Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-03-21
REPORTS D. S. PAYS
TOO MUCH FOR rent
TEN PER CENT OF VALUE OF
BUILDINGS CHARGED IN SOME
CASES.

SVSeS aE.gE
SERIOUS INTERFERENCE WITH
COMPLETION OF AGR,cUGTuR.
Al BUILDING PREDICTED.
Washington, D. c., March 20.-ln
a report made to the House, supple
mented by discussion on the floor dur
ing theagricultural bill debate, Re-
preventative Jacoway Of Arkansas,
member Of the committee IN agricul-
ture and chairman OF a special sub.
committec to investigate rented build
ing of ,-le department in the District
|of Columbia, showed that the govern
|ment Is paying in rent each year
more than 10 per cent Of the value
Of the buildings occupied by the de-
partment.
Representative Jacoway's conclu-
sion is that the Department of Agri.
culture should abandon the scattered,
rented buildings and gather its bur
cans under n roof or under, two
roofs.
1t is significant, however, that he
does not strongly recommend that the
government should finish the present
Department of Agriculture Building
by constructing a central portion con
Meeting the two existing wings in
which the bureaus of animal industry
and plant industry are nov housed,
When Representative Jacoway start,
ed his Investigations into the depart
ment's rent expense he was Of the
opinion that the best thing to do
would be to complete the proposed de.
partment buildings. However, he had
not proceeded very far before he.
learned that Minority Leader Mann
and Chairman Lever Of the agricul-
tural committee are both dead set
against the proposition.
c%ountersunk Buildings.
The reason for the opposition ap.
peared In the debate. The members
don't like the way the two wings of
the Agricultural Department build
ings are countersunk below the sur.
face Of the surrounding property.
They declare they will never vote for
I completion Of the building, which
requires that all of the surrounding
landscape be ,dredged away before
one can see the first floor. 1t was
said by Representative Jacoway that
the fine arts commission had induced
President Roosevelt. to allow the build.
ing to be placed below the street
level. so that all buildings in. that vic
Unity could be on the same plane. For
some reason, this piece Of, the art
commissions advice has riled con
gressmen beyond all control. It will
seriously interfere with the compile
ton Of the departmental building as
originally planned, too.
Representative JacOway presented
to Congress an extensive statement
showing every square foot of office
building rented for the Department
| of Agriculture in the District of Co
lumbia. He found that the total rem
tails are $99,277 and that, according to
figures in the George report on taxa.
ton and assessment, this is a fraction
over 10 per cent of the assessed value
of the buildings. He finds that no
where in the District Is the govern
ment Overchanged by landlords, aid
II most instances the government is
paying the lowest rents Of the neigh
borhood. In the case of the forest
service, at $50 F street, Uncle Sam
pays approximately 20 per cent less
than other Offices in the vicinity.
There is no basis of comparison for
the Office buildings rented by the de.
partment south of B street, as no
nther interests have offices or labor.
atories in that section. The depart.
ment today is paying less rent than
ever before.
Explanation Of Jacoway.
A portion of Representative. Jaco.
ways explanation to the House is as
follows:
Not taking into account the total
rent paid for rooms on the third floor
OF the Star building, for which a total
annual rent of $1,l50 is paid by the
government, o the two rooms in the
Munsey building for which a total
rental of $500 per annum is paid, max
ing q total of $3.50 per annum for
these three quarters it is ascertained
tuoV SAC PAASC pCA olu0Ic lOOt ucJ i'll
all Of the other twenty places and
rooms rented by the government for
the various department ranges from
cents and 4 mills per square foot net
per annum for part of the warehouse,
It'll and X streets southwest, to IS
cents per square foot net paid for the
old brick office building, located at $50
f street northwest, Atlantic building,
which. contains in the aggregate 35.65S
square feet net. For the purposes OF
this computation the rents paid for
quarters in the Munsey and Star
buildings are omitted, due to the fact
that only small proportions OF these
buildings are rented by the Agricul.
taral Department. 1t also develops
that the rents in these buildings per
square foot Is 1926, $1.19 and $l.15
respectively. ~
I'm the Munsey building q standard
rate per square foot is charged, vary.
ing according t. ne location of the
Offices. The Department Of Agricul.