The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-08

quires and how badly It needs It cannot
De readily realized by one outside of
the War Department. There is so
much detail attached to the care of tho
three million men in the service, half
OF whom are overseas, that a great
stan OF assistants and large quantities
OF ONCE space are absolutely necessary.
ADDED to these requirements Is the me-
cessity OF having sufficient space for
manufacturing purposes, asserting.
packing and shipping of supplies and
the storage Of raw and finished ma
terials Besides. special space il ur-
gently needed for storing food products,
conveyances and hundred and one
other things which go to complete the
organization.
How great the demand Of the Gov
eminent has been on the realty market
Is evidenced from the fact that one
department alone the ,Qnartermaster's
Corps, has been compelled to take over
no less than sixty-five properties, which
Gall for rental in excess Of 81, 500, OO0
With the other administrative branches
Included in the space In the use of the
Government 1t is safe to assume that
tho number OF places occupied would
easily exceed one hundred and the
rental aggregate another $1,000, 900.
The prices paid for space vary with the
location and type Of structure. Two
floors in the Borgfeldt Building at the
northwest corner Of Sixteenth street and
Irving place are costing the Govern
Went between 80 and 10 cents a square
foot. In the South Ferry Building
office space averages about $3.50 a
square foot. and there are about $4,000
feet in use.
The ouartermaster's Corps has found
II necessary to take over the Hallen-
"a
the southwest corner of Pearl and Park
streets. for which It is paying about
$4,000 year. This building Is used
chiefly for q base sorting plant for
woollens and worsteds.
The big plant Of the Merchants Re-
frgerating Company, covering the entire
block between Tenth avenue and Mar
ginal street. Sixteenth and Seventeenth
streets. is under the Governments con-
troll. although not In its entirety. The
lease is based on cubic foot consump-
ton Of space, and since the storage there
Is chiefly food products. the amount of
space used varies with the supplies on
hand.
The Printing Crafts Building, a
twenty-five story structure, on the west
side Of Eighth avenue between Thirty
third and Thirty-fourth streets, is one
OF the latest structures to pass under
Government control. The decision to
take this building. It was explained
yesterday. was to bring under one roof
a great many branches Of the govern
mental departments which were scat
tered about the city. The choice was
also based on the common sense Idea of
taking one big building rather than con-
tinuing to lease space in several sec
tons and so disturb a greater number
of tenants. some OF which might be in
industries construed as moro essential
than those conducted by the tenants Of
the Eighth avenue building.
While provision must be made to sus-
tain the soldiers here and abroad, pro-
vision must likewise be made for those
who have suffered injuries and are re-
turned here to recuperate. So to provide
accommodations for the returning
wounded soldiers the old Greenhut de-
partment store on Sixth avenue was
taken in May and has been fitted out for
the use of soldiers under the direction of
the Surgeon General Of tho army. Last
week a lease was signed which gives the
Government the use of the Grand Cen
trail Palace, a thirteen story building on
the west side of Lexington avenue. be-