Evening star., 1923-11-30
BILL FOR NEW US.
. BUILDINGS PUSHED
S50,O0O,OO0 Program for
Capital Structures Has
= Many BackerS.

Ieeislation to give the National
CAPITAL imperatively needed puplc
buildings to house important govern
ment activities that are now crippled
for lack of adequate quarters VIII
be pushed vigorously early IN the
coming session of Congress
Several bills are now being draft
ed providing for an organization Oh
a $4,000. 900 building program for the
National Capital covering a perlod
of five to ten years. These bills prob
ably will be introduced next week by
Representative John w. Langley OF
Kentucky, chairman of. the House
committee on public buildings and
grounds; by Representative Frank
Clark of Florida. who was chairman
of that committee for eight years
during the democratic regime, and by
Senator Smoot of Utah. chairman or
the Senate public buildings commit
tee and chairman of the Public Build
ings Commission.
II is known that the public buildings
commission members are practlcaiS
unanimous in favor of a big building
program for the National Capital, be
cause they realize that it Will be real
economy to provide proper housing III
government owned buildings for tlTese
important activities
Cite Vital Needs.
1t can be positively stated that the
members of the commission appreciate
that there can possibly be no greater
need in the way of public buildings than
for the bureau of internal revenue
which would require at least 7Oo,Ooo
square feet of floor space. This is one OF
the mist important branches of the gov
eminent, in that it has charge OF the
collection of taxes. At least 10 per
cent of this work is now done in nine
temporary non-fireproof buildings scat.
tered over an area a mile ana nan
square.
Chairman Langley of the House
committee said today that there is
no question but that the District OF
Columbia is urgently in need OF pup
lie buildings" He specified these four
as of imperative necesSltE-an ar
chiyes building. a building for the De
partment of Justice. for the general
accounting Office and for the bureau
of internal revenue.
Chairman Langley is particularly
Interested in an omnibus punllc
building bill and feels that federal
buildings are needed in many parts OF
to have the public building program
for the District of Columbia included
in an omnibus public buildings bill
1t is pretty generally realized, how
ever, by those in Congress VINO are IN
closest touch with the vital needs or
the government work shops in the Dis
trict of Columbia and with the attl-
tude of the adminiStrat ton that Presl-
dent Coolidge will support a policy OF
new buildings for the National Capt.
4l1r
calling for new buildings all over the
country.
Has Coolidge support.
1t Is believed that Chairman Lang
lev has been told at the White House
that he will receive the Presidents
support on legislation for new public
buildings in Washington, but that an
omnibus public buildings bill will not
receive the Presidents support at this
time.
Chairman Langley said today that,
with seven vacancies on his commit
tee to be filed, he does not believe
that he should speak for the commit
tee until he has had an opportunity
to discuss the public buildings situation
with them.
II want first to see what President
Coolidge recommends in his message
to Congress- said Representative
Langley.
Besides the four buildings which
Mr. Langley says are of prime lT-
portance it is known that the public
buildings commission also looks with
favor on a large Office building for
the Department of Justice, SO as to
enable 1t to concentrate its work,
which is now scattered in about twen-
ty-five rented buildings in Washing
ton.
Second only to the needs for new
building for the bureau of internal
revenue is the need of the general ac
Ito =,
of the public building commission.
This activity which is Part of the
new federal budget system, is now
scattered in some twenty buildings.