Evening star., 1952-07-14
Gen. Robinson
Is Satisfied on
Dog Tag Setup
Commissioner Bucks
Private Operators Of
Identification PIun

Engineer Commissioner Bern.
ard L. Robinson investigated today
and said he was satisfied that the
|civilian defense dog tag" program
lis being run the way the Com
ImiSSionerS set it up.
Gen. Robinson made the state
|ment after a conference this
morning with his civilian defense
chief. Inspector John E. Fondahl
The general said he sees no reason
why the program should not go
Ion.
The conference was prompted
lby questions raised about the
amounts of money received and
spent so far in the program and
the use Of District Building quar-
ters by a private company.
Run by Private Firm.
The program to identify victims
and unite families in case of dis
aster is being run by a private
firm because the District had nc
money to spend on it.
1t involves identification tags
known as "dog tags"-plus an in
tricate card filing system. It is
based on an agreement approved
by the Commissioners about six
months ago.
Gen. Robinson, besides express
ing his approval Of the program,
went into the District Building
space question. He said this dona-
ton OF space had been good for
civil defense because it provided
q downtown registration point.
Most Of the calls on the rooms
two telephones he said were in
coming calls from those seeking
civil defense information.
Inspector Fondahl, defended the
program today as the best yet de-
vised for disaster Identification. He
said he had asked a cost account
ing and had been assured of
getting it within "a hours.
To Ask Standards Check.
He said also he would have the
dog tags themselves tested at the
Bureau Of Standards to determine
their heat resistance. He said he
had been assured that the metal
used was similar to that in Army
dog tags. The first of the tags is
sued-5,000 Of them according to
what OCD had been told-were
|of brass because steel was not
available. Subsequently, according
to the company, they have been
made OF steel OF a type approved
by Federal civil defense.
Inspector Fondahl said they
were not made along the lines
recommended by the Federal OCr
for this reason: The Federal of.
flee recommends an engraved
bracelet tag which could not Al
into q machine where an impres.
sion could be made and trans
ferred to paper. The Districts
system, he explained, eliminate.
copying the information about q
victim from the tag. Instead, 9
hand-printer is used to transfer
the information from tag to pa
per.
The tags cost so cents.
Inspector Fondahl said the tag:
might have been obtained more
cheaply If the District had beer
able to call for bids, but it hac
no funds to support the program
and considered itself lucky to gel
private industry to do it.
Tags Are Only Part.
At the same time, he asserted
the tags are only a small part Of
the expense involved in setting ur
the Identification system. The othe1
|expenSes-which the private COM
pany, the United Equipment Co.
has agreed to provide-involve
the equipment to make it work.
AT some point along the line
the company and OCD officials
agreed. the revenue from the tags
and the initial outlay for equip
ment meet and profit begins.
w. H. Wolowitz, president OF
the United Equipment Co., esti.
mated that the operation would
begin to show a profit after $780,
600 persons had registered and got
their tags. At 100000 he estimated
the profit would reach 10 per cent
Beyond that percentage. he said
the money would 60 back to civil
defense to use as it saw at.
MIR. Wolowitz explained that
under the agreement which he
regards as contract, the equip
ment necessary to make the sys-
tenn operative would be supplied
gradually as more registrations
came in. This equipment has not
yet been supplied to the District
OCD was told today that 49.34a
tags have been sold and $24, ,67l AZ
has been received. OCD has not
been told what has been spent
and that's what it wants now.
School Registrations High.
Mr.. Wolowitz said that before
June II a total Of $4,000 had
registered. The. jump came wher
the school registrations came in
The School Board. he said, waited
until May 90 to approve the pro-
gram. and it had to be completed
in less than three weeks.
Under the plan, the money goes
into a fund from which the equip
ment agreed on is purchased, Mr.
Wolowitz said.
An OCD officials acknowledged
that so far the civilian defense
role has been to puhlicize the pro-
gram, following the initial confer
ences to map it out. There have
been unmet verbal requests peri
odically. Inspector Fohndal said
for q cost accounting. Mr.. Wolo-
witz said his records were open
for inspection at any time, and
he personally had never received
request for an accounting.
Paul H. Bolton. vice president
OF the National Association NJ