Evening star., 1953-12-27
Pooling ofCars
|0f City Aides 10
Asked Again
$4,000 Saving
Seen if Service
Is Consolidated
By John w. Stepp

py JOHH w. Stepp
District government reorgani-
zation officials this week will try
20 tackle again the problem Of
convincing old-line department
heads that their vehicle and
messenger services should be
pooled.
Efficiency and economy are
the watchwords of the pooling
idea. Administrative Services
Officer James McCallister seven
months ago told Congress of the
plan and how it would save. But
in the interim scarcely more than
recommendations. objections and
conferences have resulted.
AS the time draws closer for
congressional hearings on the
fiscal 1855 District budget, some
of the Government staffers are
worrying over the prospect that
legislators may ask what hap
pened to the motor messenger
pool plan promised during the
1854 budget hearings.
100000 Saving Seen.
Under proposals rendered by
the reorganization staff, NUM-
cipal expenses could be cut by
$50 900 per year if the service
of 80 passenger automobiles and
70 messengers were consolidated.
A centralization of mail and ma
chine duplicating service is also
involved in the plan.
According to reports, the Com
missioners individually have
given their approval to the sug-
gested program. AS Brig. Gen.
Louis w. PrentiSs, District En-
gineer Commissioner, stated yes
terday: eve are in favor of any
consolidation that will save
money and promote efficiency"
But this informal ratification
has so far availed little. A con-
ference lust before the Christ
mas holidays among engineer
department heads and Assistant
Engineer Commissioner Thad-
deus Nosek had no clearer result
than that the department chiefs
favor the pool idea except where
it applies to them.
1t. Col. Nosek, specially as
signed-to get some agreement on
the pool plan, is expected to get
further reports this week. 1t is
understood that he made one
point that apparently impressed
the agency heads. He said the
three Assistant Engineer Com
miSsioners themselves were will
ing to surrender their individual
official cars to pool.
Some Cars Idle All Day.
A principal goal of the motor
pool plan is to end a situation
where passenger cars available
for the individual use-in some
cases with chauffeurs-of top de-
partment officials sit around idle
much of the day waiting for
calls. At least one of these last
year showed a total mileage of
but 1900 miles. The yearly
mileage of many ranges from
1000 to 1000.
On the other hand, a limited
pool of only two cars regis
tered 10000 miles each for the
year. These vehicles we're not
for the exclusive use of any one,
but subject to call by several
agencies.
General Administration Di-
rector Schuyler Lowe said the
pool recommendation could
mean the dropping of as many
as eight cars from the Govern
ment's 120-car fleet of passenger
vehicles. Probably the only cars
that would be excluded from the
pool would be those of the Com
missioners and such employees
as inspectors whose need for
transportation is virtually all
day every day.
Good Service For All.
The plan to shift messenger
service from an exclusively indi-
vidual basis to a pool also has
met resistance, and on the same
grounds. Mr.. Lowe conceded
that some department heads
would not have the service to
which they have been accus-
toned. But under the plan"
he said, there would be good
flrst-class service for ALL"
One aspect of the messenger
pool would involve regularly
scheduled trips from, say, the
District Building to Municipal
Center each day for routine
communications. Other mes
sengers would be available for
special deliveries. But under
the plan. the situation where
messengers spend a large part
of each day delivering nothing
would cease.
A strong argument that the
reorganiZers advance is that the
Federal Government has had an
automobile and messenger pool
in effect for years, and it has