The evening times., 1896-12-08
NEW INTERIOR BUILDING
Congress Not Likely to Act on
Secretary Francis Suggestion.
ROOM IN PENSION OFFICE
Passage of New Pension Bill
Would Greatly Reduce the Num-
ber OF Employees and Leave Space
for Other Department WOrk-COst
of Proposed Site.

ground in the vicinity of the Interior De
partment building should be purchased in
order to erect an additional structure Tor
that branch of the government receives
a general commendation in President
Clevelanc's message.
itis Gardly lkei however, that the rec
concentration will receive much attention
from Congress at the present session, and
it is not probable that any such action VIII
be authorized at ihe next.
Secretary Fra ncis bases his view upon
similar expressions by his predecessors in
office -SecretlriesLamar,N Noble and Smith.
lie points out that ST divisions OF the de
partment work are now carried onin rented
buildings, where they are not easily reached
by the Secretary, and that the annual
rental of apartments for these has grown
from S2l 900 in 1SSS to $4,000 for the
current year.
TINS includes, it is true, the rental Of
storage place for large number Of
patent models, which were moved out of
the central building Ia he Union building,
on G street, IN 1913, TO make room for
extension of the General Land Office, but
this must be paid Just as much as II the
space were occupied by a working force.
This total rental amounts 10 3 per cent,
the rate at which the government can Dor
row money If necessary, on 81 ,536 900.
So that il would be true economy To borrow
the ground and erect a suitable structure.
For, i'll addition TO the more convenient
transaction of public business, the constant
enhancement of the value of the ground
would make a net money profit for the
government. Not quite all this is set
downin so many word shy Secretary Fran
els, but it is plain inference.
NEED FOR PROMPT ACTION.
He says further that the erection of the
present Interior building, frequently spoken
OF as the Patent Office, was begun in
1896, but was not completed till 1867.
The cost was 81 ,273.OnO. No more op-
perfume time than the present will be
found for the Inauguration of movement
which will result in supplying want
for which thereis no remedy other than the
one he proposes.
The present building, he rcCites, is greatly
overcrowded; its sanitary qualities are not
good. many OF its rooms are used partly for
storage, partly for clerical work. There
is not more than enough room for the
Patent Office. for which il was originally
intended, and it should be remembered that
this division is more than selfsustaining,
having paid into the Treasury surplus
of 81. 800 900 in the time since its es-
tablishment.
Some of the rented buildings are not
fireprOof, and their distance from the main
great Inconvenience to the public business.
The work of the department is growing
rather than decreasing, and the quantity
OF fdocumentsand papers requiring storageis
constantly increasing. The property that
will be needed for site is steadily en-
hancing In value. Existing bureaus for the
government control of domestic interests
will enlarge with the growth OF the coun-
try, and new bureaus must be established.
Provisions for their accommodation
should no longer he delayed" concludes
the report. Let it he a building OF that
distinctive and dignified character of ar
chtecture which is observed In the National
Capitol, the Treasury and the Interior De-
partment buildings"
OTHER SIDE OF THE CASE
On the other side is the fact that most OF
the bureaus of the Interior Department
now in rented buildings, Will, after Jan
uary, 1898, find rooms in the new post
office. This is the only use SO far sug-
gested for the space which win there be
at the disposal of the government. mu-
nicipal and court building for the District
are badly needed, but it is not likely that
the location of either or both in the new
postoffice would be satisfactory.
The prospective course OF the department
work also does not favor the erection of Il
big structure for its use. II cannot be a
great many years till the amount OF cor
respundence, now thrown upon the Pension
Office and the General Land Office, VIII
decrease very mate rally. The public lauds
viii begin to be used up, and the pension
rolls will grow smaller.
More important than this. it is probable
that Representative Pickler Will secure
at this session the passage of the per
diem" pension bill The effect of this. as
anticipated by the veterans themselves.
will be to cut off nine-tenths OF the bureau
work over pension cases. Every man who
can by any possibility be entitled to "a
pension will then have received one and
those who are now seeking increases VIII
be given a part, at least, of what the are
asking
There will be no further ground for apply
ing for more pension and this will be recog-
niZed by a clause taking away the right
to apply for increase, except in cases OF
recently developed total disability, which
will be comparatively rare. This saving in
administrative expenses, which now amount
to more than 81 zoe, 900, it is asserted,
would be almost enough to pay the in
creased amount for pensions. 1t would
certainly be accompa MED by a big decrease
in the clerical force OF the office and leave
free for the other divisions of the Interior
great space in the Pension Office. With
this at the disposal of the Secretary OF
the Interior it would be long time be-
fore the needs OF the department forced
the erection of an additional building.
The cost of the ground for a site near
the present Interior building would be very
great. 1t is estimated from half a million
to million dollars, according to the area
required.