The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-06-16
Donovan's Kick
 Knocks Out Bill 
Couldn't See Costly Build ing or Site Tn Town Where Postal Receipts Are De creasing.
Especial Dispatch to The Farraer)

Special Dispatch to The Farrner)
 Washington, June 15-Representa- tive Donovan of Conn ecticut showed again today his antipathy toward the construction of expensive government buildings in sparsely settled counun- ities Under the unanimous consent calendar a bill was presented to ap propriate $15, ,0OO for a. site for a gov ernnent building at Fairbanks, Alas ka which is the forerunner for a $25O, 900 appropriation for build ing. MT. Donovan knocked out the proposition by refusing 10 give his consent to the proposition on the ground that the price was too much for a. site in a town of only $500 in hab9tants, and on the ground that the postoffice receipts at Fairbanks were decreasing instead of increaslng
 Following the explanation or Chair man Burnett in charge of the bill the subjoined colIoquy ensued
 MT Donovan-Tale bill provided for a quarter of a million $250, ooo2
 Nr Burnett-That lis an stricken out
 MT. Donovan-And you have cut it down to $15,ooO as sort of begin ming?
 MT Burnett-No; merely to save the site.
 MT. Donovan-yala is the popu1a- B
 MT Burnett Only a few thousand a, couple of thousand, possibly; but it has a. federal court there.
 MT. Donovan-This provides for post office What is the volume of the business of the post ofi7ce2
 MT Burnett-Not a great deal. But it is a place where the federal court is held, as I recollect it. The delegate can state more fully with regard to that matter than can.
 Mr. Donovan-The report says here that the present building occupies half a block What is half a block in Fairbanks?
 Delegate Wickersham-Half a. block there is 50 feet wide and 120 feet long.
 MT Donovan-And what is the pop ulation of that town?
 MT. W1ckersham- five thou
 Rdr Donovan is the volume of the business Of the post office?
 MT Wickersha1n- mail from that whole great interior country comes to Fairbanks and is there dis tribnted for 3. thousand miles down
 MT. Donovan-Is the gentleman able to state the amount of business? Does he not know anything about it2
 MT. Wfclxershan-I do.
 MT. Donovan-What is the volume of business?
 MT. W1ckershann-In what reepect3
 Mir DonovanlThe amount of mon ey the government takes in-the re- ceipts of the office
 MT. W1ckershan--L do not know the amount of the receipts of the post of flee.
 MT. Donovan-And is the business on the wane or on the increase?
 Mir Wickersha1n-I is very greatly on the increase.
 Mir. Donovan-And the gentleman is A. Al form the gentleman he ought not to. bring in measure of this kind with out being familiar with it. The bus mess fell eff $2.000 last year, accord ing to the reports of the post office department The total business in 1913 amounted to $10. .139, and in the year ending March 31, 1914, it amount ed to $s094, The total population of the place is 3,541 and the gentleman was a party to bringing in a bill here asking for a quarter Of a. million of dol1ars for the population of that size.
 MT. Wickershan=If the gentleman had an appreciation of what goes on in the. West, he would know all about this.
 MT. Donovan-The postoffice de partment says that the business fell off from $1O,000 in 1913 to $8s0O0 in. 1914. Tt is a dying business. MT Speaker. I think we have taken a great many chances up in that coun- try with $35, 1000, GOO for a, railroad.
 MT. Johnson of Washington=Wi the gentleman yield to a question?
 MT. Donovan-Yes sir. The gen tleman from Washington always en- 1ightens us.
 MT. Johnson of Washington-Does it not occur to the gentlemen from Connecticut that under the admins tration in which he plays a part he will expect to see greatly increased business at Fairbanks, which will be a terminal of that railroad, and does he not think that it is entitled to a public building, and that now is the time to get it, when the land is cheap?
 Mir. Donovan-You do not want me to qualify as an expert do you, and undertake to foretel1 the future? | (Laughter. l5 I leave that to the gen. tleman from Illinois (NTr. Mann) who does undertake to do that and play the divining act. He not only knows all thats is going on in the present, but knows what will happen in the future. (Laughter.)
 The population of Fairbanks ac- cording to the census, is 3,541; and, MT. Speaker, in view of the fact that the business of the post office has fallen off, and in view of the fact that neither the committee nor the gentle man who is the delegate from Alaska here know what they are talking about, object. (Laughter.)
 MT. Wickersham-Wil the gentle man withhold his objection for a mo- ment?
 MT Donovan-No. What you want to do is to go and inform yourself as to the facts. Laughter.l
 President Wilson sent a teslerrano of