Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-10-24
MORE ROOM is NEEDED.
The Interior Department Building Too
Small-SecretaryN Mobiles First Report.

Secretary Noble remained at home today
He Is now engaged in preparing his annual re.
port to Congress, and he finds that he can work
with less interruption at home than at the de-
partment. As this will be his first report he
intends to give to its preparation considerable
time. 1t will contain a number Of important
recommendations in regard to the interests
which are placed under his care. The public
lands, pensions, the Indians, patents, the CEN
sus and education all are subjects in which q
large proportion of the citizens of the country
are more or less deeply interested.
THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT BUILDING TOO
SMALL.
A portion of the report which will be of in
terest to the thousands of employees of the In
terror department and those who have business
before it will be the Secretary's remarks in
regasd to the inadequacy Of the present build
ing now occupied by the Interior department
The growth of the service has been such that
during the past few years one bureau after an
other has been forced out of the main building
There now remains only the Secretary's Office
the patent Office and the general land office
necessary. A division Of the general land
Office has already been moved across the street
into a rented building. The entire Office would
no doubt be moved to other quarters were it
not that the Secretary is opposed to exposing
the valuable land records to the dangers Of
being destroyed by fire. 1t is evident that
NEW BUILDING MUST BE ERECTED
at once, and Secretary Noble in his forth
coming report will discuss this matter. A
temporary expedient has been suggested in the
erection of fre-proof building for the use of
the general land Office. But 1t is believed that
in few more years the growth Of the patent
Office will demand all the room in the present
Interior department building. 1t is claimed
even now that the entire building could be
utilized, and that there would not be any more
room than is necessary. The plan that seems
to meet with approval at the interior depart
ment is the erection Of a large building equal
in size to the present building, where the Sec
retary and all the bureaus except the patent
and pension Offices could be accommodated. At
present the various bureaus of the department.
are scattered about the city, mainly
IN RENTED BUILDNGs.
The geological survey and the Indian Office
occupy rented quarters on r street. The
census Office is in building at the corner of
Sd and streets. The bureau of education is
quartered In q building at the corner of 9Th
and G streets, while the railroad Office now
occupies rooms in the pension building.
There has been some talk about removing the
Secretary's Office to the pension building, but
unless the pension business falls off consider
ably more than is at present expected all the
room in that building will continue to be
needed for the use Of the employees The an
nual rental paid by the Interior Department
now amounts to the large sum of $2l ,0O0 The
report Of the Secretary on the subject of ac-
commodations for the department and its
bureaus will no doubt be followed by a vigorous
effort to induce Congress to take some steps to
remedy the evils which are felt not only by the
officials but by those who have business before
the department.