Omaha daily bee., 1917-01-09
The "P0rk" Raid
courier-JournAl-

While the president and the house ways and
means committee are casting about for aodi-
tIonal sources OF revenue to meet the Dig denCi'
with which the government is confronted the
pork" raiders in congress are preparing to rush
through the house of representatives, under gag
rule allowing only four hours debate, PUBIC
building bill great proportion OF whose appto-
priations are pure graft and in fagrant VIOLATION
of the law.
The law under which these appropriations are
supposed to be made provides that where post
Office buildings are authorized the postal receipts
must reach yearly minimum of $4,000. Further
more, the report of the Public Building commls-
sion in 1918 recommending the enforcement OF
this lava report which was signed by Frank
Clark, chairman of the house committee on pub
lie buildings and grounds, which has concocted
the present bilEalso recommended that in the
consideration of each project comparison OF
rental value for suitable quarters, together with
the cost of maintenance and operation, including
interest at per cent on the investment for the
building proposed, shall be made in order that
it may be determined whether its erection would
be desirable proper investment
Mr. Clark's bill which he is now defending
with such loyalty to the pork raiders, is full OF
items which are not only fatty violative OF both
OF these conditions but which are condemned out
right by the Treasury department on the ground
that the buildings which would thus be provided
would be improbable as well as illegal invest
ments
Examples of this ndefensible profigacy with
the public funds are to be found on every page
of the bill. A few may be noted at random.
Waynesboro Ga, has population OF 11I9
Its postal receipts last year were S,O22.2o. An
appropriation OF $4,000 is made for new build
ing, the maintenance of which will be more than
$4,000 year. The rent for the present postothce
building is $500 year.
There are seventeen other villages in Georgia
with postal receipts falling short of $4,000 which
draw appropriations under this bill tor public
buildings, and whose rent for their present post
Office quarters generally averages about one-tenth
of what it would cost the government to main
tain the new buildings when constructed.
In fact, OF the nineteen appropriations with
which Georgia is favored by this bill only two
can be squared with the law.
Mount Olive, N. C., has about 900 population.
Its postal receipts last year were $5,67928 But,
if this bill is passed, Mount Olive gets a new
$4,000 postofice building, which will cost $4,000
a year to maintain instead of the $420 rental OF
the present postoffice building.
Attala, Ala, has population OF 25l3 postal
receipts, $46l02l; present rental, $4o0. Attala's
new building will cost 450O0, with an annual
maintenance charge of between 1000 and $5,0O0
1000, with postal receipts of $4,427.28. Hunting
toms new public building will cost $25000.
Kentucky will be at the hog kiln" OF course
Hazard for instance to cite only one OF several
villages looked after in the bill, had population
in 1910 barely over 5OO Postal receipts in 1915
were $4,477; annual rental of present quarters,
$3.50 If the bill goes through Hazard will get
$4,000 new building, to be msnitained at an
outlay of nearly $4,000.
And so it goes. Columns of such instances
as these could be filled. Democrats and repub-
licans alike are in on the "swag." One of the
worst features OF this raid is the perpetual main
tenance cost of these new buildings saddled the
government. Appropriations for sites and build
ings are definite sums, paid when they are paid
but the annual maintenance expenditures go on
forever and soon amount to more than the
original appropriations for sites and construction.