The Washington times., 1920-12-14
WARBU|[DINGS
AREF|RETRAPS
Only 3 in 10 Temporary Struc-
lures Safe for Government
Workers, Board Says.

The Public Buildings Commission
ers do not approve placing Govern
ment workers in the temporary war
structures, because they are not fire.
PROCEED, they reported TO Congress
today. OF the eighteen temporary
buildings in Washington now used
by the Government, only three are
fireproof, they state.
THREE EIREPROOF.
The nreproofed buildings are the
Navy and Munitions buildings. on b
street between Seventeenth and Nine
teenth streets, and Building +. Sixth
and Il streets northwest. The other
hfteen buildings are classed as nre-
traps and no Government workers
have been placed in them except
where II was absolutely necessary.
The commission recommends that
these fifteen infammable structures
be RACED at the earlies practicable
date. or as soon as their retention Is
no longer a necessity.
They were built to last only .
| short time and as the years go by
the expense OF maintaining them will
continue to mount" the commission
adds. In explaining this stand. the
report OF the commission sets forth:
This reluctance on the part of the
commission to place permanent acttvi-
ties in these buildings will account
| for the fact that in some OF them are
to be found considerable areas of
unused space. This is particularly
| true of units A and B, at Sixth and
b streets. Some might argue that de-
partments of the Government, occupy
! ing rented space should be moved
| Immediately into this unoccupied
space.
LABOR DEPT. CITED.
Take the Department Of Labor. for
example. 1t is occupying the splendid
building at Seventeenth and G
streets, rented. it is true. but at the
very reasonable figure of % cents
| per square foot. Would 1t be the part
of wisdom to direct this department
to vacate the building and move into
| one OF those infiammable structures
when they have very distinct bar
gain in their rental charges?
| "Other examples of similar ma
ture are: the Civil Service Commits
sion, paying 35 cents per square foot;
the Department of Commerce. 35
cents per square foot; the Interstate
Commerce Commission, SO cents per
| square foot: the Department Of JUS
| tice, 81 cents per square foot. and
the Panama Canal Office. 81 cents
! per square foot
1.-THE commission believes that in
cases lige these, where the depart
ments are adequately housed at a
, very reasonable figure. they should
| continue to occupy their present
quarters until they can be provided
! for in permanent Government-owned
| hn n
| raze two of the temporary buildings
| during the coming year. as the own
ers of the ground upon which they
| are located decline to renew the
lease. They are the Corcoran Courts
Building on New York avenue. near
| Seventeenth street, and the Council
of National Defense Building. at
| Eighteenth and d streets. The COM
mission already has provided space
| elsewhere for the occupants of these
| buildings and their demolition will
| cause no inconvenience to the service.
The rental paid private owners of
| buildings in 1919 was $1,134,581.6S.
| while in 1920 the rents paid by the
| Government totaled S733. 364.S0. The
difference between these shows a
saving Of $401 ,216SS. to which will
| shortly be added the $S6279.40,
which the Shipping Board is now
paying for rented quarters, when that
| board moves to the Munitions Build
| ing.
When the commission was organ
lied a fund of $4,000 was placed at
| its disposal Up to September 80.
the report states, when the last audit
of the books was made. only $4.497.42
| was spent for all expenses, while
| the Government was saved almost
| half a million dollars.