Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-04-25
FOR GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS.
Argument OF the Postmaster General
Before the Congressional Committees.

Argument Of the Postmaster General
Before the Congressional Committees.
HIS VIEWS REGARDING SITE FOR AND coNsrRUc-
TioN OF BUILDINGS FOR THE POST OFFICE DE-
PARTNENT AND THE CITY POST oFFICE-AP-
PoINTMEST OF COMMISSION RECOMMENDED.
The Postmaster General in his argument be-
fore the House and Senate committees Of pub
lie buildings regarding Post Office Department
building and Washington city post Office build
ing, briefly mentioned heretafore in The STAR,
after referring to the great growth of the
postal service of the country since the compile
ton Of the General Post Office building, giving
statistics to show the increase, and remarking
that most Of the great features of that service
are the creations Of the last twenty-five years,
said:
So much has been said of the over-crowded
condition of the building now used that it would
be needless to repeat it. The broad and I'M
den!able fact is that the present structure is
filed to its utmost with people and with ma
terial; that part of the force is working in
unfit quarters, and that much OF the storage
space is dark and not easily accessible. Clerks
are working in basement rooms crowded to-
gether everywhere, and valuable papers are
frequently exposed to the public in Railways.
HEAVY RENT ROLL OF THE p o. DEPARTMENT
The growing necessities Of the service have
compelled from time to time the taking of out
side quarters, and today the department is
paying $40, 900 annual rental for Marini's Hall,
the Z Street Rink. the Money Order building
the Topographers office and the mail bag re-
pair shop, while there are more'people quar-
tered in the main department than ever before.
The main building, which consists of three
stories, with basement half under ground,
contains about 5000 square feet of floor space
available for clerks and 5000 square feet for
storage. mostly in the basement. There Is
attic, which is dark, and filed, it now is with
mass of books and papers, serves only to in
vite a disastrous fire. the department is using
on the outside five rented buildings, IS, 800
square feet Of floor space, or only 1900 square
feet less than in the whole of the main building.
The owners of the Rink building on street
have notified the department that the rental
Will be increased $4,000. beginning on July
next, and the sixth auditor must have addi-
tional room for about rs clerks which will
probably cost $4,000. The total outlay for
rent at the end of this year will thus be not far
from $4,000 per annum, which sum Is equiya-
lent to the interest Of S625, 900 at per cent,
$685., 900 at per cent
To this should be added the extra cost by the
quadruphng of watehmen, messengers, labor
ers, charwomen, elevators, heating and light
ing, almost all of which would be saved in a
singlelwell-arranged and adapted structure if
no other move for buildings is to be made.
With S275,000 the Post Office Departmen
could buy and pay for the ground and build
substantial tive-story stone and brick building
within three blocks of the present Post Office
Department, to contain 100000 square feet,
which would accommodate all the offices and
workshops now in leased quarters.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE.
1t should be borne in mind that this is the
present status Of postal affairs and that it will
require at least five years to complete new
building of the regulation class for the depart
ment, possibly longer; and, at the rate of
growth of the department. during the last five
years, the next five will probably bring the
number of post offices to $4,000 and the gross
revenue to S75,0O00OO, and it is not unlikely
that in ten years from this date there will be
100, 600 post offices and Sl00, ,0Q0 OF gross
revenue, with a service rapidly expanding in
all its branches. Then We should anticipate
and provide for new features of the postal SER
vice. some of which will probably be embraced
within the scope of its operations before long
The postal telegraph is exciting much inter-
est among the people, and is under consdera-
ton by one Of your committees; the telephone
is its natural accompaniment; postal saving
banks are demanded by many; there will be
universal free delivery in some form, possibly
a postal civil service school for education for .
postal business. The certain reduction of let
ter postage to one penny in the near future will
greatly swell the volume of business and re-
qulre larger clerical force and the room to
work in. For these reasons and because of the
natural growth of the business of this entire
department our needs will increase from 49,
500 square feet area now in use to 800, 900
square feet, or more.
THE IDEAL BUILDING
for this purpose is not hotel building OF nu-
merous rooms 20 by 20 feet such as is now in use.
but structure arranged with special reference
to its uses by the various branches of the de-
partment, where the chiefs of bureaus can con-
veniently superintend the clerks of the re-
spectlve departments and the records can be
kept from the public eye and touch. Spacious.
light, well-ventilated rooms would preserve the
health OF the clerks, save gas bills, greatly ex-
pedite work, and economize time of Senator's
congressman, and the public. Convenience
and economy would be gained by placing all
the postal business located in this city under
one roof. locating the city post Office on the
ground floor, where the people require such
accommodations, and placing the executive de-
partment offices, workshops, supply and storage
rooms III the upper floors. where they would be
better accommodated. One such establish
ment, instead Of two buildings miles apart,
would not only save large OUTLAWS in the con-
structIon OF two separate structures. but save
duplication of wagon. messenger, and watch
man service, heating, lighting, and elevator
plants. and would put the city postal service
master General and his assistants, to form the
model postal college, test systems, try expert
ments. and watch the practical operations for
Improvements IN general postal system.
TIE BLOCK BOUNDED BY Z. F, EIGHTH AND NINTH
STREETS.
The argument that the growing business of
the executive department would eventually
crowd out the post Office can be applied to any
building built for any part of the government
business except such can be kept from fur
Their growth. In the year 1887 it was proposed
to take the block bounded by Sth and 9th and
and streets, adjoining the present depart
ment building, and enlarge the present struc-
ture by an editice covering the street interven-
ing and the entire square. The area thus added
would be about equal to the available floor
space on all floors in the present building,
So. ZOO square feet and including the interview
ing street, about $4,000 square feet additional
making. with the $4,000 square feet now in USE
the grand total of nearly 100000 square feet in
foLr-story building similar to the present
structure. The data of the cost of the real es-
tate, as estimated in 1887, was about $3.50, OOO
Ii is estimated that the value has increased 20
per centum, so that the ground would now cost
about SSOO,0O0. The probable cost of the
building would be 81. SOC, 900; total, IS, 400 OOO
This plan has met with nuch favor N mast