[Information for New Employees]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
INFORMATION FOR NEW EMPLOYEES
JUNE 1942
OFFICE FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Personnel Office
Employee Service Section
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(Please return this booklet to the Personnel Office when you no longer need it. Do not throw it away.)
CONTENTS
Part I—CITY FACILITIES
Plan of City................;................................ P“gl
A Place to Live.................................................. 1
City Health Facilities and Social Agencies....................... 3
Medical and Dental Service....................................... 3
City Hospitals................................................... 3
Visiting Nurse Services......................................... 3
Settlement Houses................................................ 3
Travelers Aid Society............................................ 4
Legal Aid Bureau................................................. 4
Other Social Agencies............................................ 4
Group Health Association......................................... 4
Group Hospitalization............................................ 4
City Financial Services......................................... 4
Checking Accounts................................................ 4
Cashing Checks................................................... 5
Transportation................................................... 5
Churches....................................................... 5
Post Offices................................ ,.................. 7
Schools.......................................................... 7
Shopping......................................................... 7
City Recreation Facilities................................... . 7
Community War Work Opportunities............................... 13
Part II—EMPLOYEE SERVICES
Health and Safety....................’.......................... 14
First-Aid Rooms and Health Facilities........................... 14
Visiting Nurse.................................................. 14
U. S. Employee Compensation Act................................. 14
Counselling.............................................. ¡,. 14
Group Welfare................................................... 15
Financial Services....'......................................... 15
Emergency Loans............................................... 15
Credit Union.................................................... 15
War Bonds and Stamps.......................................... 16
Recreational Activities. .. .... ............................ 16
Employee Service Section. .:. 16
Federal Employee Unions......................................... 16
Part I
CITY FACILITIES
Plan of City
A street map of Washington should be studied in conjunction with the following description of the city.
To understand the plan of the city, visualize it as a gigantic compass, with the Capitol Building at the center. Pointing due north is North Capitol Street and pointing due south is South Capitol Street. Running east at right angles to these two is East Capitol Street. There is no West Capitol Street; the space west of the Capitol consists of a park called "The Mall,” the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial. By following these lines on your map you will see that Washington falls into four directional divisions: Northwest (NW.), Northeast (NE.), Southwest (SW.), and Southeast (SE.).
The streets running east and west are designated by letters of the alphabet and the streets running north and south are numbered. This can also be explained by the compass comparison. The numbered streets start with First Street, west of the Capitol, and a new numbered series begins with First Street, east of the Capitol. There are also two sets of alphabet streets, north and south of the Capitol. Thus, the city has four Fourth and D Street intersections, designated as NW., NE., SW., and SE. Principally in the Northwest section, there are second, third, and fourth alphabets. The second alphabet is composed of two syllable names, as Euclid, Fairmont, and Girard; the third alphabet uses three syllable names as Allison, Buchanan, and Crittenden; while the fourth alphabet (in Washington, D. C. and in Maryland) is composed of names of trees and flowers such as Dogwood, Elder, and Fern Streets.
Several avenues, named for States, radiate from the Capitol or the White House area; important exceptions are Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Florida, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island Avenues. Constitution and Independence Avenues run east and west.
A Place to Live
Consult Defense Housing Registry, Information Center, Fourteenth and Pennsylvania Avenue, Republic 1086. This agency is sponsored by the Washington Board of Trade, the National Housing Agency, and WPA. Available houses, apartments, and rooms are listed at this office after
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inspection by women volunteers. The Board of Trade, Republic 2600, also maintains a hotel and transient accommodations bureau in the same office.
The Arlington County Homes Registration Office, 3179 Wilson Boulevard, Chestnut 8229, offers a similar service for Arlington, Va.
The following community centers have lists of rooms in private homes and boarding houses which have been inspected by volunteer committees. This service is only one of the many social, cultural, physical, and educational opportunities these centers offer Government employees.
(1) Catholic Community Service Club, 918 Tenth Street NW., Republic 1527.
(2) Jewish Community Center, Sixteenth and Q Streets NW., Dupont 6162.
(3) YMCA, 1736 G Street NW., National 8250.
(4) YMCA, Twelfth Street Branch, 1816 Twelfth Street NW., Hobart 1054, which functions for Negro men chiefly.
(5) YWCA, Seventeenth and K Streets NW., Metropolitan 2100.
(6) YWCA, Phyllis Wheatley Branch, 901 Rhode Island Avenue NW., North 9100, which functions for Negro women chiefly.
Classified advertisements cover furnished and unfurnished houses, apartments, and rooms with and without meals. The Northwest section provides the widest selection. Generally speaking, rents in the Northeast and Southeast are below those in the Northwest.
Rooms in the suburban areas are more readily available now, are comparatively lower in price, and are cooler during the summer months.
Suggestions on Living Arrangements.—Costs for room and two meals a day will range from $42.50 to $65 a month. Rent for a single room, without meals, is from $20 to $35; a single room, with private bath, without meals, from $35 to $50; for a double room, from $17.50 to $25 each; for a double room, with private bath, from $20 to $25 each. The variation in price is dependent on both location and quality of furnishing.
A minimum for properly balanced meals purchased at restaurants and cafeterias is $1.25 a day. Light breakfasts can be obtained at lunch counters or drug stores for from 15 to 25 cents; while dinners are available at from 50 to 75 cents in cafeterias, and from 60 cents to $1 in restaurants and tea rooms. Many large Government buildings have cafeterias which serve excellent lunches for 25 cents.
Approximate rentals for apartments are as follows:
Furnished Unfurnished 1 room, kitchen, and bath.. ....................... $45—$70 $37—$58
2 rooms, kitchen, and bath.......................... 55— 80 45— 75
3 rooms, kitchen, and bath.......................... 70-100 60- 90
4 and 5 rooms, kitchen and bath..................... 80-150 70-125
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City Health Facilities and Social Agencies
Medical and Dental Service.—The Medical Bureau operated by the Medical Society of the District of Columbia will provide names of physicians to anyone calling Republic 6100. A physician may be obtained at any hour of the day or night.
Names of physicians who will give the physical examination required for new Government employees may also be obtained by calling Republic 6100. This examination will be given for a reasonable fee.
Information on dental services may be obtained by calling the Executive Secretary of the D. C. Dental Society, Room 202, 1835 Eye Street NW., Republic 4600.
City Hospitals.—Private and public hospitals are listed on page 206 of the city telephone directory, classified section.
Visiting Nurse Services—
Washington area: The Instructive Visiting Nurse Association, Albee Building, Metropolitan 5246, has a nursing service which will give assistance in the home for a reasonable charge.
Arlington area: The Instructive Visiting Nurse Association, 3248 Wilson Boulevard, Chestnut 5171, offers a similar nursing service for this community.
Montgomery County, Md., area: The Red Cross Center, Norwood Drive, Bethesda, Oliver 3297, gives nursing service in this county. Settlement Houses—
Friendship House, 619 D Street SE.: A recreational, social, and educational center sponsoring an activities program for the Southeast community. The interest of the Friendship House staff in defense employees living in this section of the city has resulted in an invitation to such workers to attend "at home” evenings on the first and third Mondays of each month.
Barney Neighborhood House, 470 N Street SW.: Functions similarly for the Southwest community. Their Rhodes Service Club, 1315 Fourth Street SW., has dances on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights for service men to which Government workers are invited as hostesses.
Northwest Settlement House, 515 M Street NW. A settlement and community house for Negroes, for the social, intellectual, moral, physical, and spiritual development of residents of the neighborhood. Recreation, athletics, music, arts and crafts, and adult education classes are offered. A nursery school is maintained for the benefit of working mothers.
Christ Child House, 608 Massachusetts Avenue NE.: Offers classes and club work in a wide variety of vocational, cultural, athletic, and educational subjects as well as having a convalescent home in the country for children. They are especially eager to have newcomers to Washington volunteer for leadership in their activities.
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Travelers Aid Society, .Union Station.—Gives emergency assistance over week-ends to both residents and nonresidents (those in Washington less than a year). This is the social service agency for all nonresidents.
Legal Aid Bureau.—Located at 1400 L Street NW., National 8674, is established to give legal assistance without charge to those needing such help.
Other Social Agencies.—The Council of Social Agencies, 1101 M Street NW., Metropolitan 2284, is the application center for problems involving the use of Washington social agencies.
Group Health Association is a cooperative organization of persons in the employ of the United States Government who desire to provide themselves and their dependents with medical and hospital services on a prepayment plan. Members of this group receive medical and surgical examinations and treatments at the clinic, home, or hospital in addition to other services such as X-ray, obstetrical care, eye examinations, etc. The initial cost is a $2 application fee for the member and each dependent, payable at the time application is made. After acceptance a $10 membership fee is required for the member only and may be paid at the rate of $1 per month. Continuing costs are $2 per month for each adult 21 and over, $1 per month for each child under 21. If a family includes more than 3 children the monthly cost for the children remains at $3. For further information see the distributed pamphlet on Group Health, or call Republic 1575.
Group Hospitalization, Incorporated, is a civic, nonprofit organization providing a hospital service plan for employed persons by which their hospital expenses and those of their families can be met through easy budget prepayments. The activities of this institution, which was organized in 1933, are now being carried on under a charter from the Congress of the United States. Subscribers and their physicians have access to 12 hospitals in Washington subject, of course, to the regulations of each hospital. Many hospital services, including hospital care up to 21 days in any contract year, are available to each participant.
Employees in sound health, who know of no condition which might require hospital care, are eligible for membership. The monthly fee for a single person is 65 cents; for husband and wife, $1.50; for a subscriber and family (including all children between the ages of 90 days and 18 years), $1.75. Membership lists are open to new members periodically. Further information can be obtained by calling Republic 5252.
City Financial Services
Checking Accounts.—At local banks, service charges are based on the activity of the account and the average balance carried; if the checking account averages over $100, but is not higher than $200, no charge is made for the first 8 checks; if the balance in any month falls below $100,
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a $1 service charge is generally made. The $1 charge permits the issuance of 10 checks, with a 5-cent charge for each additional check.
Some hanks have established a checking-account service which will appeal to small depositors. For a service charge of $1, 10 checks can be written, with no minimum deposit.
A few banks give short-term personal loans at reasonable rates of interest. Further information may be obtained from your Employee Service Officer.
Cashing Checks.—Department stores will cash Government checks if you have identification.
Most banks will not cash checks without identification by a depositor. It is possible to open a savings account and obtain this service, of course.
Transportation
Busses and Streetcars.—The Capital Transit Co. map usually distributed with this pamphlet gives detailed instructions. on bus and streetcar routes. A single fare is 10 cents, while 6 tokens are 50 cents. A weekly pass (obtainable from conductors on busses and streetcars for $1.25) may be used any number of times on any bus or streetcar in the District. It is good for 1 week beginning 5 a. m. Sunday.
The Transit Co. map shows the street plan of the entire city, and should be consulted for addresses outside of the section covered by the small map. Call Michigan 6363 for further information on public transportation facilities.
This map also includes an index to streets and a brief description of points of interest to visitors.
Taxicabs.—The fare for one or two passengers in the first zone, which includes Union Station, the Capitol, the downtown business section, and has Florida Avenue and Twenty-second Street as its northern and western boundaries, is 30 cents. The fare jumps to 40 cents in the second zone, 60 cents in the third zone, 80 cents in the fourth zone, with additional charges for trips involving special stops and indirect travel. There is a 10-cent charge for each piece of hand baggage in excess of two pieces. There is a 10-cent charge for each passenger beyond the number of two. Further information relative to zone areas may be secured by calling National 4000, Extension 231.
Pedestrian Safety.—Attention is called to the fact that pedestrians are as rigidly ruled by traffic lights in Washington as are automobiles.
Churches
The churches of Washington will give a hearty welcome to all newcomers who make their presence in Washington known to the pastors.
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A complete index of churches appears on pages 4 and 5 of the classified section of the telephone directory. Information as to the times of meeting, sermon subjects, and activities for the week will be found in the Saturday newspapers. Also watch the bulletin boards in the Government agencies for weekly announcements of church programs and activities.
The "Committee on Religious Life in the Nation’s Capital” has as its main function "helping newcomers find congenial religious fellowship.” Cards which may be mailed to this Committee are available in each Employee Service Office, and in this way immediate contact may be made with the church of one’s preference.
Morning services of Washington churches are very well attended, and many churches hold extra morning services to accommodate the crowds. For this reason it is suggested that newcomers get acquainted with the young peoples’ groups in the Sunday schools or those that meet in the evening, as these groups are intentionally made smaller so that personal attention may be given to strangers. You will find people from every State in the Union in most churches, and these "home folks” are especially interested in making new friends from their States.
In addition to religious services, Washington churches offer many educational and recreational facilities, dramatic societies, socials, outings, picnics, seasonal sports, singing, social service work, sight-seeing tours, book review clubs, music appreciation groups—in short, they offer to the newcomer a well-rounded program of activity to help him get acquainted with the city, its life, and its people.
The Protestant work is coordinated by the Federation of Churches, located at 1751 N Street NW. There is now a program in cooperation with the local churches of interest to all newcomers. Weekly notices of special interest to newcomers are posted on the various bulletin boards of the Office for Emergency Management and other Government offices. For additional information call the Federation of Churches, Decatur 3132. Ask for Mr. Hartman.
The local Catholic churches are centering their recreational activities in the National Catholic Community Service Club, 918 Tenth Street NW. Through the club, information can be secured about any of the individual churches and their services. A list of available rooms is also maintained. The club names bowling, ping-pong, dances, dancing classes, and a radio recording machine among its facilities for entertainment and is open all week, with dances for servicemen Saturday and Sunday.
Washington has about 20 synagogues which concentrate their activity program in the Jewish Community Center, Sixteenth and Q Streets NW. Some of the synagogues hold discussion groups after the service Friday evening. The Center can give complete information about the synagogues and the room list it maintains. Its own program provides for everything from swimming to drawing classes. Its membership is nonsectarian.
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Post Offices
Post-office substations are listed on page 829 of the city telephone directory, under "United States Government.”
Schools
The Board of Education, Thirteenth and K Streets NW., National 1300, will supply information on locations of grammar schools and junior and senior high schools.
In addition to the various technical, professional, and academic schools offering higher education, the Department of Agriculture has its Graduate School. Its purpose is to offer further training courses to Government employees which will help prepare for advancement, and for which college' credit may be received.
Shopping
The main shopping district is on and near F Street from Seventh to Fourteenth. On Connecticut Avenue, from K Street to Chevy Chase, there are small clothing shops. Small stores also are found on H Street NE. and on Pennsylvania Avenue SE. On upper Fourteenth Street, near Park Road, stores are open until 9 p. m.
To provide evening shopping opportunities for Government workers both department stores and small shops are open from 12:30 to 9 p. m. on Thursday.
Many stores invite new customers to open charge accounts. It is suggested that new employees consult experienced Washingtonians about reputable credit establishments before opening accounts.
The personal shopping facilities of some of the large department stores are helpful to persons with individual buying problems.
City Recreation Facilities¹
The D. C. ‘Recreation Department, 3149 Sixteenth Street NW., Adams 2050, operates recreation centers throughout the city as well as play centers for children of preschool age. The location and facilities of these may be learned directly from that department or from the Employee Service Officer in your agency. This department also issues permits for outdoor facilities for baseball, handball, horseshoes, picnic areas, picnic kits, softball, and tennis.
Athletic Activities
Bowling: Bowling alleys can be found in all sections of the city. See classified section of telephone directory for various locations most accessible.
¹ The information listed covers several seasonal activities.
461928°—42-----------2
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Bicycling.—The Welfare Bicycle Academy, Fourteenth Street and Hains Point Drive SW. (open until 11 p. m.), Metropolitan 8940, rents bicycles for riding around Hains Point and in East Potomac Park for 30 cents an hour in the daytime and 35 cents in the evenings. Unless you are with a group a deposit is required. See telephone directory for other bicycle rental services in various sections of the city.
Canoeing: Boats can be rented from public boathouses near Thirty -sixth and K Streets NW., and at the Tidal Basin. The upper Potomac has great scenic beauty, but in the vicinity of Chain Bridge currents are treacherous and this section of the river should be avoided by inexperienced canoeists.
Country Clubs: There are 10 or more country clubs in the immediate vicinity of the city. The majority of these have 18-hole golf courses, tennis courts, and in most cases indoor or outdoor swimming pools. As a general rule, it is possible to play golf only when sponsored by a club member or by another club.
Fishing: License is not required to fish in the District waters of the Potomac River and the Tidal Basin, nor the Chesapeake Bay. The bay offers excellent salt-water fishing. Boats can be hired at resorts on the lower Potomac and the Chesapeake Bay.
Golf: Public courses at Hains Point, East Potomac Park, Potomac Park, Metropolitan 9190 (four 9-hole courses); Rock Creek Park, Georgia 9832 (one 18-hole course); West Potomac Park, Metropolitan 8292 (one 9-hole course); Langston, Trinidad 9364 (one 9-hole course). The charges are nominal: 15 cents for nine holes during the week, and 25 cents on weekends and holidays.
Hiking: Persons interested in trails more rugged than the city parks afford can secure information about mountain hikes in the Blue Ridge and the Alleghenies, in both Pennsylvania and Virginia, from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, 808 Seventeenth Street NW., National 5851.
The Capital Hiking Club, Michigan 6363, branch 607, and the Wanderbirds’ Hiking Club, Columbia 9120, schedule Sunday hikes and also arrange dances throughout the year.
Horseback Riding: There are miles of trails in Potomac and Rock Creek Parks. Persons preferring country riding will find riding schools in nearby sections of Virginia and Maryland.
Outdoor Program of National Capital Parks: The pamphlet, "Outdoor Programs, National Capital Parks, Season 1942,” describes: (1) "Campfire programs,” a series of outdoor illustrated talks and moving pictures on exploration, travel, national parks, and natural history subjects, held at 8:30 o’clock each Friday evening during the summer at the Sylvan Theater on the Washington Monument grounds; (2) "Sunday outings,” conducted bird, tree, and nature walks. These continue through the month of December, and perhaps even later if the interest is sufficient and the weather permits. Short hikes are scheduled
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Saturday afternoons for those interested in brisk walks rather than informational trips.
A schedule can be obtained from the Park Naturalist, Room 1223, Interior Building, Eighteenth and D Streets NW., or by telephoning Republic 1820, branch 2557. After office hours ask for Park Police, branch 2555.
Park Service is repeating its successful horse-drawn barge trips on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal this summer. Trips are made Saturdays and Sundays, leaving 36th and M Streets NW., at 10 a. m.; the return trip leaving Cabin John, Maryland, at 2 p. m. It is a 3/2-hour trip for 7% picturesque miles including "locking through” three of the canal’s ancient locks. Tickets can be purchased at the Special Bus Department of the Capital Transit Company, 1416 F Street NW., until 5 p. m. each Saturday. Reservations may be made for future dates. Streetcar Stop No. 39, of the Cabin John line, is nearest the barge landing. Refreshments and sandwiches are available on the barge, and morning passengers are invited to bring picnic baskets. Additional information may be obtained by telephoning Michigan 6363, Extension 607.
Picnics and Outdoor Ovens: Free permits can be obtained for use of outdoor ovens from National Capital Parks, room 1211, South Interior Building, Eighteenth and D Streets NW. Rock Creek Park has 25 ovens, with tables and benches; Fort Dupont in Southeast Washington has 40 picnic groves with ovens and tables. (Fort Dupont can be reached by personal car by driving out Pennsylvania Avenue SE., to Anacostia Road, turning left, then right into the park. It is also possible to go to Fort Dupont by bus.)
Swimming: Pools open to the public include:
East Potomac Park (on Hains Point), Republic 0409.
Anacostia Swimming Pool, Anacostia Park SE., Franklin 6236.
Banneker Swimming Pool,² Georgia Avenue and Howard Place NW., Columbia 8336.
Dunbar Pool,² First and N Streets NW., National 6000.
Francis Jr. Swimming Pool,² Twenty-fifth and N Streets NW., Republic 1593.
McKinley, Lincoln Road and R Street NE., Decatur 4268.
Takoma, Fourth and Van Buren Streets NW., Georgia 6281.
YWCA, Seventeenth and K Streets NW. (physical examination required).
YMCA, 1736 G Street NW., National 8250.
YMCA,² 1816 Twelfth Street NW., Hobart 1054.
Jewish Community Center, Sixteenth and Q Streets NW., Decatur 5422.
The following hotels also have pools:
Wardman Park (indoor and outdoor).
Shoreham (indoor).
Ambassador (indoor).
¹ Serving Negroes.
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Salt-water bathing is available at Annapolis Roads, Benedict Beach,² Beverly Beach, Carrs Beach,² Chesapeake Beach, Colton Beach,² Plum Point, and other resorts on the Chesapeake Bay. Nearest ocean resorts are Ocean City, Md., and Rehoboth and Bethany Beach, Del. These resorts are from 4 to 5 hours distant by motor (via the Matapeake Ferry from Annapolis to Maryland’s Eastern Shore). Atlantic City, Ocean City, and Wildwood are New Jersey resorts which can be reached by motor in 5 hours (via the Pennsville Ferry). Virginia Beach, near Norfolk, Va., can be reached overnight by boat from Washington, as well as by car.
Tennis: Season permits for free public courts can be secured from the D. C. Recreation Department, 3149 Sixteenth Street NW.; call Adams 2050 for locations.
The Welfare and Recreation Association operates fee courts (40 cents per hour) at Sixteenth and Kennedy Streets NW., at Pierce Mill in Rock Creek Park (foot of Tilden Street NW.), and also opposite Jefferson Memorial. Play starts on the hour, and firstcome, first served.
Sidwell Friends School, 3901 Wisconsin Avenue NW., Woodley 0953. This is a private school which has extended tennis privileges to war workers.
Educational and Social Activities
Washington offers in this field a remarkable opportunity to enjoy all the activities found only in the largest cities of our country. Each person can find full expression for his particular interests either as a spectator or as a participator. Further details than those listed below may be secured from newspaper announcements and advertisements, the organizations themselves, the Public Library, and from notices on the bulletin boards located in the different Government divisions.
Amusement Park: Dancing, swimming, motorboats, coaster dips, and other amusement facilities are offered during the summer months by Washington’s only amusement park, Glen Echo. Take route 20 car, marked "Cabin John,” anywhere along Pennsylvania Avenue, west of the Capitol. Round-trip fare, 25 cents.
Art Galleries include the Corcoran at Seventeenth and New York Avenue NW.; Freer, Twelfth and Independence Avenue SW.; National, Constitution Avenue and Sixth Street NW.; and Phillips, 1600 Twenty-first Street NW. Admissions are generally free. Special exhibits will be noted in the papers. The Corcoran and Phillips Galleries offer courses of instruction, while various lecture series are given by the galleries.
The National Gallery of Art is inaugurating a series of Special Sunday Evening Openings from 2 to 10 p. m. Concerts arranged especially as a courtesy to service men and war workers will be given in the East Garden Court on several Sunday evenings. Supper will be served in the Gallery cafeteria from 5 to 8 p. m.
² Serving Negroes.
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Boat Excursions: During the summer there are daily and nightly round-trips on the Potomac River at low rates. Boats (with dance orchestras) sail down the river from Maine Avenue wharves.
The Capitol—the unique advantage of Washington over other cities. One can hear Senators and Representatives meet in Congressional session to make the laws and form the policies under which the Nation is governed. Their committee hearings, most of which are open to the public, are especially interesting. They give an opportunity to hear not only the Congressmen but also the nationally known scientific and professional men appearing at the hearings.
Dances for selective-service men are organized under the auspices of:
The Women’s Battalion of the D. C. Council of Defense, 306 Ninth Street NW., Executive 5440.
The USO, 306 Ninth Street NW., Executive 5440, arranges dances in cooperation with local organizations.
The local churches organized under the Federation of Churches and the USO with Mr. Hartman, Decatur 3132, in charge.
The YWCA, YMCA, Phyllis Wheatley YWCA, Catholic Community Service Club and Jewish Community Center. These organizations are eager for the participation of war workers in their social programs and will be glad to give detailed information about participation in their activities if they are called.
Lectures: Among the organizations sponsoring lectures and informal courses of study are the National Park Service, National Geographic Society, Phyllis Wheatley YWCA, Red Cross, YWCA, YMCA, and the Public Library, which also has complete information about these and the various lecture bureaus of the city.
Libraries: The Library of Congress offers changing exhibits of books, photographic art, drawings, and etchings, in addition to magazine reading rooms and regular library services. Home city newspapers are available in the public reading room. Open Monday through Saturday, 9 a. m. to 6 p. m.; Sundays and holidays, 2 p. m. to 10 p. m.
The Carnegie City Library is at Ninth and K Streets NW. Open Monday to Friday, 9 a. m. to 9 p. m.; Saturday, 9 a. m. to 4 p. m.; closed Sunday during summer. The Library extends a welcome to all newcomers and members of their families and an invitation to visit the Central Library (Ninth and K Streets NW.) and its 12 neighborhood branches.
At the Central Library, the Washingtoniana or local history division will answer any questions about the city; one may listen to favorite records in the Music Division or attend concerts, see excellent art exhibits in connection with the art department, or sit quietly and read the books and magazines. Books may be drawn for home use from the excellent collection in all fields of knowledge.
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Those wishing to follow a planned course of reading should consult a Library adviser. These services are available in a lesser degree at the branches.
Cards entitling one to withdraw books from the Central Library and the branches may be obtained without cost, but identification bearing residence address and letter of appointment or building pass should be brought.
Two helpful monthly pubheations are distributed free at all libraries, "Informal Education in Washington,” which fists lectures, plays, concerts, art exhibits, and recreational activities with cost, if any, and the "Monthly List of Selected Books.”
Phone National 6776 for location of branches or any other information.
Movies and Theaters: Amusement sections of all papers carry announcements of theater and movie attractions which vary according to the seasons. Through the fall, winter, and spring season New York productions of plays and musical comedies are presented weekly at the National Theater.
There are summer theaters, both commercial and nonprofessional, within short driving distances of Washington. Bills are changed weekly and include modem play hits and melodrama.
Theater sections in Sunday papers carry announcements of nonprofessional group programs of the Columbia Players, Pierce Hall Players, Montgomery Players, and the Drama Workshop of the Jewish Community Center.
Museums: The two largest are the National Museum, Tenth Street and Constitution Avenue NW., and the Smithsonian Institution, Tenth Street and Independence Avenue SW. Both are open from 9 a. m. to 4.30 p. m. during the week, and from 1.30 p. m. to 4.30 p. m. on Sundays. There are no admission charges.
Music. The music bureaus (see telephone directory, classified) offer symphony concerts, musicales, appreciation lectures, and concerts. The Army, Navy, and Marine Bands open their broadcasts to the public. The Navy and Marine Bands broadcast some evenings at their barracks, Eighth and M Streets SE., and Eighth and I Streets SE., respectively. Opportunities for individual and group work in music as well as appreciation courses are given by the YWCA, the Jewish Community Center, and the Public Library.
During the summer months band concerts are given at the Capitol, the Sylvan Theater on the Washington Monument grounds, and in Potomac and other city parks.
Starlight chamber-music concerts are presented twice a week from a concert shell facing the reflecting pool in Meridian Park, Sixteenth and Florida Avenue NW. The series, beginning in June, lasts 8 weeks. Top admission is 55 cents (for reserved seats) and 30 cents (for unreserved seats) ; tickets can be purchased at the park or at Cappel Concert Bureau, 1340 G Street NW., Republic 3503.
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The famous Sunset Symphonies by the National Symphony Orchestra, at the Water Gate near Lincoln Memorial, begin late in June and continue twice weekly through July. Tickets can be purchased at Symphony Box Office, Kitt’s Music Store, 1330 G Street NW., National 7332.
Dramatic and choral entertainment and band concerts will also be presented at the Water Gate during the summer months.
Newspapers from many of the smaller cities are available in the Congressional Library, Public Library at Seventh and K Streets NW., newsstands at Nineteenth and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. and Fifteenth and F Streets NW., and a moving truck which in the morning is at Nineteenth and E Streets NW. and in the evenings is at Fourteenth Street and New York Avenue NW.
State Societies are social organizations whose members are former residents of the States. Each State has a society, which meets several times yearly for dances, dinners, picnics, etc. Information about your State society can be supplied by the office of your Senator or Congressman (telephone National 3120 and ask for your Senator or Representative) or call the Employee Service Section, Extension 6404.
Community War Work Opportunities
Employees of the OEM agencies are forming civilian mobilization committees in an effort to enlist the varied skills and interests of all in some form of volunteer war work. Washington has many established local agencies that need voluntary services at this time as well as those newly created which include in their programs both training and volunteer opportunities. Since employees of OEM are regularly engaged in war work on their jobs, they should not engage in voluntary outside activities which will interfere with their regular duties.
The American Women’s Voluntary Services, 2170 Florida Avenue, NW., Dupont 1478, has many training classes given during the day and in the evening. They include first aid, civilian protection, motor corps, food conservation, home gardening, and a junior auxiliary. The Civilian Defense Volunteer Office, 2324 F Street NW., Executive 5440, Extension 60, is the central registration office for volunteer work relative to civilian protection and mobilization. They have classified 131 different services in which they have placed volunteers. Work in which one may participate includes volunteering in hospitals, inspection of houses for Homes Registration Office, assisting on the rationing boards and selective service boards, air-raid wardens, hostesses, and sale of war bonds. The Red Cross, 1730 E Street NW., National 1910, has established first aid, nurse’s aide, canteen, and motor courses, training being necessary before work can be done. Those willing to be blood donors register with the Red Cross or with the Naval Hospital, 23rd and C Street NW., Republic 8300, Extension 212. Information can also be secured by calling the Employee Service Section, Extension 6404.
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Part II EMPLOYEE SERVICES
Health and Safety
First-Aid Rooms and Health Facilities.—First-aid rooms have been established in Washington in the following OEM agencies:³
Agency Address Room Telephone
No. extension
Personnel Office.............. Tempo. U................... 2028 6404
Lend-Lease.................. 515 22d St. NW............. 101 6582
Civilian Defense.............. Dupont Circle Bldg.......... 426 71508
Printing and Duplicating...... 1111 18th St. NW............ 110 72474
Service Operations, CAS....... 1242 24th St. NW............ 110 72581
W ar Production Board........ Railroad Retirement Bldg..... 3050 5170
Do...................... Tempo. E................... 127 4832
Do...................... Tempo. R................... 1026 5839
Do...................... 462 Indiana Ave. NW........ 409 3483
Do...................... Raleigh Hotel.............. 1033 72368
Office of Price Administration. . Tempo. D................... 17 6443
Do...................... Tempo. S................... 1028 6884
Do...................... La Salle Building............ 3005 71694
Do...................... Census Building............. 4115 6443
Registered nurses are on duty in the first-aid rooms for the purpose of administering first aid to ill and injured employees and promoting the general health of employees. Advice on health problems and the various health facilities of the city may be obtained from the nurses.
Visiting Nurse.—A nurse is available for home visits to ill employees. Requests for a visit to an employee may come from the employee himself, a fellow worker, or supervisor. This service may be secured by calling Republic 7500, Extension 6404 or 2429. The object of the visit by the nurse is to determine whether or not the employee is receiving adequate medical or nursing care and to advise him on matters of hospitalization, credit union, loans, leave, checks, etc.
U. S. Employee Compensation Act.—Information on services and regulations regarding Employee Compensation Act may be found in A Handbook for Employees, prepared by the Personnel Office.
Counselling
Individual aid and counselling are available to employees through the Employee Service Section on questions regarding such subjects as housing, health, loans, budgeting, arrangements for care of children during working hours, recreation, community facilities, and the various personal problems growing out of the employee’s working relationships and duties.
³ First-aid kits are available in departments and agencies of OEM which have no emergency rooms. Employees in these agencies should consult their supervisors when they need first-aid treatment; the supervisors will refer them to the first-aid representatives in charge of the kits.
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These services are available to employees of the War Production Board/through the Counselling Unit in the WPB Personnel Office and to those in the Office of Price Administration through the Employee Service Section.
Group Welfare
The Employee Service Section is responsible for activities within OEM relative to group welfare. Share-Your-Car clubs have been organized in an effort to use the entire capacity of all cars and to help eliminate unnecessary driving. Cooperative purchasing, with accompanying discounts, is developed. Group health and hospitalization facilities are available. Phases of consumer education are brought to the attention of employees.
Financial Services
Emergency Loans.—The need for a revolving fund from which employees may, in dire emergencies, quickly borrow small amounts without payment of interest has been met in several OEM divisions. It is probable that emergency loan funds will eventually be established in all OEM agencies where there is need.
Credit Union.—A credit union is a cooperative organization through which individuals having some common bond of interest, such as the same employer, may have their own means for saving and for securing small personal loans. The Defense Federal Credit Union, Federally chartered, provides this service for OEM employees. It is owned and operated by the members, who elect their own officers, directors, and committees.
Any employee may join by paying the membership fee of 25 cents and by subscribing to the purchase of at least one share of stock, priced at $5, which may be paid for in deposits of at least 25 cents a month. No employee is permitted to hold more than $1,000 of stock.
The payment of a 25-cent entrance fee plus the deposit of an initial 25 cents on a $5 share of stock, which applicant must contract to buy with payments of not less than 25 cents a month, will entitle the applicant to the financial assistance of the credit union, after he has been approved for membership by the board of directors.
Interest on shares is paid in the form of dividends, which are declared by the members at the annual meeting held in January.
Collectors whose functions are to accept membership fees and to collect payments on loans or on stock shares are assigned to various offices and are readily accessible.
Savings may be withdrawn at will, subject to the usual savings-bank provision for 60 days’ notice, which is rarely invoked. Credit-union funds are deposited in an insured bank, where they are held until needed for loans or withdrawals.
The Office of Price Administration Credit Union functions similarly.
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War Bonds and Stamps.—A payroll allotment plan has been established to enable all employees to participate in the campaign for saving through purchase of War Savings Bonds. Under the terms of the saving plan the employee allots 10 percent of his salary for the purchase of bonds. Employees are expected to participate to the fullest extent possible. The bonds mature in ten years, at which time the Government will return to the purchaser $100 for every $75 borrowed.
Recreational Activities
As a part of the program for new employees, the OEM Employee Service Section assists employee groups in arranging for recreational and social activities both within OEM agencies and in connection with community organizations. New employees wishing to form interest groups are assisted by the Employee Service Section in finding local facilities. Although these activities are sometimes initiated by the Service Section, employees have the responsibility for their continuance. In brief, these services are for the purpose of helping new employees help themselves find the recreational outlets which are necessary to good morale and job efficiency.
In some agencies employees have established associations to sponsor athletic and social programs. New employees are welcomed by these groups.
In cooperation with Service Clubs at Fort Meade and other camps, the Employee Service Section arranges bus trips to the camps for evening dances and Sunday concerts.
Employee Service Section
The Employee Service Section of the OEM Personnel Office provides general direction and guidance for the entire OEM Employee Service program. Employee Service Units have also been established in each OEM Branch Personnel Office to provide such a prograni for the agency or agencies serviced by the Branch, with assistance and guidance from the Central Employee Service Section.
The Office of Price Administration Personnel Office also includes an Employee Service Section.
Federal Employee Unions
Federal unions organized in Washington include the American Federation of Government Employees, affiliated with the American Federation of Labor; the National Federation of Federal Employees, an iudependent Federal union; and the United Federal Workers’ Union, affiliated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations. These groups welcome membership of employees interested in participating in union activities.
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U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1942
The material in this pamphlet was assembled by the Employee Service Section of the Personnel Office for the convenience of OEM employees who are new to Washington.
IN DEFENSE OF HEALTH
For the convenience of new employees and in the interest of health and efficiency, there is printed below a nutrition guide recommended by the Office of Defense Health and Welfare Services.
An adequate daily diet should include:
Milk and Milk Products—two glasses—as a beverage, on cereal, or in cooked dishes. One slice of cheese may be taken in place of one glass of milk.
Orange, tomato, grapefruit, raw cabbage, or green salad—one serving.
Green or yellow vegetables—one or more servings.
Other vegetables or fruit—two or more servings— such as potatoes or apples. They may be cooked or raw.
Bread and cereal. Use whole grain bread or cereal or enriched white bread.
Meat, poultry, or fish—one serving. Occasionally, dried beans or peas may be used in place of meat.
Eggs—at least three or four a week.
Butter and other spreads such as vitamin-rich fats, peanut butter—on bread, on vegetables, in codking.
Also eat other foods you like.
Get adequate sleep.
Fresh air and sunlight—as much as possible.