The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1922-07-13
Government Is Largest Property
Owner in the United
States.
ECONOMY is THE WATCHWORD
Congress Keeps an Eagle Eye on the
Governments Housing Bill-Com-
mission Saves Half-MiIlion in
Rents in Three Years.

Washington, ID. C.-In the vigorous
hunt for more ways of saving a dol
lar, congress is keeping an eagle eye
on the governments housing bill. The
government clerk may work in a gran
lite masterpiece of Greek architecture
that suggests a large and lavish scale
of administration, but the classic edi-
fee is run on strictly modern, save
the-pennieS basis.
The government is the largest prop
erty owner in the United States. Be
sides the great department buildings
in Washington, each costing several
million dollars, it owns Offices all over
the country. These include 1850 post
Offices, ranging In value from small
town building worth only few thou
sand dollars to the Chicago post office,
which cost more than 100000.
Economy Becomes Watchword.
Economy is now the watchwOrd in
the management of all this property.
Take the stucco buildings which
sprang up to house the army of war
stenographers and filing clerks in the
capital. About 10000 var workers
have departed and whole blocks of the
"tempos," as the war buildings were
called, have been struck like circus
tents. But some are needed because
Washington still has twice as many
clerks as in prewar days.
The tempos near Potomac park
stand on leased land and the lease is
about to expire. Furthermore, the
owners want higher rate Of rent, and
if the government turns the property
back to the owners it must tear down
its stucco buildings and even pay for
the structures that stood on the land
when it took possession.
In this dilemma the government
finds one satisfactory way out. 1t can
buy the land for $1,5000O0 about what
three years rent would cost. Congress
is considering this obviously ecOnomi.
cal measure, and approval is said to
be certain. The temporary buildings
are regarded as good for several years
and after that the government will still
have the land as a site for permanent
structures.
Buildings Present Problem.
Across the street from some of these
temporary offices is another govern,
ment problem. Here are two build.
ings, joined by passageways, which to-
gether make the largest office build
ing in the world. They are the Navy
and Munitions buildings They con
tain 100000 square feet OF space and
some of the corridors are 1900 feet
long,
These record-breaklng Office build
ings are a bone of contention because
they were put up as temporary wal
structures. They stand firmly enough
on governmentowned ground, but the
land is a part Of Potomac park, and
the city-planning scheme calls for the
removal of the prosaic buildings to de-
velop the park.
The buildings are modern in every
respect and are extremely solid for
temporary construction. If they had
been built across the street on the
leased ground which the government
Is now buying they would have stood
unchallenged and seryiceabIe for at
least fifteen years TO come. They may
stand for years as II Is. The two
buildings together cost more than ST.
100000. They house several thousand
workers who would have TO be pro-
vided for somewhere If the biggest
government office unit were strapped
Commission Put In Charge.
Economy and the clty-beautlfu idea
are contrasting over this situation, and
economy has the advantage now. It's
cause being advanced for the govern
ment by public buildings commission
at the capitol. This commission has
for It's ultimate aim the removal Of ev.
rNNH nnENrN CIV,