed services libraries and
printing plants to plan to lay up
those non-tactical aircraft which
do not see sufficient daily usage.
But Gen. Joseph T. McNarney
said in an interview today that,
while he anticipates huge saw
ings by the contemplated mergers.
he did not "foresee any large
across-the-board reductions in
personnel" similar to Defense Sec
retary Johnson's dramatic an
nouncement on August "a that
$4,000 workers would lose their
jobs
Future announcements OF per-
sonnel reductions will be compara-
lively small, and many of those
dismissed will be absorbed in the
regular rates of attrition, he indi-
Gated.
Just Won't Fill Places.
1--WE just won't rehire when
vacancies occur" said the general,
who is chairman of the National
Defense Management Committee.
"All three services are aware of
the necessity of saving money"
Gen. McNarney estimated that
between 100000 and 100000 an
nually would be saved by con-
solidation of armed forces IL
braries in Washington alone.
There are 27 Navy libraries here,
he said, and the Office of the Sec
retary of Defense has managed to
set up three more during its two
years of existence. The Army and
Air Force libraries were merged
by Gen. McNarney when he was
Deputy Army Chief Of Staff during
the war. All the libraries here
will be consolidated by October
Is, and that plan will be followed
elsewhere.
Similarly, Gen. McNarney's
committee will make an attempt
to cut in the Defense Departments
$18,000,000 annual printing bill
and in doing SO will apply for the
first time the business principles
laid down in the recently enacted
amendments to the Unif1cation
Act.
Change in Six Weeks.
The large Army and Navy print
ing plants and the smaller Air
Force establishment will be merged
into q central setup here along
commercial lines within six weeks.
The services will have to abandon
their old system of merely req
uisitioning and promptly forget
ting the cost" on printing various
charts, booklets and reports, Gen.
McNarney said.
Under the new system, the ac-
tivity ordering printing job will
be billed for the cost and the
printing plant will be paid out of
the activitiy's appropriated funds,
he said. adding that the central
plant here will be a pilot model
demonstration" which will be ap-
piled to field installations.
The general said the new con-
solidated printing plants opera
tions will be watched closely and
costs will be compared with those
of the Government Printing Office
and commercial establishments.
The GPO prints many defense
documents, but the emergency"
or quickly needed printing is done
by the service plants. None of
the service plants here has been
operating at capacity, Gen. Nc
Narney said.
The non-tactical aircraft come
under the term of administrative
flying" A survey is now underway
to determine the number: of such
planes at each Air Force and
Navy air field and If they are
properly used.
Gen. McNarney said that, II it
was determined that all the non
tactical craft were not in the air
at least four, or perhaps six. hours
daily. excess planes would be
withdrawn to put to other use.
He pointed out such procedure
would cut down enormously on
maintenance costs alone.
The Defense Department also is
making an extensive study of the
use, management and replace
ment of automotive equipment in
an effort to effect further econ
omies in that field.
"And we still believe that there
Is a field of savings in organiza-
ton or reorganization of the
Army, Navy, Air Force, Office of
Secretary of Defense and the sew
eral -boards-fewer people and less
red tape" Gen. McNarney con-
tinued. "But that is long-range
study"
The possibility of consolidating
Army, Navy, Air Force and
LOST.