Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-19
CITY ALIVE TO ITS
PART IN BIG TASK
Legislative Draft Authorizing Combined Office Build
ing to Be Prepared at Once-Commerce Chamber
Throws Whole Support Behind Housing Plans

City and County Commissioners
are anxious to start pans for
new courthouse and municipal
building they declared to-day. and
when the necessary legislation Is
passed permitting the two branches
of local government to cooperate
in paying the expenses of the new
structure there will be no delay.
City Solicitor John T.. Fox is busy
now preparing the bill to be intro
duced, probably early next weeh'
which will permit the city and couh,
ty to join in the project. lie ana
County Solicitor Philip ). Moyer
were directed to take such actlon
and submit the bill as soon as pos
sible. This authorization was gwen
by council and the board of county
commissioners at a Joint conference
held few weeks ago. 81.
Passage Assured
It was said that a similar bill had
been introduced and if it is salts
factory for the needs of Harrisburg
and Dauphin county no additional
one will be necessary. Solicitor FOX
said, however, that the bill whlch
he is preparing will be completed IN
! a day or two and then II the Dill
now before the Legislature is not
adaptable for local conditions the
new act will be presented. Early
passage of the legislation has been
assured.
CITY and county officials attended
the dinner and reception last night
and ali expressed themselves as
heartily in accord with the remarks
of Governor William c. Sproul, who
urged early action to give the city
and county q suitable building. They
said they are anxious to get plans
started as they have already agreed
to cooperate in making the project
a reality in public improvement
work.
Chamber TO Help
Charles f. Covert will head a
committee to be appointed within
few days by George S. Reinohel,
president of the Chamber of Com
! merce, 10 cooperate with the city
and county officials to bring about
the erection of an adequate office
building for the city and county.
Mr.. Reinoehl said that the Cham
ber committee would be at the serv-
ice of the city and county officials to
render any aid 1t is capable of, in
order to provide a municipal and
county building commensurate with
the size and importance of the
county.
THE entire resources of the Cham
ber of Commerce will be back of the
committee and the city and county
officials to boost such a movement"
said Mr.. Reinoehl. The exact num-
Der which will serve on the commit
tee has not been decided, but Mr..
Reinoehl intimated that the commit
tee would be small. in order to ac-
fcl, Aff IkaNF
move, he said, likely would be to go
before the city and county commits
sioners and offer its services to fur
ther the project of a new building,
and to offer the services of the
chamber.
Two Solutions
Regarding the housing question,
which the newly ly-organized housing
committee of the chamber under the
Craftsmanship of Horace j. McFar-
land already has started to solve.
Mr.. Reinoehl said there are two So
lutions to the problem. One, he said,
would be to organize a corporation
like the Harrisburg Hotel Company,
selling stock with the understand
ing that the investment might not
pay dividends at first, but that for
the municipal welfare, liberal pur-
chases of the stock should be made.
Another plan, he said, would be to
encourage a speculative. venture by
private resources, with the chamber
using its influence with the banks to
provide funds for housing de-
Velopment by individuals. who would
sell or rent their completed houses
thus built, to persons who desire to
locate In the city.
The chamber is back of an ener-
getic campaign to provide public
buildings in keeping with the po-
sition of the city as the states cap ,
ltal' and houses to provide shelter
for greatly increased number of
workers and residents which new in |
dustrial enterprises are expected to
bring here.
May Remove Prison
County Commissioner Henry NJ. |
Stine. in connection with the plans |
for the construction of the now
building. said the county officials |
should consider the removal of the |
county prison outside the city limits
and provide for 1t. II necessary. he |
said. the site of the Jail together
with that of the present Court |
house, might be used for the new
building. 1t is likely that this plan
a