Evening star., 1922-11-30
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.
Chairman Langley of the House
nm nYhltc hufldinPs and

Chairman Langley of the House
committee on public buildings and
grounds believes that the government
ought to own, and not rent. buildings
needed for public use. He has an
nounced that his committee will pro-
pose blanket program to that end.
which will result, IL adopted, in the
immediate erection of many govern
ment buildings in Washington: for
the government is now spending hun
dreds of thousands of dollars on
rentals of old buildings, privately
owned.
In hardly any instance are the old
buildings really adapted to the uses
to which they are put. and the rentals
must be high enough to enable the
owners to keep them up. 1t goes
without saying that when a landlord
knows that he is renting to Uncle
Sam he does not lower his rental too
extravagantly.
1t has always been the policy Of the
government to carry its own tnsur-
ance. No fire insurance is ever car
ried on public building. since, In
case of loss. it is assumed that the
government is as well able to cover
the loss as any private insurance COM
pany. Yet the government. with its
practically unlimited resources. hires
the investments OF individuals for IT'S
Offices. Mr.. Langley is right in de-
claring that such a course is incon-
sistent and extravagant.
r +
But just what is in the mind and
purpose of the chairman when he an
nounces that the proposed buildings
are not to be "monumental' in de-
sign? Surely the vision which con-
ceives the need of government build
ings will also recognize that we are
building for future ages. We should
not erect merely plain business
blocks" out of harmony with other
government buildings and fnconsist-
ent with the dignity of the nation.
If all that Congress would consider at
present would be an economy row. by
all means remodel the temporary
shacks built to meet the war emer-
gency and let them continue to serve
temporary usefulness until the coun-
try is ready for permanent structures,
artistic and adequate. Such is the
attitude of members Of Congress, who
may decide to hold back their in
dorsement of the Langley program
unless it proves to be committed to
plan of real construction for the
future centuries. They point with
pride to the Capitol. the Treasury and
War and Navy buildings. the Con-
eressional Library and the Senate and
House Office buildings, and say that
no government building should lower
the standard already set. Washing
ton, the city beautiful, should main
tain the dignity of the great nation Of
which 1t is the heart
The Retail Coal Merchants Associa-
ton has recommended to the Federal
Coal Commission that consumers be
urged to lay in their years stocks of
coal during the summer months, so as
to equalize the demand, and thereby
keep the miners at work the year
round. That is indisputably a desir-
able aim. 1t is argued from the con-
sumers' standpoint. that all the reso-
lutions and recommendations Of that
nature are SO one-sided. in the in
terest OF the producers and handlers
of coal, that nothing of substantial
nature will come of the recomm enda-
ton The whole burden of the recon-
mendation, they say, will fall upon
the ar-sighted consumer. who is
asked to capitalize his stock of coal.
many months before he will need it.
is to make an inducement to the sum-
mer buyer, by fixing attractive prices
in summer, much lower than prices OF
winter sales. There is some differ
ence in price already. but the evidence
that the difference is inadequate lies
sufficient reaction on the part of the
buyers; else they would buy in sum-
mer. or in such months as gave the
right inducement, all things consld-
cred.
1t would most certainly be to the
benefit of the miners to be enabled
to work 300 days a year. instead of
less of 100 to 200. How much is that
worth? This is a question Of pure
economies, not Of sentiment. All the
resolutions and recommendations in
the world will simply swing around
the circle and come back to the eco
nomic point: What is it worth to the
sellers for the buyers to co-operate?"
What is the measure OF the value OF
an all-year market. as compared with
a three-months selling season? All
that can be figured out, so that a
special price can be scheduled for
each month. which VIII equal1Ze the
tax or interest which would fall upon
the buyer
X X
OF course this seasons conditions
are special, on account of the strike.
but strikes would not be SO likely il
the whole business were standardized.
to avoid doing a years selling in
three months. Everybody would be
henefited-miners, sellers and con-
sumers. Washington is said. by deal
ers, to be 10000 tons short OF even