We believe in keeplng a strong mllltary posture, and have underscored this repeatedly. But in defense as well as in any other fleld of govemment, waste and duplication should be ferreted out and eliminated. Thus we command Rep. Gunn McKay (D-Utah), chalrrnan of the House Mllltary Construction Approprlatlons Committee, for movng to review defense-related planning and design funds. in an address before representatives of the natlon’s federal architectural and engineering contractors, Rep. Mc ay disclosed that investigation has revealed the Defense Department spent $30 million over a our-year period on planning and design of military aclllties whlch were never built. That is a deplorable waste of the taxpayers’ money. And lt’s only part of this particular story. The congressman said even more money ls spent to modify facllltles while they are being built – more than $63 million in 1977 alone! “Many of the modIflcatlons could have been avoided through better management and a review of projects at the planning. and de lgn levels.” The Uta n, who chairs the House panel which annually assembles the budget for the U.S. mllltary construction world-wlde, has outlined these goals for his committee: 1. Improvement of supervision and management of the planning program. ntil his committee undertook the task, he said, no congressional group had seriously reviewed how and where the department spends this share of its construction funds. 2. Reduction of “unaccestably high levels” of breakage, re eslgn and change-ordering – which accounted for such unnecessary spending as the $30 million and $83 mllllon cited above. 3. “Reform of the military Flanning machinery which inc udes layers of review and overview, constantly-changing priorities and nit-plcklng oversight of federal contractors. In spite of overlapping reviews virtually every cons ructlon contract has nlne or ten chang; orders costing thousands of dol rs each.” 4. Simplification of the relatlonshlp between the govemment and the professional de lgn community, taking suggestions made by the Utah Society of the American Institute of Architects. The Herald supports Rep. M’cKay in his announced program. Without doubt, tl1ere’s a lg field for achieving efficiency and economy in ml ltary construction design and planning. As the congressman says, “the growing complexity of government and of military affairs demands that we redouble our efforts to assure that the public ls ggttlng its money’s worth for rd-eamed tax dollars.” Let’s keep our defense strong; but we mus not tolerate waste the name of defense. Waste and duplication only neutralize strength and un ermlne effectlveness. So They Soy ”0bviously, I have less talent than I thought.” – Gloria Carter Spann, slster of the U.S. president, talking about her disorderly conduct arrest in an Americas, Ga., restaurant for playing s harmonica. The tune was ” ‘m So Lonesome I Could