The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-12-31
URGES PURCHASE
OF WHOLE BLOCK
FOR POST-OFF|CE
Allan's Request Brings
Special Agent to
Investigate.
MILLION DOLLARS
AMOUNT NEEDED
Government Must Enlarge Pres
eat Building or Erect Parcel
Post Structure Elsewhere.
Skyscraper Plans Halt I'm
til Question Is Decided
by Department.

The expenditure OF 81 .ooo.opo to on
large the Richmond post-ofiice 50 that
81 will extend over the entire block
bourded by Main and rank and Tenth
and Eleventh Streets has been recon-
inended TO the government by POST
master Edgar Allan. Jr. Acting On his
recommendation. Il spe -iai agent OF tho
Treasury Department n?dc personal
inspection of the property needed I"
carry out this plan, secured from the
owners the price at which they are
willing to sell, and returned TO Wash
3ngton to submit his r" ooit 'Nhi!"
the nature of this report Is not O.
hcially known. It is said that he VIII
show the imperative need oi hddltionaI
post-of space.
Gets MontnFue's Aid.
Bankers and real estate people have
known for some time that the Nlr-
gilman Building Company had employed
architects who are ut work on plans
for twenty-tv,c story structure which
will occupy the remaining par; OF the
post office block. Postmaster Allan In
vestigated the report. and when h"
found that 1t was correct he imne-
diately wrote TO the department Con
Eressman a. J. Montague. through
whose Office the appropriation bill must
originate. is strongly in favor OF ask
ing Congress for sufficient money to
provide adequate postal accommoda-
tions. and will use his influence In
that direction.
The figure mt which the owners noti-
fed the special agent from the Treas
ury Department they would be viii
ling to sell was not made public, al
though the building corporation ac-
quired the two buildings at Eleventh
and Main for s3do,oOc. and recently
offered the Carneals Si5O,0 900 for the lot
ny N n n r.e
Ono Structure Anyway.
The government OF course. could in
\ stitute condemnation proceedings but
\ the cost would be prohibitive after
j atks- two story structure has been
5esscted on the site needed for post
Office addition. 1t was said yesterday
that the building plans might be de-
layed for n short time in order to find
out what the government proposes to
do In view OF the opinion among bust
ness people that II the post-ofiicc is
TO have more room 1t should be pro-
yidcd as part OF the new Federal
building. II was stated by a man
identified with the Virginian Building
Company that II the government does
not demand the site the company will
proceed within the next sixty days
with its skyscrapcr plans.
81 Spnce Badly Needed.
II have every reason To believe that
the special agent from the supervis-
Ing architects Office under tho Treas
ury Department Will recommend the
alterations and additions which we
have urged" said Postmaster Allen
yesterday. The situation is simply
this: Either the land adjoining the
post-offlce must be purchased and the
present building enlarged the de-
partment must erect elsewhere In the
city a building for the exclusive use
OF the parcel post business. The plans
for this Office did not take into &C
count the vast traffic in the parcel
post division, and consequently no al
lotment OF spaSc was made for it,
Indeed, when the contract for the
new post office was awarded we did not
have parcel poet, and many of US
did not expect it, For the sake of
efficiency and speed. | strongly believe
that the parcel post should be under
the post office roof. bur II this turns
out to be impossbl> tn, government
must certainly provide alotbcr big
structure to remedy ale present in
tolerablc conditions
Many Facts to Consider.
Congressman Montague, will be urged
to bring the matter to the attention of
the Treasury Department before the
opening of Congress in January. There
Is not the slightest doubt that the post
office is badly off for room, said Mr.
Montague yesterday. The addition in
the present block Is needed. and Will
be made If we can secure the necessary
appropriation. However, there arc
many things to be considered in con-
nection with this plan--the Democratic
platform of economy, the recent re-
building Of the Richmond post-ofTice,
and, finally. bill for the standardizing
OF all public buildings which is now
pending In Congress. These are OBJ
stacles to overcome. but the need OF
more postal space is powerful argu-
tment in our favor
1t did not require the unusual rush
: of postal traffic for the holidays to en-
sphasize the demand for additional ac
&commodations. The special agent from
: Washington saw the congestion caused
by the parcel post, and the cramped and
unsanitary quarters In the basement
where the railway mall service operates
IA term nal.
Handles All State Stuff.
Every bit of parcel post mail origi-
mating In Virginia passes through the
: basement terminal; every package from
another State for Virginia. and Eastern
Carolina Is brought direct to Rich 4
mond and sent out to Its proper desti-
nation from the local station. with
the new regulations. effective to-mor-
row, by which the size of parcels is in
creased, the rush will be all the greater.
and there Will he corresponding de-
.mand for more space. AS far as pos. |
ssible, the Post-0tiice Department de-
sires to have ali of its business I'm ore
city conducted from one establishments |
gBy insisting on that sfule, itiwills aid
considerably in securing +the appropria-
stion needed to enlarge the present
building. ~ G5ft FF 5tiefsi 3,alT 5if
1--WE have made an >otfer$to the gov
sernment for our property S.;si :.;;s Id q reps
Jresentative OF the VIrginlan building
m. yUl nv .urtI1 1fx~r~ ~