Evening star., 1925-10-11

Revenue Bureau, for the Department
OF Justice, for the General Accounting
Office, for the National Archives. foI
the Department of Agriculture. for the
Department OF Commerce and for the
General Supply Committee.
Space Is lacking TO tell in detail in
this series of articles the complete
housing negligence of the Federal Gov
ernment. but the list of new Govern
rnent owned buildings which are al
ready sadly needed is not by any
means completed with the seven prin-
cipal structures that have been spe-
cffcally discussed. They come first on
the program which the Public Build
ings Commission has urged upon Con
gress and which the House and Senate
committees on public buildings and
grounds have recommended. They
are the ones that will probably he
erected first under the S500Go, ,0u0
building program for the National
Capital which President Coolidge Is in
slsting Congress must approve.
Others Badly Needed.
Other buildings are required for
proper accommodations for the In
terstate Commerce Commission. the
Departments of Labor and State. the
Civil Service Commission and such 9TH
er Independent establishments as the
Federal Trade Commission, the Ship
ping Board, the Bureau OF Efficiency.
the Government Printing Office and
other independent esta ahlishments. The
fire hazard should be q compelling rea-
son for these new buildings. even
though economy and efficiency III serv-
ice were not considered.
In a report to the Senate on May 8.
1924. Senator Keyes of New Hamp-
shire, for the committee on public
buildings and grounds, in advocating
an independent office building, said:
There are number of independent
bureaus and offices scattered over the
city which could be advantageousiy
centered in one building. Many ..
them are now occupying the wartime
fire traps and should be transferred to
more suitable quarters. They are as
follows: Alien Property Custodian, Blu
reau of Efficiency. Civil Service Com
mission, Federal Power Commission,
Federal Trade Commission, Commits
sion Of Fine Arts. International
Boundary Commission. International
Joint Commission, United States Tar
iff Commission and other niscellane-
Gus units"
L. S. Rent Bill High.
The public, even those individuals
dealing daily with various establish
ments of the Government. scarcely
realize to what an extent Uncle Sam
Is a tenant In the Capital City, which
was itself ,uilt for the primary pur-
pose Of accommodating Government
activities. Here Is the rent roster by
departments and independent estab.
Ishments: Department Of Agriculture.
$182,850; Department Of Justice. $101,-
392; Treasury Department, $50, 1856;
General Accounting Office, $72.200;
Interstate Commerce Commission,
$'2,o58: Department Of Commerce.
s65,500: Railroad Administration. $685.
600; Post Office Department. s5S, ,613;
Tax Appeals. $4,000; Department Of
Labor, $4,000; Civil Service Commis-
sion. 21,s75; Interior Department,
s15,451; Mixed Claims Commission.
United States and Mexico, $14,67S;
Mixed Claims Commission, United
States and Germany. $12,177: Court OF
Claims, $4,000, and Navy Depart
ment. 1890.
The complete picture of how the
with many units Of different services
in the same building. thus complicat-
ing administration and Haunting econ
omy and efficiency, cannot be given
here for lack Of space, but the sttua-
tion in several buildings will serve as
Illustrations: In the new Navy Build
ing we find Is agencies-the Navy
Department, the United States Ship
ping Board, the Emergency Fleet Cor
poration, Office of public buildings and
public parks. the Rock Creek and
Potomac Parkway Commission, the
Public Buildings Commission. the
Joint Welfare Board, the Arlington
Memorial Bridge Commission. the
John Ericsson Memorial Commission
Ia {n1 fha
Aeronautical Board. the National Ad-
visory Commission on Aeronautics and
the co-ordinator for motor transport.
In Temporary Building No. /. at
Eighteenth and D streets, we find II
agencies-Joint Welfare and War De-
partment, United States Shipping
Board. United States Grain Corpora
ton. Civil Service Commission, pub
lie roads. United States Food Admins
tration, United States wheat director.
United States Sugar Equalization
Board. Department of Labor and the
superintendent Of the State, War and
Navy Buildings. In the Treasury
Building we find seven agencies-the
Treasury Department. General Ac-
Federal Reserve Board, War Finance
Corporation. World War Foreign
Debt Commission and the Interde-
partmental Board Of Contracts and
Adjustments. In the Arlington Build
ing we find six agencies-the Vet.
erans' Bureau. alien property Gus.
todian, Federal Purchasing Board.
Federal Liquidation Board, Federal
Real Estate Board, Interdepartmental
Board on Simplified Onice Procedure
In Temporary Building No. 5, at
Twentieth and c streets northwest,
we find six agencies-the War Depart
ment, Treasury Department, superin,
tendent State, War and Navy Build.
ings, Federal Traffic Board. Navy De-
partment and the National Associa.
tion for the Promotion OF Rifle Prac-
tice and Civilian Workmanship.
Did Best Possible.
The Public Buildings Commission.
which finds quarters for the various
Government activities, and which Is
therefore responsible for the scram-
bled condition, cannot be blamed be-
cause this hodgepodge scattering has
resulted from the necessity Of provid-
ing space for new and expanding ac-
tivities when there was little or no ade-
Quate and proper housing to he found.
This commission has struggled along
for period of years with utterly in
adequate facilities in which to house
the Government departments, and has
on numerous occasions presented to
Congress the urgent need Of building
program in order that the Govern
ment's business may be transacted in
an economical manner. with due re-
gard to the health and efficiency of its
employees and to the proper safe
guarding Of the public records In the
different establishments.
1t can be said without fear Of sue
cessful contradiction-and this Is con.
flrmed by the Public Buildings Com.