The morning journal-courier., 1908-03-10
NEW P. 0. BUILDING
Postmaster Howarth Heartily
Favors Plan for One, and
Tells Reasons.
HIS DEPARTMENT CRAMPED
Present Building is Out of Date
Plan in dne With City
Beautiful.

Postmaster Howarth was asked yes
terday to give his ideas on the propos-
ed new public building for federal use
in New Haven, as suggested by Con-
gresham sperry and, reported In the
Washington dispatches Of yesterday
Mr.. Howarth was enthusiastic about
such a building. His reasons were
many and conclusive. Mr.. Howarth
said that the business of the New Ha-
ven post office has more than doubled
In the last ten years since he began
his duties there. Every succeeding
season sees more and more crowded
conditions and 1t is his hope that the
government will not stop with q. re-
modelling of the present building or
with an addition. Such would be but
a temporary makeshift. What he says
can alone supply the want Is new
building of greater dimensions and
planned with greater care for the pres
ent needs of the department.
Ten years ago. said Mr.. Howarth,
1--WE were doing business of $4,000 a
year. Now we are doing about $3.50, 900
this year. Ten years ago we had thir-
ty-four clerks on the floor here as
against slxty-nine clerks now. Besides
these we now have twenty-five substi-
tues and the railroad mail clerks have
an Office. These figures show how We
are getting cramped.
ITO be sure there have been some
additions. The original building was
erected / believe about 1860. Since then
there have been two additions. In the
latter of these, which was built eleven
years ago Is my present office. Your
Washington dispatch makes mention of
an addition to the present building.
We do not want another addition in
my belief. It would give but tenn
porary relief at the best. The time
would soon come when another addi-
ton would be needed, Then there
would not be the GROUND space for It
and new building would have to
come lust the same. Why not save the
expense of the addition and have the
new building?
There are at present many federal
government offices scattered about the
city in the different Office buildings
simply because there Is not room for
them to be housed here. The two re-
truiting offices, that for the navy and
that for the army. are only two of
them. Besides them are the marine
inspectors over in the Insurance build
ing. The district engineer Is ousted
with the rest and has 10 make his
quarters In the National Bark build
ing. All these offices should be under
one roof in one building. l am not
sure that the weather bureau would be
still another office for II would proba
bly, need higher building that any
federal one would be.
This present building Is poorly con-
etructed for our uses as post offices
go nowadays. Every carrier that
comes in or goes out has to pass
through the main distribution room
carrying dirt and dust with him. A
new building would be - constructed
that such a thing as that would he
impossible. The big room harbors dust
in crevices on every hand. the dust of
ages. It Is In the air constantly in
consequence and the health of the men
is endangered.
The dispatch mentions the purchase
Of the entire block and the erection Of
a fine building. What could be better
Certainly it would commend itself to
our friends who are enthusiasts about
the city beautiful idea, for with the
new marble Connecticut Savings Bank
building on one side of Church street
and the new federal building on the
other New Haveners would not know
the location. Add to that the new
court and library buildings to be erect
ed at the north side of the green and
the other handsome buildings planned
and the city win surely be looking up
We may even hope to get a new rail-
road station worthy of the name Of
New Haven some day.
The proposed federal building would
be built by the department of the
treasury and its Offices rented out tc
the various governmental Offices as