Evening star., 1922-11-30
OMNIBUS BILL DUE
FOR HEARINGS SOON
Testimony on Measure for
Federal Buildings to Begin
Soon After Holidays.

Hearings on a proposed omnibus bill
I providing for long-delayed public build
ings in Washington and throughout the
nation to house federal business prob
ably will begin shortly after the holi-
| days with possibilities that the bill may
be reported out about the middle Of
January by the House committee on pub
| lie buildings and grounds, it was an
nounced today by Chairman Langley Of
the committee.
| Present prospects, Representative
! Langley announced. are that the bill
! may propose a program OF buildings.
| calling for the expenditure of about
$10o,0oo.O0o, including $15.0o0.000 cash
now on deposit In the Treasury. appro-
prated in 1913. but not yet expended on
| account of the high cost Of construction.
Action by the committee. Chairman
Langley indicated, would begin as re-
suit Of favorable answers received to-
day from a majority of his committee
in reply to his letter Of Tuesday. pres
enting the public building situation as
! greatly in need of Immediate attention.
A letter will be addressed by Chairman
the House. advising them Of the hear
ings and that proposed projects should
be submitted.
Two Special Buildings.
| Public buildings in Washington,
which Chairman Langley believes
should be included in the bill. are one
for the Department of Labor and an
archives building for housing all gov
ernment records not current. Further
than these two buildings. Chairman
Langley thought. the bill would be
unable to go for Washington. because
| OF the exceedingly crowded conditions
OF pest offices throughout the country
| and the pressing need for adequate
| post office buildings. ~
] Eventually. however. it should be
the aim of the government. Chairman
| Langley indicated. to house all gov
ernment activities in government
owned buildings. The s15.000.000 cash
in the Treasury was appropriated in
1913. providing for l16 projects. but.
on account of the rising cost of con-
| struction incident to the war. this was
not spent. These 116 projects would
indicated, and there would also be in
! cluded projects which had been in
| cluded in two other omnibus bills
! which failed OF enactment since 1918.
The committee. Chairman Langley
said had great volume OF material
concerning the public building situa-
| ton already in hand. and. therefore,
he thought the hearings would be
brief.
! Prospective New Quarters.
| Departments of the government in
! Washington which are in pressing
| need of their own quarters. and
| which might be next in line for a
| home of their own, after the Depart
ment Of Labor and archives, Chair
| man Langley indicated, were the in
| ternal revenue bureau and the De-
/; partment of Justice.
| In fact, the public buildings COM
mission. of which Representative
| Langley is a member. has been seri-
! ously considering moving the De-
| partment of Justice from, its present
/; location in a rented building to one
of the temporary buildings in the
vicinity of Goth street and Virginia
avenue. This is considered more
necessary, 1t was said, on account of
the fact that the rental for the De-
partment of Justice building was re-
Gently multiplied by four by Its
owners.
The governments huge rental bill,
at one time, was about million
dollars a year. but owing to efforts
of the public buildings commission
| and some little buildings this has
! been reduced. Representative Lang
| ley said. to about three-Quarters Of a
million dollars at the present time.
| Mr.. Langley today called on Presi-
dent Harding, it was understood, in
| the interest OF a Kentucky judgeship
now vacant. and discussed the public
/ buildings situation upon leaving the
! White House.