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like a thousand tons of bricks. That's exactly what you want, I think, in a public works administration. Also, he's a very well-informed and socially minded man, and in the selection of projects he will, I think, lean to the practical and useful and effective objects rather than ornamental post offices as public works projects. He'll have a sensible attitude, I think. You can always give him an advisory committee, and I'd like to be on that advisory committee.”

The President laughed at that, and I said, “Well, I mean only for the selection of the works, and for putting in my oar about the labor problems, because there will be dreadful labor problems on a public works project. Are you going to pay the prevailing rate of wages? What are you going to do when the carpenters go on strike? All that kind of thing is going to come in and certainly the Secretary of Labor or somebody from that outfit ought to have something to advise.”

He said, “Well, it's very irregular, but I think you're right in your estimate of Harold. I don't know him very well myself, but I think that's right. I don't know why it's so terrible to have a Cabinet officer to take on another duty.”

Of course, I later came to the idea that it would have been better to have put everything under some Cabinet officer -