Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-10-09

wy ASHINGTON Oct. 5.-Congress has. just
wv appropriated 100000 to build tenn
w pOrary frame structure to take care ot
all the extra activities of the government occa-
stoned by the war Primarily it is for the war
and navy departments. In times of peace these
two departments crowded into the same build
ing with the state department and find 1T fairly
comfortable. Now this condition is daily grow
ing more intolerable, for the state, war and navy
building literally bulges with new war bureaus
Hence while the $2,O0O,OOO seems large
price for merely temporary building, the need
for it is imperative. 1t would take five times
long and cost twice much to build stone
structure Of the same size: And unfortunately,
the will not wait. The building must
contain 055 900 square feet of floor space, house
10000 government employees and be completed
within ninety days Otherwise, part of the United
Stltes government will be compelled u camp Cd
the lawn.
Already the situation is becoming desperate.
Thee is talk of the government confscating the
excursion steamers the Potomac for office room.
The business section of Washington has never been
large and it appears incredibly small, COM
pared to the tremendous value of business that
is coming to town. To office building
here now is to become millionaire.
Englishmen assure us that London had per-
fectly dreadful time" at the beginning of the
in housing all the activities of the British
government. The, British munitions department,
created about a year after the. war broke out,
brought 5000 employees to the city of London
alone. London has nothing on Washington now.
Over $4,000 new employees are here. clamOring
for floor space in which to work, live and eat, and
seldom getting what they want.
With them, of course, have come many bust
to supply their wants. Washington is
having boom such it never had before II
is harborng all sorts of strange individuals from
New York haberdashers and taffy vendors to At
lantic City fortune telers, middle western finan-
ciers and Japanese diplomats. If you don't be-
lieve this go to of the popular town cafes
any night, if you get in--there only about
eight of them, and they are always crowded
and look about you. You will be amazed to find
that Washington has become a cosmopOlis.
Naturally all this growth takes room and the
government consequently suffers. For example,
just it is about to raise formidable aviation
corps it is hampered by lack of space in which
to do it. Some clerks have been put in the
ridors of one building, some have been put in
another, and still others reported to be work.
ing in the union station. AS congressman
remarked THE aviation section has already flown
around quite little, looking for place to light"
Then there is the adjutant generals office
1t is growing fast that it cannot keep up with
itself. The number of clerks required increases
so rapidly that before congress has a chance to
act upon request of the adjutant general for
clerks, he is back again with the statement
that a thousand SO more will be needed. Take
also the ordnance department. 1t alone is going
to spend $4,000 900 900 for the government this
year in purchasing supplies and equipment 1t is
impossible to estimate at present the number of
employees it will take to handle inspect and audit
the infinite number of details connected with such
an expenditure
The secretary of war is wO king sixteen
hours day in his office. His clerks work in two
shifts Many of them, inspired by their energetic
executive voluntarily work overtime although the
hours have already been heightened hour and
a half. Formerly the hours were from to 1880;
they are from to p. m. All of them
working under a handicap of too little space. In
commenting on this Congressman Fitzgerald, OF
New York, says
Despite all these measures, with this
nous volume of work unexpectedly thrown upon
the department that did not have the organiZa-
ton to handle it, there has been embarrassment
and delay. But l am convinced that the country
is fortunate in having accomplished SO much in
the time and under the conditions that have
listed since entered the war
Now the treasury department is facing ire
mendous increase in business, due to the rev.
enue bill. Two additional assistant secretaries
of the treasury have been appointed, we'll
many clerks, all of whom will need
offices. A bill has been recently introduced into
congress to build office building next TO