Evening star., 1919-09-22
HOUSING PROJECTS
INQUIRY IS BEGUN
Senate Subcommittee Inves-
tigating Operations of
U. S. Corporation.
DETAILS OF WORK IN D. c.

Investigation of the operations of
the United States Housing Corpora
tion to ascertain whether government
money was sQuandered during the
war on housing projects. was begun
today before the Senate public build
ings and grounds subcommittee
dormitory project on the Union sta
tfon plaza, and for many other war
buildings for the sovernwsn1t w;'1,. h here e
Shannon, manager of the real estate
division Of the housing corporation.
also was on the stand today. George
B. Logan of St Louis. counsel for the
investigating committee. questioned
the witnesses.
Statement by NJ
Mr. Wood told the comE.. that
he had prepared in his Office actual
working drawings and specifications
for buildings for the government to
cost $12.876, 900. These, he said. were
completed drawings. He said that he
had made the drawings and done the
architectural work for the govern
ment for buildings costing $7.376,o0o.
He added that he had made drawings
Tor other buildings which were halted
when the armistice was signed.
The witness said all he had received
from the government was $98,310, and
that in this was included many of the
expenses which he had to meet. He
said that his gross commission on this
government work was about per
cent, as compared with the per cent
commission usually charged by archi-
tects
Volume Of Work Cited.
The witness admitted that he had
made more money during the two
years he was on this work for the
government, but pointed out that the
volume of his work was very much
larger than In the pre-war years.
He said that to the best Of his rec
election the most he had made in
pre-war years was around $4,000. He
also testified that the first govern
ment war building for which he made
the drawings was the first food ad-
done the work for nothing, receiving
from the government only his actual
expenses. He said he had offered to
do the other building for the govern
ment the same way, but that the Of
fies,s Of the Eovsrnmsnt nm had in.lsssd
he was entitled to compensation.
Salaries Raised After War.
for the committee. Mr.. Wood admitted
that the salaries of the men in his Of
fce had been increased after the war,
and In some cases more than doubled.
and that these increases had . con-
siderable bearing on the amount al
hirn Nv he q
overhead expenses. He said that his
overhead was ridieulously low" He
said, too, that he had pointed out for
officials of the Housing Corporation
that the form Of contracts was not
altogether q wise one from the point
Of view of the government in respect
to the allowance made him for over
head.
Mr.. Shannon was examined partic-
real estate division Of the house
real estate division CT the House
corporation, in which it was stated
that the real estate purchased by the
corporation for the government had
been obtained at cost of $S69.000
below the appraised value.
Mr.. Shannon was asked whether the
President had anything to do with
the selection of the Union station
plaza site for the dormiteries. He re-
ever of any recommendation made by
the President in this matter.
Mr. Logan asked If it was not true
that the highest appraisal had been
taken in every case to work out such
Q report. MF. Shannon. who had testi-
fed that from three to five appFaisals
we're obtained in each case. said that
he did not believe this could be .
fact. He suggested that the commit
>Ak
the records of the bureau.
Contrary Opinion Expressed.
Mr.. Logan insisted that he and his
assistants had examined the records
and that it was his opinion that the
real estate had been purchased at a
Price in excess of the average ap-
praisal, and very much in excess of
the lowest appraisal.
Mr.. Wood during his testimony was
asked If the George A. Fuller Con-
struction Company had recommended
him for any of the work for the gov
ernment, and If he was instrumental
in having that company do the work
that SO far as he knew the Fuller COM
pany had never recommended him for
any jobs. So far as he was concerned,
he said, he had recommended another
company for the first gov
ernment building, for which he made
the plans. but he had been overruled
in favor of the Fuller company.
Mr.. Wood also was asked concern
ing men who had been employed in
his office and who were later put on
tho pay roll Of the housing corpora
tion. He testified that these men
" ere CHECKERS of materials and Of
v nor and that the work they did for
Union Station piazza dormitories was
not that which an architect is usually
called upon to perform.
Promises to Ascertain Facts.
Mr.. Logan asked Mr.. Wood whether
the working drawings made by him
for the Union Station plaza dormito-
ries were completed drawings, such
as a contractor could readily bid
lieved they were. but that he would
ascertain the facts and present them
to the committee.
During his testimony, Mr.. Wood
told the committee that he had sug-
gested that double rooms be con-
would result in q saving of about 80
per cent He said. however, that this
suggestion was overruled by Miss
Davis. He admitted that he was not
familiar with the problem of housing
women, and that it may have been
right to provide single roems. He
said that he had been informed that
there Is a waiting list today Of about
1900 women seeking admission to the
dormitories, and that 1t indicated
clearly that congestion here still ex-
lists, or that the women were getting
a very good thing for their money in
the dormitories.
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