Gnome panel: how can I shrink the height?

[Armando Singer <asinger MAIL COLGATE EDU>]

I can't figure out how to make the gnome panel only one row high like
the default task bar on win32 systems (I just want more screen space). 
I removed all of the big applets, and the main menu.  And I changed the
Gnome pager so that it uses a small pager, lists tasks only in one row,
and has no task list button.  I even removed the panel's hide buttons.
(I moved the larger applets to a separate corner panel.) The Gnome panel
won't shrink to fit the size of my one-row tall gnome pager applet.

Also, what setting can I change that would allow me to maximize a window
without extending beneath my gnome pager?  I would like to be able to
expand a window to cover the full screen, but not extend past my pager.
thanks in advance.

Armando