Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-15
REPORTS j. s. PAYS
TOO MUCH FOR RENT
Ten Per Cent of Value OF
Buildings Charged in
Some Cases.
JACOWAY so DECLARES
ON FLOOR OF HOUSE
Serious Interference With Compile
ton of Agricultural Build
ing Predicted.

terday, supplemented by discussion or
the floor during the agricultural bill de
bate, Representative Jacoway Of Arkan.
cas-. member Of the committee on agricul-
ture and chairman of special subcom-
mfttee to investigate rented building OF
the department in the District Of Co
lumbia, showed that the government Is
paying in rent each year more than !,
per cent of the value Of the buildings
occupied by the department.
Representative Jacoway's conclusion is
that the Department of Agriculture
should abandon the scattered, rented
buildings and gather its bureaus under
one roof or under two roofs.
1t Is significant, however, that he does
not strongly recommend that the govern
ment should finish the present Depart
ment Of Agriculture building by con
structing a central portion connectins
the two existing wings in which th'
bureaus of animal industry and plan
industry are now housed. When Repre-
sentative JacoWay started his lnVesusa
lions into the departments rent expense
he was OF the opinion that the best thint
to do would be to complete the proposed
department buildings. However, he hat
not proceeded very far before he learned
that minority Leader Mann and CHAIR
man Lever Of the agriculture committee
are both dead set against the PROPOSE
ton.
Countersunk Buildings.
The reason for the opposition ap
peared yesterday afternoon tn the de
bate. The members don't like tn
way the two wings of the Agriculture
Department buildings are counter
sunk below the surface of the sur
rounding property. They declare the,
will never vote for completion o
the building. which requires that al
of the surrounding landscape .
dredged away before one can see tn
first floor 1t was said last night b.
Representative Jacoway that the fin
arts commission had induced Presi
dent Roosevelt to allow the building
to be placed below the street level. $
could be on the same plane. Fo
some reason. this piece Of the art com
missions advice has riled congressme
beyond all control. 1t will seriousl
interfere with the completion of tn
departmental building as original
Representative Jacoway presented t
Congress an extensive statemen
showing every square foot of oftic
building rented for the Department
or Agriculture In the DlStrlCt ol W
lumbia He found that the tota
rentals are S99.277 and that. accord
ing to figures in the George report o
taxation and assessment. this Is
fraction over 10 per cent or the as
sessed value of the buildings. He find
that nowhere in the District Is IN
government overchanged by land
lords. and in most instances the gov
eminent is paying the lowest rents o
the neighborhood. In the case of tn
forest service, at $50 F street. Uncl
Sam pays approximately 20 per cent les
than other offices in the vicinity. Their
is no basis of comparison for the offic'
buildings rented by the department souti
of B street, as no other interests hav'
offices or laboratories in that section
The department today is paying less rem
| than ever before.
Explanation Of Jacoway.
portion Of Representative Jaco
ways explanation to the House yes
terday is as follows:
Not taking into account the tota
rent paid for rooms on the third foo
of the Star building. for which tota
annual rent Of $1,150 is paid by thu
government nor the two rooms in thu
Munsey building for which a tota
rental of S420 per annum is paid, max
ing a total of $3.50 per annum fol
these three quarters, 1t Is acertainet
that the price per square foot net in al
of the other twenty places and room:
rented by the government for the
various department ranges from
cents and mills per square foot ne
per annum for part of the warehouse
7th and X streets southwest, to 6.
cents per square foot net paid for the
old brick office building. located at 93t
street northwest. Atlantic building
which contains in the aggregate oo,u !
square feet net. For the purposes OF
this computation the rents pad fol-
quarters in the Munsey and Star build
ings are omitted, due to the fact thai
only small proportions Of these build
ings are rented by the Agricultural De-
partment 1t also develops that the
rents In these buildings per square
foot is s1.296, S1.19 and $1.15, respec-
lively.
In the Munscy building standard
rate per square foot Is charged. vary
ing according to the location of the
offices. The Department of Agriculture
pays the standard rate for the rooms
it occupies.