The Application of Comparative Unit Costs to the Highway Engineering Business

• Author: William H. Connell
• DOI: 10.1177/000271622411300117
• Published date: 01 May 1924
• Date: 01 May 1924
• Subject Matter: Articles

128
THE ANNALS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY
on the standardization of supplies and
vice which the central office can furnish.
provisions had interesting meetings and
The Department of Welfare is finding
laid the foundation for much construc-
that its institutions are looking to it for
tive work. The committee on the
this service. It is also observing that
standardization of shoes discovered
its’ boards of trustees, possessing men
that no less than fifty-seven styles were
experienced in manufacturing and com-
being purchased by the institutions; the
merce, are able and enthusiastically
committee reduced the number to
willing to give intelligent, serious con-
fourteen. The committee on dairy
sideration to the problems of construc-
products agreed that butter testing
tion. It is hardly conceivable that a
from 88 to 90 should prove satisfactory
central board or commission could
for institutional use and that it was not
render such an intimate service to each
economical to purchase butter testing
of its numerous institutions.
higher than 90, since it must be pur-
The transition in Pennsylvania from
chased ordinarily at a premium. The
the methods of supervision employed
developments in other committees were
by an unpaid board to the more
equally interesting, and show how
aggressive leadership of a Department
stewards can be stimulated to study to
of Welfare has been under way now for
improve their work.
about two and a half years. The
It is proposed to exercise budgetary
budget system has been in effect for
control over construction work in the
nine months. Readjustments have not
institutions in the same general way.
as yet been completed. The Depart-
The state must have a building policy
ment, however, is satisfied that the plan
and a building program looking ahead
of budgetary control herein discussed
two, four, and ten or more years. A
will prove to be highly satisfactory to
local board cannot be permitted to dis-
all concerned. The line of demarca-
regard...