Evening star., 1924-02-01
in TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS

I odds and ends Of lofts and "shanties"
| and is paying rent so high that the
| Secretary must dread to see the land
lord looking In his direction.
| The Department Of State occupies
rooms" but lacks room and the dig
nifty which it requires for proper
functioning.
] The Department of Justice is
| crowded to building which 1t has
J long since outgrown. and whose land
lord is urging 1t to vacate. The War
and Navy Departments are housed In
temporary war emergency stucco
| buildings topping on their unsafe
+! foundations. Expert building fnspec-
tors think these may last two or three
| years yet. though they will require
underpinning and opher costly repairs.
| Practically all other departments
] are overcrowded or fnadequately
| housed. where they cannot function
! with proper economy and efficiency.
| The housing Of the government was
| planned for a country Of 10000. 900. as
it was before the civil war. and has
/ not kept pace with the growth to
! 110. 900 900, nor looked ahead to It's
next twenty years. No expansion has
| come In the main buildings since long
before the world war. and only the
| fact that the temporary buildings
| thrown together in such haste to COW
er the immediate emergency OF war
4. work, requiring room for 117.760
! workers. where there are needed in
| normal times only half that number.
has 1t been possible for the work of
| the government to be carried on.
for anything but rakeshifts, and
| within two or three years will be
| condemned as unsafe, as we'll as they
! are now inconvcnient.
x < = 4
| The bill which has been worked out
| by a commission including members
OF both branches Of Congress and
| certain prominent building experts,
will provide program. not for plung-
ing into great building scheme to
be rushed within a year, but an or
derby plan to cover at least five years.
with some $1o.o00.00O Of construction
per year. All is under the control of
the Public Buildings Commission con-
| sisting of Senator Reed Smoot. chair
| man: Senator Claude A. Swanson OF
Virginia, Representative John W.
Langley OF Kentucky. Representative
Frank Clark Of Florida. David Lynn.
architect OF the Capitol; Lieut.. Col
! Clarence o. Sheriff. Corps of Engneers
| United States Army. and James A.
| Netmore, acting supervising architect
OF the Treasury.
The commission is to hold power to
| decide as TO the size and architecture
of the buildings, thereby regulating
the often exaggerated demands of
each department as to space it re-
quires. The government already owns
sufficient land for all the buildings,
but may find it desirable to make
some exchanges to improve locations
! and settings. All main buildings upon
the avenues will be OF classic archi-
lecture. but such as are to be used
| only for Offices Of workers will be IN
the style of Office skyscrapers and be
| located off of the prominent avenues.
Thy will be in the class of the Depart
| ment of the Interior-convenient, but
not classic.
There is some question as to what
opposition Will arise In the House,
from members who insist upon tying
up any project for national buildings
other local government expenditures,
but II Is believed that broad patriot
ism will recognize that the federal
government belongs to all the people,
! and that It's needs are national needs,
having no connection with the re-
spective needs OF various local COM
! munities. There Is sentiment, how
ever, that since there has been prac-
| tfcally suspension of building all
! over the country since 1914, there
are many localities Justly calling for
buildings, and all such will be con-
| sidered In due course, but not in con-
nection with the requirements Of ef-
flciency in tee general government
in the National Capital.
Copyright. 1924. by Paul Y. Coili.s)