The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-09

rent all these various quarters for its
bureaus. Every year it pays a stag
eering total in rents which if used to
build new structures would comfort
ably house every department. This
rev provision for building offices in
stead of renting them. in the frame
structure that is to be erected on the
Mall, is the first time the government
mas acknowledged that renting is an.
expensive habit
Ever since the war started, various
departmental officials have been ask
ing congress for authority to rent new
quarters. This" declared the house
or representatives would have n0Rwlt-
ed in emphasizing the unfortunate
condition now existing by which va
rfous bureaus of the same department
and some divisions of the same bu-
reau, all OF which, for an efficient and
economical conduct of the public bust
n ess, should be under one roof, would
be mode widely scattered than before"
During the last session congress Great
ed commission upon the housing of
the permanent activities of the gov
ernment to which were appointed six
members of the senate, six members
of the house, the supervising archi-
tect, the superintendent of public
buildings and grounds, and the super
intendent of the capitol. 1t was this
commission which decided that dur
ing the present war crisis, a temporary
frame DulldlnB was the best answer TO
the housing problem.
Temporary Frame Buildings.
A provision for such a building was
Immediately inserted in the emergency
appropriations bill But it did not
pass without a protest, as anyone ia
miliar with the history of Washing
ton, might guess. The ancient feud
/ between Westinghouse who wish to
see government buildings placed along
~ iGI fn
them built along Pennsylvania avenue
at once came to life again. The Mall
advocates rushed to congress and pro-
posed that instead of placing the new
building in the Mall it should be built
on the corner of Fifteenth and Penn
sylvania avenue where hotel and
theater are now doing business. 1t
would be an eyesore on the Mall, they
insisted, which is otherwise fairly ar
tistic and where traffic is at present
uninterrupted from the Washingto
monument to the capitol. Even Sena-
tors and representatives walked thru
the Mall on their way to work, said
the advocates. They ought to under
stand the objection to blocking it.
But the senators and representa-
tiveS did not. What they did under
stand was that the government was
receiving money for the rental of the
theater and hotel on Pennsylvania
avenue, and in time of war even rent
money must not be deSplSed. II was
much better to be inartistic and build
the huge war structure on the Mall.
! But. inasmuch as the site chosen had
already been promised to the George
! Washington Memorial society, which
/ is going to. build memorial to George
Washington some time, if it ever ac-
cumulates enough funds, congress
compromised and inserted in the bill:
provided. however. that within two
wears after the conclusion of the eX-
listing war, the land above referred to
shall again be reserved for the cree
| ton of the George Washington Me-
mortal hall, unless, in the meantime,
some other site in the city of Wash
| ington be reserved for such purpose.
Questions on the above or any sub
/ ject upon which the reader desires in
! form ton should be addressed the To-
i peka State Journal Information Bu-
reau. Frederic ]. Haskin. Director,
Washington. D. c.. with 2-cent stamp
enclosed for veply.