Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-01
Miss ChiIes Condemns Prices
U. S. Pays for Space.
AS HIGH AS Is PEP CENT
Woman Who Has Made Investiga-
ton Before Buildings Committee.
UPHELD BY SENATOR MARITIME
Argument Advanced Why Govern
ment Should Have Structure in
Which to Preserve Records.

Rents paid by tho United States for
some buildings In the District were de-
clared ''outrageou and the conditions
under which the records of this govern
ment are stored were severely condemned
during a. hearing today before the SEN
ate committee on public buildings ami
grounds.
The hearing was granted to represen-
tatiyes of the american Historical Asso.
citation. and the speakers urged the pas
sage of the Poindexter bin directing the
preparation Of plans for a national
archives building and the requirement Of
a site for 1t in the District
Miss Rosa Pendieton Chiles of this city.
who has made an investigation of the
manner OF preserving the public records
in this city. was severe In her criticisms.
Records are not systematically classified
or arranged. she said. are hard to find
and are scattered through many build
inEs.
1t would be much cheaper, Miss Chiles
told the committee, for the government
to build an archives building. This
led to q discussion of the rentals which
Uncle Sam has to pay, and MISS ChileS
mentioned particularly the accommoda-
lions furnished the civil service commits
sion.
Government Loses Seven Per Cent.
After it was kept in a building that
was condemned by the fire department.
for eight years. she said. lit was put
into new building. for which the rental
is 10 per cent Of the cost
Senator Poindexter commented that the
government could have borrowed the
money for a similar building on bonds for
about , per cent and suggested the CON-
parison with the 10 per cent.
The government pays as high as -
per cent on the value of PROPERTY" Sen
ator MARITIME remarked. The rentals are
inOrdinate and outrageous.
I'm some cases. agreed Miss Chiles.
I'm most cases." Senator MARITIME added.
1t was estimated by Miss ,hiles that the
government now pays between x43tUo and
1000 for renting buildings for the stor-
age of records. Outside of the greater
safety that would be insured by the use
of government archives building that
would be fireproof. Miss Chiles said 1t
would be much cheaper for the govern
ment because of the saving OF rentals,
of space in the government buildings and
In the ability to find needed records.
Says This Country Is Behind.
The United States is the only civilized
country In the world that has not made
special provision for the preservation amt
storage Of its records, Gaillard Hunt. chief
Of the division of manuscripts OF the liz
brary OF Congress, told the committee.
He described the elaborate building /;
which have been erected in European cap
ftals.
Waldo G.. Leland of the Carnegie In
stitution, secretary of the American
Historical Association. described soma
Of the difficulties met with in trying -
fine specific records of different departs
ments OF this government. He pointed
out that there is now no definite and gem
eral system for caring for the records
and not room enough for properly ar
ranging and classifying them.
Among the others who spoke were Dr.
J. Franklin Jameson. director of the de-
partment of historical research in the
Carnegie Institution in " ashingtoR and
chairman of the committee OF the Amerl-
can Historical Association appointed To
investigate the question OF national
archives building: James l.. WiImeth.
chief clerk of the Treasury Department:
Fred bennett, commissioner of the gen.
eral land office. and Prof. Charles NJ. An
drews of Yale University.