Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-12
Annual housekeeping Of the
Big Building.
NUMBER OF CHANGES
IN THE HOUSE
RESTAURANT.
Lunches Will Be Served More Prompt
ly-Renovating the Com
mittee Rooms.

the Caplt0i mas been nearly competed, ana
by the time that Congress conyenes early
in December the big building will be as
modern and as clean and attractive as ex-
tensive improvements and soap and paint
can make it. A big force of employees. dec
orators. mechanics and laborers has been
employed practically all summer under the
direction of Elliott Woods, superintendent
of the Capitol. in carrying out new improve
ments and continuing those begun some
years ago. just to give the Capitol build
ing thorough cleaning is pretty big job
and the feeling in the architects Office is
that Congress is convening too soon"
The House Restaurant.
The Improvement in the Capitol that will
probably be more noticed and appreciated
than any other-at least, by members Of the
House of Representatives-ist that made in
the House restaurant. 1t will be remem-
bered that at the last session of Congress
the dissa tisfaction that had been manifest
for some years in regard to the manage
ment Of the House restaurant came to q
head. Weighty details of considerable legis-
lative importance were forgotten for a time
while the House committee on accounts,
and even the House of Representatives it
self. gave earnest consideration to the food
problem. The report of the committee on
accounts. which delved deeply into the sub
ject, was rather interesting and Is In part
as follows:
For some time past. or during the pres
ent Congress, at least, 1t has been manifest
that the House RESTRAINT has not been con-
Quoted satisfactorily to its patrons or its
manager
THE restaurant or luncheon rooms being
primarily for the convenience of members
and employees of the House. should be con-
Quoted to their satisfaction nearly as
possible. without reference to the other pa
Of no ho Sfot>1 Ia 70,
it's manager. This we find to be impossible
by the methods now in vogue, because the
losses sustained on account of perishable
food and on account of wages paid to cooks
and walters on dull, as well as busy, days,
render 1t impracticable to conduct the bust
ness with the success that encourages
proper maintenance and the application of
modern business methods. The manager of
the restaurant claims to have lost durig the
present session of Congress about $1,000.
and we have reason to believe that he has
suffered some loss. Deterioration in food
and service resulted, and has been even
more noticeable with the decline in patro-
mage during the present Congress. But by
the elimination of the elaborate bill of fare
and by the adoption of the simpler plan of
luncheon rooms, such are found in the
business centers of our large cities our in
qulry leads us to believe that if the rooms
now used by the House restaurant are al
tered to make them conform to the REQUIRE
mentS OF modern lunch rooms the members
accordance with their desires and real ne
cessitles, and at the same time that the
manager, relieved of losses on account of
perishable food and unproductive labor,
would undoubtedly be able to conduct the
business proftably"
The committee on accounts opposed with
considerable emphasis a proposition that
the House of Representatives manage the
restaurant through a government employee
appointed for the purpose. remarking that
your committee Is unanimously and most
emphat1caliy opposed to the House engage
ing In the restaurant business and we
lurther DeileVe That II the luncheon rooms
such as we have suggested cannot be run
with any greater degree of satisfaction to
the House than at present, or with profit to
their manager, their doors would better be
closed altogether
Restaurant Improvements.
Mr.. Woods, the superintendent of the
Capitol, and Mr. Coffin, the manager Of the
House restaurant, are convinced that there
will be no complaints this winter on the
restaurant proposition. great archway
has been cut in the wall between what
were formerly the two separate dining
rooms and steam table in the center will
afford excellent facilities for promptly feed
Ing the hungry in all parts of the restau-
rant: Besides this. the bill Of fare will be
much less elaborate, and it is the present
intention to have all the dishes enumerated
ately, beginning at noon, thus doing away
with the long delays incident upon the
preparation of special orders. Members of
the House may notice other improvements
In their wing of the Capitol building, but it
is safe to say they will not be quite so
pleased over any of them as they will be
with the restaurant improvements.
This summer. for the first time In about
twenty-five years, the skirt or base of the
Capitol dome was scraped and painted Ac-
cording to Mr.. Woods, 1t was high time this
was done. as leaks in several sections had
resulted in a number of rust-patches of
large dimensions
Decorating Committee Rooms.
The decorators have been over twenty
eight committee rooms, restoring them, so
far as the decorations are concerned, along
the line of the buildings architecture, and
these rooms have also been furnished with
new carpets and new mahogany furniture
more attention than usual being paid to en-
tire harmony in the color scheme of the
decoration and furnishings. The furnish
fngs of the Senate and House have also
been practically restored
In the Supreme Court corridor and in the
law library new fioorings have been laid
ceilings in some of the rooms and corridors
have been replaced, steel fire and dust
proof file cases have replaced the greater
part of the remaining wooden receptacles
which have been used for this purpose,
throughout the building, inside and out.
Capitol Power Plant.
Work will not be begun until next fall
on the new Capitol power plant, which,
when completed. will furnish the power for
heating. lighting and ventilating the Cap
itol building, the Congressional Library
and the Senate and House Office buildings
now under course of construction. The APP
preparation for this power plant. which will
probably be the biggest of its kind in the
country, was made at the last session of
Congress. but work on the Office buildings
is not sufficiently under way to warrant an
immediate beginning of the improvements
in the Capitol engine room.
Superintendent Woods has received many
communications of late, commenting ia
vOrably on the matter published in The
Star recently in regard to the construction
of the proposed extension of the Capitol
building in staff" the cheapest building
material known prior to undertaking the
permanent work, the idea being that
correct idea can be had in advance, at
nominal expense, Of the scope and general
effect OF the plans. Mr.. Wood heartily ia
vors the idea. which he considers In the ma
ture of an insurance on success" and
hopes that Congress will make the neces-
sary appropriation of about 100000
The joint commission Of the Senate and