Evening star., 1923-09-02
WALLACE OUTLINES
$15,SQ,0)D 8YEAR
BUILDING PROGRAM
Agriculture Bureaus Usinu
Widely Scattered Buildings,
Many Rented.
CALLED WORST HOUSED
DEPARTMENT IN CAPITAL
Rent Bill for That Branch of the
Government Now Amounts to
$4,000 a Year.

There is now before the budget bu-
reau recommendation by Secretary
Henry C. Wallace for an eight-year
| building program for the Departments
OF Agriculture. calling for an ultimate
expenditure Of s15.350,o0o, to adequate
ly house the $500 employees of the de-
| partment in Washington.
rms proposal is made as a strictly
eHcient business proposition, because
the Department Of Agriculture now oc-
cupies forty-eight widely scattered
| buildings in Washington, most of which
are rented, which hampers efficient bus
mess administration of the department.
and greatly increases the costs. The de-
partment is now paying a rent bill of
more than $4,000 a year.
In spite Of the administrations drive
for economy. Secretary Wallace and &,
! fact, all Of those who are in close toucb
with the housing needs Of the Depart-
ment of Agriculture feel that a start
should be made this year on this build
ing program.
Senator Smoot of Utah, who is chair
man of the public buildings cornis
sion, in his report to Congress on
the pubic buildings needs in the cap
ieai' placed the Department of Agri-
culture buildings second only to a
national archives building, saving
"This department. is probably the
worst housed in the city of Wash
| ington.''
Col. Sherrilrs Report.
The recommendations of Secretary
Wallace are given emphasis by the
report OF Lieut.. Col. Clarence o. Sher-
lrill, officer in charge of public build
ings and grounds. during the week
| that no more room can be found for
government Offices and that many di-
visions and bureaus are now over
crowded.
The plans of Secretary Wallace have
been most carefully considered.
About year ago he appointed a COM
mittee to consider the whole matter
Of permanent housing program for
the department. This committee was
headed by c. W. Pugsley, assistant
/ secretary, and the other members
| were DR.. E. d. Ball. director of scien-
tific work; DR.. W. A. Taylor chief of
the bureau of plant industry; Col.
w. B. Greeley, forester; DIR. John
Mohler, chief of the bureau of animal
industry, and r. NJ. Reese, chief clerk
| Of the department
The report of this committee shows
| that the department has been occu-
ipying 579,S39 square feet In govern
ment-owned buildings and 4S2.6S9
square feet in rented buildings. These
buildings are widely scattered. For
example. it is two miles from the
main building to the weather bureau,
six miles to the fixed nitrogen re-
search laboratory, one-half mile to
the bureau Of public roads and three
fourths of mile to the forest service
offices.
Then. too, single bureaus are in a
number of different buildings; for ex-
| ample, the bureau Of plant industry is
1 in nine different locations and the bu-
reau Of agricultural economics in nine
! widely separated buildings. while the bu-
! reau of entomology is in five separate
| buildings.
Omces Are Overcrowded.
In a great many places the depart
ment offices are densely overcrowded,
and where they are not overcrowded
| there is absolutely no room for growth,
| the report of Secretary Wallace to the
| budget bureau points out. All this over
crowding has resulted in too much use
of basement space for housing en-
ployes where there is poor light and
far from perfect ventilation. On the top
floors of some buildings in use there is
too much ventilation in winter. and 1t
is so intensely hot in summer that the
employees have to be excused from work.
because it would be inhuman cruelty to
keep them there.
Regarding the fire risk, Secretary
Wallace has pointed out to the budget
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