New Britain herald., 1924-12-10
Public Building BiN Includes $225, OOO For Post Office Here
Measure Presented in the House Specifies S5O,OOO for Site and S175,OOO for Structure Itself.
BY GEORGE H. MANNING

Washington Bureau of N. B. Herald)
 Washington, D. C., Dec. 10.-Hope for the construction In the near fu- ture of a new post office building in New Britain Is revived by the intro- auction of bill in the house from the public buildings committee by Representative Elliot of Indiana, acting chairman of the committee, to appropriate s1Fo,00o, 900 for E six- s 'sar federal building program uE- ! ilrection of the secretary of the treasury. An estimate Of s50,000 for a site and $175,O00 for a post office build ing in New Britain is contained in comprehensive plan for construc- ton of federal buildings all over the country which was presented to congress at the last session in joint report by the secretary of the treasury and the postmaster general. This general plan will doubtless be ! followed if the Elliot bill becomes ! law.
 While Representative Elliot Is act | ing chairman of the house public ! buildings committee, 1t is said the | bill Is In no sense an administration measure and has only the unofficial sanction of the other members Of the committee.
 The bill is causing unusual inter est in congress, however, because no general public buildings bill has been passed since 1913,and buildings for post offices and housing other fed eral departments are urgently need ed in all parts of the country. There are indications that the El- Hot bill which received such strong support from a majority of the mem- bers of congress representing dis tricts where new buildings are very urgently needed that its passage cannot be blocked by the adminis- tration economists.
 The Elliot bill is an attempt 10 get away from pork barrel' legisla- tion and to place the construction of public buildings on business ba- sis. The annua! appropriation or s25,000,000 for six years carried III the Elliot bill Is declared to be ap- proximately only the amount spent bv the government yearly for rentals
 Under the provisions of the h- | Hot bill the secretary of the treasury annually would submit to the budget bureau estimates of building pro- ierts for the coming year, giving de- 1 tails of all plans. purchases and con tracts, This would eliminate "porK barrel" politics and the awarding or "p|ums" in the nature Of govern ment contracts.
 Omnibus building bills, includine the item of s225.G00 for the N" Britain post office, have been ore. sonted to congress during each CT the last several years; but it is gen orally conceded there Is no hope TOT nsss,nc such a bill because 1t "onln nearly bankrupt the treasury. A nlan like that carried in the EJ'icS hill must be adopted it is gen'rS''E believed, to spread the immense ap- nropriation out over several years
 The federal building program lr' ommended to congress by the seer, . tarv of the treasury and the post master general, which is Nrtua' " the plan the Elliot bill would Sf' in operation, provides these addi'on- al appropriations also for the io'- lowing Connecticut cities
 Hartford, new site s1,ooo,o' n'" | building s1,ooO,ooO. total s2 29'''9'' (Coptinuad on Page l5)