Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-11-14
Public Buildings.
ANNUAL REPORT OF SUPERVISING ARCHITECT
BILL OF THE TREASURY.
ARCHITECT

BILL OF THE TREASURY.
Supervising Architect Hill, of the Treasury
department., to-day submitted to Secretary
Sherman his report of the transactions of his
Office during the last fiscal year, and the pre-
gress made in the numerous government build
iDgs in course of erection. 1t shows that gov
ernment buildings (custom-houses, court houses,
pOst-of1ices, etc.) are being erected in the follow
Texas; Boston, Mass; Charleston. S. c.; Cincin-
natl. o.. Covington, KY; ;ChicagO, ILL.,; Evansville,
Ind, Fan M River, Mass, Grand Rapids Mich. Hart
Harrisburg, Pa, Kansas City, No. Lincoln,
Neb., Little Rock, Ark, Memphis Tenn: Nash
Vile, Tenn, New York city, two buildings-a
courthouse and post office and barge o!1iceD
New Orleans, La, Philadelphia, Pa, Raleigh, n.
c.. st. Louis, Mo-, San Francisco, tappraiser's
ton. g. c. With regard to the public buildings
in Washington, the report contains only the fol-
lowing in relation to the
NEW BUILDING FOR THE BUREAU OF ENGRAVING
AND PRINTING.
The entire masonry of walls Of this building
has been carried up ready for the roof The
and the brick floor arches and concrete filling
finished. The iron roof framing Is under con-
tract and should have been completed at this
date, but as yet none of the work has been de-
livered. Additional delay must ensue, the con-
tractors stating that the present condition OF
the iron trade precludes their obtaining
promptly the necessary material from the roll
Balance in Treasury September 80,
1878. ...............S .Sz9o, O0o.oo
Expended during the year. 1853, ,9S5.54
Balance in Treasury September 80,
1SI9... lZ5,ul4.46
Extensive repairs are in progress on the Gus
tom-house building In Pittsburg and extensive
alterations are being made in the Providence, r.
l., custOm-hOuse. superintendent Hill says the
appropriations annually made for repairs and
preservation of public buildings are not suffi-
cient, and he recommends for the next fiscal
year an appropriation of at least Sl50,O00 for
these purposes. The report concludes as follows:
Prices for labor and materials have ranged
low throughout the year and contracts have
been made at rates very advantageous to the
trade has occasioned difficulty in securing
prompt deliveries Of iron-worE, and prices have
advanced. In response to recent calls for pro-
posalS. some firms have declined stating time
ing-lnillS being unable to meet promptly the de-
mand for certain classes OF manufactured iron,
and others have declined to bid at ali.
The granfte-wOrk under contracts for several
OF the large buildings, which has been in pro-
gress for several years, is now near completion,
and the removal of this fruitful source of eX-
pense the completion of several buildings and
the balances still available for the prosecution
OF work on many OF the smaller buildings will
cause large reduction in the estimates of ap-
preparations necessary to carry on during the
ensuing year works already authorized, as COM
pared with the estimates of many years past.
The removal of the bureau of engraving and
printing from the Treasury building Will give
additional facility for storage OF files OF the de-
partment, but no system Of distribution in the
building as constructed will afford absolute Sc
curtty, and the need of a building constructed
expressly for the preservation Of papers and
records cannot be overestimated.
desire in this report to express my thanks to
the superintendents of the various buildings and
the assistants in this Office for efficient service
rendered during..the year.