Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-03-12
BRANCH CAPITOL
REPORT IS READY
Scheme to Spend Half Million
Dollars and to Create
New Jobs

The State Branch Capitol Commits
suit of n resolution introduced into the
the last Legislature as joke, will re-
port to the Legislature that there
should be half million dollar build
ing erected on n plot on the Philadel-
phia parkway to house the dozen oil
SO branches of the government now in
rented quarters in Philadelphia at q
cost of S1S,700 for rent alone, and the
supreme and superior courts which
have fine quarters here which they oc-
cupy about one week year.
The commission enlarges upon the
fact that the city needs the room now
occupied by these courts and that they
should have quarters of their own
In philadelphia. Attention is also call
ed to the fact that the city of Phila-
! delphla furnishes the aforesaid coulI
rooms and offices worth s25 600 year
iE rent.
Ever since the commission was
named TO devise ways to locate q
branch Capitol in Philadelphia, It's
work has been watched by people in
Fttsburgh, Erie. Scranton, Altoona
ana other cities where there are offices
or the State government and where
| the folks would like to see branch
capitols erected.
accompanying the report will be q
OIL providing for the creation of 9
permanent commission to acquire the
site from the city either by gift OIL
tease, TO prepare plans, make tests
ana arrange other preliminaries This
bill is TO carry $4,000 and provides
Tor $500 annual salary for each OF
the three commissioners. The commits
sion which recommends the construc-
tlon of the State building performed
It's work without pay. 1t was composed
OF Richard j. Beamish, chairman;
montgomery III. Wright, secretary, and
Harry L. Saunders, all of Philadel-
phia.
The report will set forth that the
State can acquire from the city plot
along the north side of the parkway
between Twentieth and Twenty first
streets, covering approximately two
and a half acres with 572 feet on the
parkway. 1t is located between the
convention hall and the library site.
Attention will be called to the fact
that the city gives the Supreme and
superior Courts 10, 939 feet, represent
ing an annual value of $25 900 in rents
and that in addition State offices in
Philadelphia are quartered in office
buildings at an annual rental outlay
OF 1900. The Workmen's Compensa-
ton Board and other bureaus occupy
offlces in the North American build
ing alone which cost $3.50 a year in
rent. 1t is set forth in the report that
on account of the rapid growth OF
the municipal government of Phila-
delphia, 1t is more than likely that
the space occupied by the Supreme
and Superior Courts in City Hall will
soon be required for the accomm oda-
tion of the city government and the
local courts. This would make it nee.
essary for the Commonwealth to seek
new location for its appellate courts
which would probably entail the eX-
penditure by way of rentals alone OF
at least S25, 200 a year"
The proposed office building would
be for the courts and the quarters OF
the dozen or more bureaus now housed
in Philadelphia, and the report says:
Such building should not in any sense
be branch Capitol. but merely for
the convenience of housing such
branches of the State government as
are at present or may be in the future
located in or near the city of Phila-
delphia." 1t is also recommended that
the building be of a size that can be
enlarged to meet future needs, which
is all very fine.