Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-09-13
NEW BUILDING NEEDED
State Officials Are Greatly Hand
icapped For Lack of Of
flee Room
NEW EAST WING FOR CAPITOL
Board of Control Will Be Given First
Floor and Basement, and Depart
ments of Agriculture and HorticuI-
ture Second Floor-A $4,000 Appro-
priation, Necessary.
Special to Times-Republican.


Des tMoines Sept. 13-1n the belief
of some of the state officials the time
has come when the state should start
the erection Of another building to take
care of the crowded condition at the
state house, and the next legislature
may be asked to make small appro-
priation for that purpose. The state
already owns the land just east of the
state capitol building, and the pr9po-
sition now is that the legislature
appropriate $4,000 for the purpose OF
erecting one wing of an office building.
with the idea that as the states. bust
ness grows the building will be cons
pleted as needed.
There is scarcely department. in
the state house that is not crowded
for room. The board of control cons
plains because it must use, basement
rooms. which are insuffciently lighted
for the purpose, as there Is great deal
Of bookkeeping and figure work that is
hard on the eyes of the clerks. Fur
thermore. the board has only about half
as much room as it would like to have.
The attorney general wants one more
room. and the executive councils sec
rotary needs about twice as much office
room as at present available The
railroad commission ought to have
more than twice as much room as ut
now has, and the superintendent OF
public instruction wants a room for
the board of educational examiners.
whose work necessitates an office room
and place for holding the state exam
nations and for the examiners to work
in while marking the papers.
The proposition, 1t is understood, has
been discussed by the executive coun-
ell. If the money would put UP wing,
of an office building on the land owned.
by the state, it is proposed to move the
board of control to this new building.
giving it the first floor and basement
The horticultural department and de-.
.partment of agriculture would be giverr
the second floor. The horticulture
room could then be given the secretary
of the executive council, the agricul.
tural rooms to the railroad commission.
and the room now occupied by the ex'-
ecutive council to the attorney general.
The rooms vacated by the board of
controA to the state auditor and the
board Of educational examiners. This
would relieve the pressure for roorn
for some years to come.
It is understood thai, leading agri-
cultunists and ahorticulturists are in
favor Of this proposition. The inten-
ton now is to make the third floor Of
the proposed wing into an assembly
hall for the use of the state farmers
institutes and horticult,lrists' meetings.
At present these meetings are held in
the office rooms in the state house.
which are unsuited for the purpose.
and Furthermore Will not hold the
crowds that attend these meetings.
Furthermore, the rooms Of the depart
ment of agriculture, during the prep
aration season for a state fair are not
commodiOus enough, and the room used
by the horticulture department. is not
very well suited for the purpose.
Worst still, the department of horti-
culture really has no room, and the
erection Of the proposed new building
would give it permanent home. Dur
ing the last session of The legislature
bill was introduced assigning perma.
nently to the horticulture department
the room that it now occupies on the
first floor of the state house. The bill
failed of passage. The horticulturists
are In possession, but have no idea as
to how soon they may be thrown out.
This state of insecurity tends to ir
duce the horticulturists Of the state TO
favor the new building. The farmer
members Of the legislature, generally,
1t is believed, will favor 1T, too, as it
makes better provisions for that de-
partment. The assembly hall for the
state meetings has been very much
needed, and as the state needs the
building and will be needing it more
each year, and already has the land
on which to build it, there will prob
ably be little trouble at the next ses-
sion in securing an appropriation Of a
small amount to erecr part of the
building.