survey of industrial medical care facilities offered by Maryland em-
ployers; a study of the growth of manufactures in Maryland during
the years 1921-1947; a survey of newly-established manufacturing
firms in the State, which was carried on to determine the reasons for
their selecting Maryland as a location; and an economic prospectus
of the Baltimore Metropolitan Area. The Commission publishes a
monthly News Letter.

Expenditures, 1950 $60,731.12
Appropriation, 1951 63,704.00
Staff: 14.

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS

Nathan L. Smith, Director, 1955
James J. O'Donnell, Assistant Director
Garrett O. Billmire, Assistant Director
Laurence P. Sangston, Principal Architect
Albert B. Backhaus, Principal Building Engineer
Dorothy C. Unger, Executive Secretary

506 Park Avenue, Baltimore I Telephone: Plaza 2530

The Department of Public Improvements was created by the Legis-
lature in 1947. The Director of Public Improvements, the designated
head of the Department, is appointed by the Governor for a term of
four years (Acts 1951, Ch. 371).

The duties of the Department of Public Improvements consist, in
part, of the following: To assist and advise the Board of Public
Works and other State agencies on all matters of engineering sur-
veys, plans, specifications and contracts for public improvements that
may come before the Board or in which a State agency may be inter-
ested; to select and appoint architects and engineers, subject to ap-
proval of the Board of Public Works, to prepare plans and specifica-
tions for all public improvements; to assist the State Planning Com-
mission in the development of technical details necessary for the
preparation of the Capita] Improvement Program; to collect and main-
tain a complete and accurate file of plats and surveys of the location
of all public improvements; and to represent the Board of Public
Works at the opening of all bids for public improvements and tabu-
late, record and advise the Board of such bids.

The Department maintains an inspection division with representa-
tion on all major projects to insure adherence to established standards
and specifications. As charged by law, the Department prepared and
presented a State Building Code to the 1951 session of the General
Assembly.

Board of Architectural Review
Chairman: Laurence Hall Fowler, 1961

Richard W. Ayers, 1955; James R. Edmunds, Jr., 1955;
D. K. Este Fisher, Jr., 1955; Paul L. Gaudreau, 1955; Francis
H. Jencks, 1955; Charles M. Nes, Jr., 1955; Lucius R. White,
Jr., 1955.