The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-09
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
TNEORMATION BUREAU
By FREDERIC j. HAsKIN, Director,
Washington, ID. c.
THE GOVERNMENTS HOUSING
PROBLEM

gress has just appropriated two mil
lion dollars to build a temporary
frame structure to take care of all the
extra activities of the government oc-
casioned by the war. Primarily, 1t is
for the war and navy department. In
times of peace, these two departments
are crowded into the same building
with the state department and find it
fairly comfortable. Now this condi-
ton is daily growing more intolera-
BILE; for the state, war and navy
building literally bulges with new war
bureaus.
Hence. while two million dollars
seems a large price for a merely tenn
porary building, the need for it is I'M
perative. 1t would take five times as
long and cost twice as much to build
a stone structure of the same size.
And, unfortunately the war will not
wait The new building must con-
tain one million and fifty-five thou
sand square feet of floor space; house
twenty thousand government en-
ployes, and be completed IN ninety
days. Otherwise, a part of the United
States government will be compelled
to camp on the lawn.
Already the situation is becoming
desperate. There is talk of the gov
eminent confiscating the excursion
steamers on the Potomac for 0ttlco
room The business section OF WASH
ington has never been large, and now
it appears incredibly small compared
to the tremendous volume of business
that is coming to town. To own an
office building here now is to become
a millionaire.
Difficulties of Housing.
Englishmen assure US that London
had a perfectly dreadful time" at
the beginning of the war in housing
al. the new activities of the British
government. The British munitions
department, created about year after
the war broke out, brought 5000 en-
ployes 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 sell
dom getting what they want.
With them, of course, have come
many business men to supply their
wants. Washington is having boom
such as it never had before. 1t IS
harboring all sorts of strange individ-
uaIs from New York haberdashers and
taffy vendors to Atlantic city fortune
tellers, middle western financiers and
ia panese diplomats. If you don't be-
lieVe this, go TO one of the popular
town cafes any night. if you can get
in-there are only about eight OF
them and they are always crowded
enc look about you. You will be
amazed to find that Washington has
become cosmopolis.
Naturally all this growth takes
room. and the government conse-
qLently suffers. For example, just as
it is about to raise a formidable avia-
ton corps it is hampered by lack of
spa ce in which to do it. Some clerks
have been put in the corridors of one
building. some have been put in an
other, and still others are reported to
be working in the Union station AS
enc congressman remarked, THE avn
a ID
quite a little, looking for a place to
| light"
Then, there is the adjutant gem
erals office. 1t is growing so fast that
lit cannot keep up with itself. The
! humber of clerks required increases
so rapidly that before congress has a
chance to act upon one request of the
adjutant general for more clerks, he
| is back again with the statement that
a thousand or so more will be needed.
Take, also, the ordnance department.
1t alone is going to spend three bill
year in purchasing supplies and
equipment. It is impossible to esti-
mate at present the number of en-
plOyes it will take to handle, inspect
and audit the infinite number of de-
tails connected with such an expendi-
ture.
Secretary Working Sixteen Hours.
/
| ing sixteen hours a day in his office.
| His clerks work in two shifts. Many
of them, inspired by their energetic
executive, voluntarily work overtime,
altho the hours have already been
| heightened an hour and a half. For
merly the hours were from 8 to half
past 4 now they are from s to p. m.
All of them are working under a
handicap of too little space. In COM
menting on this, Congressman Fitzger-
aid of New York says:
! Despite all these measures, with
this enormous volume of work unex-
| pectedly thrown upon the departing nt
| that did not have the organization to
! handle it, there has been embarrass-
ment and delay. But, 1 am convinced
! that the country is fortunate in hav-
/ ing accomplished so much in the time
and under the conditions that have
| existed since we entered the war
Now the treasury department is
| facing a tremendous increase in busl-
ness due to the new revenue bill. Two
additional assistant secretaries of the
treasury have been appointed, as well
as many new clerks, all of whom will
need offices. A bill has been recently
introduced into congress to build 3;
new office building next to the Belasco
| theater, which is opposite the treas
| ury, but the employees of the treasury
cannot hope to move into it for two OF
three years. In the meantime, an
apartment house. which is VOW in the
course of construction, has been rent
ed by the government to be used as ar
office building. This will be a slight
| relief to the treasury.
There being no place for the Food
Conservation commission to hang VI
its hat in a government building, i
has had to take over small hotel.
Housings Never Fully Satisfactory
The housing conditions of the gov
ernm ent have never been as efficient
or as satisfactory as might be expected
of a rich and powerful nation. The
public buildings commission ha:
drawn some very nice plans of how
the various habitats of the government
should look but unfortunately they
have never come to anything more
than plans. Occasionally, in the
course of years a new building has
sprung up. but a large numbe.' of va