Evening star., 1924-02-01
ADVOCATE DELAY
OF BUILDING BILL
Country Not Yet Ready for
$4,000, 900 Program,
GO. P. Leaders Say.

Opinion of two prominent repub-
lican leaders in the House-Chair-
man Madden of the appropriations
committee and Chairman Smell of the
rules committee-that the $4,000, 900
public building program for the Ma
tional Capital. which was an out
standing recommendation Of Presi-
dent Coolidge in his budget message,
and for carrying which into effect
Chairman Smoot Of the Public Build
ings Commission has introduced legis-
lation, should wait until the general
public building situation all over the
country has been taken care Of. was
expressed on the floor of the House
yesterday.
The subject was brought up by
Representative Smell when Chairman
explanation of the Treasury-P Post
Offioe appropriation bill, Representa-
tive Smell saying:
Il notice there is a movement on
foot at the other end of the Capitol
TO spend about s5o.000.000 in the Dis
trict Of Columbia in the construction
OF new government buildings Is
the gentleman in favor of such a
movement when there are several
places in the United States where.
because Of lack of government IA
ciiities, We are sorting the mail out
on the sidewalk"
Chairman Madden Replies.
Chairman Madden replied as fol-
lows:
Il am very frank to say that there
IS no more reason why the District
shouid be especially favored than
there is why New Orleans, New York.
Atlanta, San Francisco or some other
clty somewhere else in the United
states should be favored There is a
great dearth Of buildings everywhere,
In the District as well as everywhere
eise. ana this was caused largely by
me Iact that We would not allow any
buildings to be erected anywhero in
the United States during the war un-
iess those buildings were to be erect
ed for for war purposes.
During the war the cost of build
100 as the basis. During that time
they would not let any one build ave n
q schoolhouse. The only kind OF
schoolhouse that they would allow
70 De built was one Of these wooden
perambulators, which you could move
from one corner OF the street to the
other. After the war was over the
housing facilities were 50 meacer
that people did not have anywhere
to rEo 60. oo.,
"a. u ouiiuiHS Stlll mafntained d
lts hlgh level. and little later on n
went down to about 166, and when it
reached that point all Of the peonle
VINO needed houses everywhere in
the United States started to build.
iney started to build and there has
Deen the greatest building boom that
the United States has ever known.
fhe cost of labor and the cost of
materials of all kinds entering into
puiioins CONSTRUCTION has gone up un-
til today It is over 200 per cent be.
cause Of the boom. A great many sug-
gestions have been made that we
should go on and erect lot Of build
ings for public uses, and 1t is not de-
MED that these buildings are essen
tial and necessary for the public sery-
Ice. but we must face the fact that
the people of the United States main
tain the government, that they pay
the bills, and that these people at this
time are now trying to construct for
themselves homes at the excessive
costs that exist today.
IL the government of the United
states We're to enter into competition
with them by starting on program
OF public building, it would increase
the cost Of every home that Is in pro-
ess of erection, and add one more
burden to the already great burdens
that arc being carried by the taxpay-
ing public.
80 say that we ought not to
construct public buildings anywhere
either In Washington or anywhere
else. until the private needs OF the
people OF the United States are sup
piled. When that is done the ex-
cessive cost will drop and labor will
not be so plentifully employed in the
building trades. Then it should be
the function of the government to
system of buildings needed for the
public service throughout the United
States. We would then be able to get
the labor at q normal cost without
going into competition with our own
people"
In Accord on Subject.
Then both gentlemen showed that
they are in accord on the subject, and
opposed to the $50,000,000 government
building program for the Capital at
this time. in the following dialogue:
Mr.. Snsll-I entirely agree with the
gentleman. but when we do start that
program it seems to me that we
should take the emergency situations
first rather than to enter upon an ex-
tensfve program of building here in
the District of Columbia.
Mr.. Madden agree with the gen.
t1eman.
A public buildings construction
program covering a period of years,
with a limitation that expenditures
should not exceed 20.000.00Q annual
ly, was advocated yesterday by Rep
member OF the republican ateering
committee. A commission should b
created. he said. to supervise such q
HYoKraHa. 5E~@ eTsy q %