Evening star., 1923-12-09
Coolidge Building Plan May
.Save u. s. Millions q Year
Government Eventually Would Gire
Each Department Its O,cn Home and
Wipe Out Big Rental Cost.

operations. not only IN Washington
but throughout the United States.
He pointed out first that the sub
stantial gain in the population OF
the United States IN the last decade
has had the natural effect of con-
siderabIy increasing the federal gov
ernment's volume OF business. The
$50, 000, 900 year the government Is
paying In rents for privately owned
public buildings, he said, IS mount
ing steadily, and he called attention
to partial building program he and
the Postmaster General submitted to
Congress last December. The need
for more public buildings in Wash
ington. he continued, Is especially ur-
gent. .
"Of the ten executive departments,
the Secretary Of the Treasury re-
port said, "the War and Navy depart
ments are occupying temporary build
ings belonging to the government,
the Department of Justice. Commerce
and Labor are in rented quarters,
while the Treasury Department and
the Department of Agriculture are
only partially accommodated In their
respective departmental buildings
and are occupying outside quarters,
rented and otherwise.
The internal revenue service oC-
cupies approximately 100000 square
feet of space In nine buildings, wide
ly separated, $4,000 square feet OF
ings erected for use during the war
Some of them have already served
beyond the period Of contemplated
duration. The cost of upteep is be
coming burdensome and it VIII be
costly proposition to Keep them IN
habitable condition for any length
of time. II Is estimated that If the
activities OF the bureau were housed
in a single building the cost pei
hundred dollars for collecting taxes
resulting in an annual saving of ap-
proxtmately SI.800,000.
Accounting once.
THE general accounting office oc-
cupfes approximately $4,000 square
feet in twenty buildings, widely sep
arated. This seriously affects the ef-
fcient performance of its duties
Office would mean betternent of or
ganization. better and more efficient
methods of work, and more economic
al administration. The construction
Of separate buildings for the internal
revenue bureau and the general ac-
counting Office. or one building large
enough to accommodate both actlvi-
ties, would result in increased eff
ficiency and reduced administrative
costs of considerable magnitude, as
well as a saving of q considerab BILE
amount in rentals
The need has been recognized for
years lOT Il WHICH TO mousse
the archives of the government.
Records Of great interest from a his
torical standpoint. as well as records
of inestimabIe value from a business
standpoint. are now stored in insecure.
and in many instances inaccessible,
quarters. or occupy space in departmental !
buildings which, II an archives building
were constructed, could be utilized,
and IS urgently needed. for clerical
work amounting TO approximately
$50, 900 square feet. 1t is hoped that
legislation will be promptly enacted
which will permit the construction OF
suitable building In which the ar
chives of the government may be pro-
, tected from the hazard of fire and the
ravageS OF time
Again Secretary Mellon called at
tention to the need for reconstruc-
tion of the security vaults IN the
treasurers office, showing that vir-
tually the wealth of the nation is
stored in repositories that are "ob-
solete. inadequate and wholly un-
suited for present conditions
1t has even become necessary. he
said, to utilize strong-roorns here
which are not vaults at all. and
vaults outside the Treasury; where
centralized control is lost. 1t is .of
great public importance" the Secre-
tary concluded. that moneys and
securities which the treasurer of the
United States and other officers Of
the department are required to hold
shall be properly safeguarded