The Washington times., 1920-12-02
FIXED BUILDING
IN SIGHT
Senator Smoot Against New D.
c. Construction NoW-FavorS
Permanent Program.

nent DullQlng program, according
to Senator Reed Smoot, of Utah,
chairman of the Public Buildings
Commission. Senator Smoot also
says that the economy started by
the Republicans at the last session
of Congress will be continued this
session, and only the immediate
needs of the Government will get
appropriations.
TO TEAR DOWN WAR sHACKS.
The temporary war buildings will
be discontinued as soon as possible.
Senator Smoot says. and in their
places will b. erected permanent
buildings that will be in keeping with
the architecture of other Government
buildings.
The buildings erected on b street
northwest between Seventeenth and
Nineteenth streets northwest known as
the Munitions building and the Navy
building will be the last to go, the
Senator says. because they are OF a
more substantial character and fit in
with the surroundings The others
will be demolished as soon as their
usefulness ceases to exist or the leases
on the land upon which they are built
terminates.
The report of the Public Buildings
Commission, OF which Senator Smoot
Is chairman, is almost ready and will
be submitted to Congress in a few
days. The report shows that the COM
mission spent less than $4,000 of the
appropriation given it while it has
saved the Government hundreds of
thousands Of dollars in rentals by a
systematic allotment of space to Gov
ernment activities.
DROP 50 FER CENT OF CLERKS
HERE.
Senator Smoot thinks that the space
problem in the Government service
will be settled by the dropping or
OF about so per cent of the clerks
in Washington at the present time.
BY dropping off half the Govern
ment clerks. in Senator Smoot's opin-
ion, the housing situation in Wash
ington, and the Government depart
ments. will be relieved. The War
Risk Insurance Bureau, he said, Is
more efficient today with it's 9.COO
employees than it was when it had
10000 employees. This bureau ought
to be run with 5000 employees, he de-
clares.
Not only will the dropping OF clerks
be a saving for the Government, but
IT will also be a good thing for the
clerks.
Senator Smoot says the average
clerk Is afraid he cannot make n liv-
ing outside of the Government sctv-
ice, while the records show that due
TO the training he receives succcss Is
assured him.
The Government service is an ex-
cellent school, for young men, he said
but a bad place to remain.
WILL FIGHT DEFICIENCIES.
In his program for cutting down
expenses, Senator Smoot Is going to
fight bitterly deficiency appropria-
tions. but does not see any possible
prospect of winning his fight until
some cabinet member is put in jail
for spending Government money for
which he had no authority"
Senator Smoot is author of a bill to
reorganize the work in the Govern
ment departments. The bill has pass
ed the Senate and is now in the
House. The Senator expects to work
for the passage OF his bill at this
session. In connection with the re-
organization OF the Government de-
partments, he believes that nothing
will be done with reclassification of
Government employees until this
measure is put through, or the force
OF clerks reduced. II would be useless
to attempt rcclassification at this
time, the Senator says. and he prefers
to walt until conditions become nor
NAL again. One OF the objects of the
reorganization commission will be the
fixing OF salaries in the different dc.
partments for the same work much
along the lines of the reclassiflcation
commission.
He IL a strong advocate for legis-
lation that will give relief to .he
farmers OF the country. not only for
their own sake. but also for the good
OF the country.
Dakota is a danger signal that should
be needed, he said adding that they
are not the only banks that are on
the verge of closing up on account
OF agricultural conditions.
An embargo on wool. in his opinion
would help relieve the situation great
ly. This is essential not only for the
wool growers, but for the banks OF
the country. 1f something is not done
soon, he said, the wool industry of tha
country will be destroyed