Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-03-04
Representative Stafford Dis
putes Charge Government
Is Held Up for Office Rent.
RUNS INTO BORLAND
ADDED-HOUR RIDER
Says Missourian Apparently Does
Not Know Clerks Elsewhere Are
Not Required to Work 8 Hours.

Representative Stafford of Wiscon-
sin. who contempiates amendment
to the legislative appropriation bill
giving government clerks a half-holi-
day the year round. ran head-on into
the BorIand dded-hour provision late
yesterday in the House and gave the
author of the rider a talking to that
seemed to please the few government
employees who were sitting IN the gall
leres.
Representative Borland had been
making broad assertions about the
specializing land-owning interests
and the holding up of the govern
ment" by men to whom the government
pays rent for office buildings. claiming
that the real estate owners of the Dis
trict are somewhat similar to the buc-
cancers of the Spanish main. The bust
ness under discussion was a little pro-
viso allowing a Encouragement of space
in the State. War and Navy Depart
mentS building, which will possibly
save $4,000 a year in office rents Rep
resentative Borland made an attack on
the business men of the District in gem
eral. and when he had concluded Rep
resentative Stafford replied
II think the gentleman from Missouri
mir. Rorland) is driven pretty hard
when. in order to give support to the
amendment on which he got snap judg-
ment in the committee. he has to make
an attack upon the real estate agents
of this city and make the bald charge
that they are holding up the govern
ment in the rents that are being paid
by the government for the use OF de-
partmental service The question OF
rental of these buildings in the city has
received consideration by the subcom-
mittee. and in this bill we authorize the
secretary of Labor and the Attorney
General to enter into leases based upon
the rate of 1868 cents per square foot of
available space used.
Why" asked Representative Bor
land, and Representative Stafford an
swered:
Considered Fair Return.
we limited that to 1868 cents
square foot not because we had been
through a long fight. but because the
Secretary of Commerce. Mr.. Redfield,
testified before the committee that 1t
was but a fair return on the invest
ment and that it was very low rental
for Office buildings in the District
Now, what is shown by the figures in
the Book of Estimates, showing the
returns of rentals paid by the various
departments? By reason of the grow
obliged to rent offices in the Woodward
building, in the Union Trust building
and in the Southern building, where
the rental is s1.35 per square foot, in
Guiding upkeep, janitor service and
elevator service, whereas in the De
partment of Commerce We pay 1868
cents per square foot for the use of
the available space. and are Obliged
to maintain the upkeep.
Secretary Redfeld testiies that that
upkeep, including everything, amounts
to 1871 cents per square foot, or
total for that building of as, thus
saving more than one-half of what is
being charged to the general public
in the rent of Office buildings. Yet
the gentleman from Missouri tMr. Bor-
land), driven to the extreme to md
some reason for bolster1ng up MS
amendment claims that the question
of rental is involved in compelling the
clerks to work eight hours instead of
seven Apparently he does not know
.u4t throughout the country, even In
..yate establishments. clerks are not
.euuired to work maximum of eight
hours: that in many insurance com
panies and banks the maximum is
seven and one-half and in some in
.tances seven hours.
IF there is merit in his proposition,
iet us discuss the question on It's
frcrits. but do not let us drag INTO
,kis discussion an arrangement OF
cIs VINO do not deserve to be attack
81, OF the showing that is made 90
not link real estate agents with land
sharks Or money sharks. They per
n II q necessary function. and they
have submitted to the department
heads fair proposals to the erection
o. new. buildings to be rented for
term of FIVE years on the basis of 1868
cents per square foot. That rental in
some instances does not yield the own
ers an average of per cent on the
amount invested. If it does not yield
= return of per cent, even excluding
taxes certainly 10 one can charge that
rhe real estate agents are engaged IN
. hold up policy of the government in
the rental of offices, to accommodate
the respective branches of the govern
ment by reason of the growing needs
of service