Evening star., 1923-12-09

Statistics contained in the annual
reports Of the secretaries of the gov
ernment departments show that If
the request of President Coolidge for
an annual building fund appropriation
of s5,000,000 is granted by Congress,
millions OF dollars that are being
wasted every year will be saved the
taxpayer
Despite urgent requests from most
OF the departments for additional
space and much needed repairs the
three projects that probably would
receive nrst consideration under such
program would De the Immediate
construction OF an archives building.
general accounting office and a
| building large enough TO house the
now scattered offices OF the internal
revenue service.
Eventually the program would give
every department of the government
its own home and thus automatically
WIPE out an annual expenditure OF
100000 in rents, which are in
creasing by leaps and bounds.
At the present time many of the
department buildings in Washing
ton are privately owned and rented
TO the United States at comfortab bIe e
| profits. similar conditions exist
throughout the country in the cast
" ASucldl
Time 70 start on PIaa.
Referring to the need for a gem
erai construction program. President
. Coolidge, delivering his first address
10 Congress last Thursday, said In
part: Many of the departments In
J" Gshington need better housing
| faculties. While l do not favor at
TINS time a general public building
law, L belive IL is now necessary, in
accordance with plans already sane
toned for Il unified and orderly sys-
tenn for the development of this city,
TO begin the carrying out of those
plans by authorizing the erection Of
three or four buildings most ur-
gently needed, by an annual appro-
priation Of $4,000, ,000."
Coincfdent with this announcement
by President Coolidge have come the
rapidly multiplying requests of the
departments for appropriations with
which to enlarge or reconstruct their
: particular quarters.
Secretary of Labor Davis points out
! in his report that the home of the
Department of Labor is only rented
and that the lease will expire n 1927.
/ having already been renewed for Il
period OF five years.
! Secretary Hoover says that not only
are the Offices of the Department Of
Commerce scattered over three build
Ings. but that several of these ARE
antiQuated and unsafe" 1t has be-
come essential that in the interests
OF safety. efficiency and economy the
scattered activities of the department
be assembled under one roof The
economies in rent and more efficient
service, the Secretary of Commerce
points out, would more than cover
interest on a government outlay suf-
fcient to construct a Commerc, De-
rartment building.
In the report of Secretary of the
interior Work are Incorporated re-
quests for additional buildings from
the commissioner of patents. CoIum-
hta Institution for the Deaf. Freed
mems Hospital, ST. Elizabeth's Hos
pital and Howard University. Re-
pairs AMI new buildings required at
! st. Elizabeth's Hospital alone. II is
estimated, would cost nearly 5000 000
! Secretary Work particularly stresses
| the need for enlarged facilities at
Howard University as a means of
overcoming an alarming shortage
| of negro physicians and dentists
Neither the Navy Department nor
the Department of Justice mentions
an appropriation for new homes, al
though the former is nouscI IN a
temporary war structure on the
fringe Of Potomac Park and the lat
ter pays tremendous rent for its
quarters at X street and Vermont
avenue.
Secretary of the Trea sury Mellon,
however, devoted six pages of Lis
report to plea for general building