Evening star., 1925-01-28
QUICK START URGED
ON NEW BUILDINGS
Federal Housing Shortage Is
Emphasized to House in
Il Report on Bill.


the s50l9d0,000 public building pro-
gram to house Federal activities in
tne NATIONAL Capital, where lives and
1rreplacca bic records are hourly men,
aced by fire peril, was emphasized
IN the report to the House late yes
terday by Chairman Elliott of the
public buildings committee on the
$l5O.Oo0,000 public buildings bill. He
said in part:
The President, in his message to
Congress at the beginning of this ses-
sion, recommended an appropriation
TO provide necessary buildings for the
Government service in the National
Capital. OF the total amount carried
In this bill, s50,000,000 probably will
be expended to relieve the situation in
Washington. With regard to the sit
uation in Washington, attention is
called to the fact that the Internal
Revenue Bureau is now occupying
space in 10 different buildings, the
General Accounting Office Is occupy
ing space in 2l buildings, and the De-
partment Of Agriculture is scattered
around in As different buildings.
Valuable Records Imperiled.
In the hearings which were held
before your committee on this meas
ure an official of the Treasury De-
partment furnished the information
that the records of income taxes are
kept in the building known as Annex
No. ., on Fifteenth street, which is
one of the temporary structures
erected for emergency use during the
war. He stated that 1t Is two-story
frame building, with succo facing and
is a veritable firetrap; and that If
this building were to burn with the
income tax records that are on ME
there the Government would lose
hundreds of millions of dollars, or
several times the amount carried by
this bill, and that likewise millions
of dollars would also be lost to the
taxpayers of this country.
In explaining the effort to meet
the urgent necessity of giving ade-
Quate quarters to Government activi-
tics, particularly the Postal Service.
all over the country and at the same
time to place this general puoIc
building program on a business basis,
in harmony with the budget system.
Representative Elliott said:
Have outgrown Facilities.
THE last general public buildings
bill passed by Congress was approved
on March 4, 1918, and carried au-
thorizations which in the aggregate
amounted to approximately s4O,-
100000. 1t has now been nearly II
years since that bill became a law
and the growth of the country in
population, in wealth. in business.
and In manufacturing and industrial
enterprises has been SO great as to
increase tremendously the demand
for new, enlarged and better facili-
ties for the economic and efficient
transaction of the public business.
THE earnings of the Post Office De-
n
years. This increased postal busi-
ness demands and must have space in
which it may be efficiently and eco
nomically carried on. During the
holiday season for the last few years
a number of cities have handled
heavy parcel-post business on the
lawn or sidewalk under the protec-
tion of guards, but without protec
ton against bad weather
$40 Projects Pending.
AT the present time there are
pending in your committee measures
for $50 public building projects, au
thorizing a total appropriation of
s226.260, ,360.59. Until 1913 it was the
custom of Congress to pass an omni
bus buildings bill at least every two
years and sometimes more often; but,
as stated in the beginning of this re-
port, no general pubic buildings bill
udS peSn passed LOT
- years. AS these biennial public
buildings bills in normal times car
ried from $4,000, 900 to SAC, 100000, it
can be readily seen that the amount
carried in this bill is a very modest
one.
To-day the Treasury Department is
expending annually for the rental of
quarters for different branches of the
Government service S1,135, 900 in the
z%r;r
the balance of the country. The total
amount of rental paid by the Govern
ment for property rented by the
Post Office Department for postal
uses is more than $l2.0O0,0 900 per an
mum. 1t Is true that part of the lat
ter amount is expended in a number
OF small towns or communities where
q. public building is not needed. but
the passage of this measure would
reduce this expenditure great
extent.
In Line With budget Aims.
This bill is not inconsistent with
the financial program of the Presi-
dent, and has the approval of the
Secretary of the Treasury. the direc
tor of the Bureau of the Budget and
the Postmaster General
Minority views were expressed by
Representative Jeff Busby. a mem
Der of the committee, who admitted
the need for a public buildings pro-
gram and said:
There is also a pressing need for
additional buildings in the District
to house and furnish working quar-
ters for the various departments of
the Government.
There can be no sort of conten-
tfon that this Government ought to
delay longer launching into
reasonable program of constructing
buildings in which to house and
operate its various branches"
Representative Busby argued
against turning over to the Secre-
tary of the Treasury the authority
for making selection of sites and
priority regarding which communities
shall be first supplied with needed
public buildings.