Evening star., 1926-02-16
$165,Ol0,0ID VOTED
F0RNEW BUILDINGS
House Passes Elliott Bill Pro-
viding $50,0OO,OO0 for
Use in D. C..

With q two-to-one- vote required
for passage under suspension of the
rules. the s165 100000 Ellicott public
building bill-with s50,000.000 for
ashtngton-passed the House late
yesterday by n vote of 263 to 120.
and now awaits action in the Senate.
1t has been favorably reported by
the Senate committee on public
buildings and grounds and is on the
calendar. The intention is to call
this bill up in the Senate just AZ
soon as some of the big depart
mental appropriation bills are dis
posed of. Then the motion will be
to substitute the bill that has passed
the House for the identical Senate
bill, and 1t is expected to be passed
by an overwhelming vote.
The bill carries s5o,0O0.000 over
fve-year period for much needed
buildings to house important Govern
ment activities in the National Capt.
tai; $l00,000,O0o for new public
building projects, mostly for post
offices. throughout the country where
the need has been growing during
II years of inactivity by the Govern
ment In adequately providing for
housing needs. and $15,000,0O) to
complete projects already authorized.
The 800. 100000 to be spent on new
scarcely one-third Of the amount de-
clared actually needed on q strictly
business basis for efficient transaction
of Government business.
The $4,000, 900 for completion of
projects already authorized includes
the only pork" in the bill. but had
to be included so that Uncle Sam
could square his accounts by getting
rid Of some Of the questionable items
left over from previous Congresses
Of more than q decade ago. In the
projects under the $15.000.000 are
found those on which work has been
postponed just because they were the
least desirable. even though author
lied in an Old time pork barrel bill.
The bill as it passed the House au-
thorized the Secretary of the Treasury
annually to report to Congress the
list of places in which it is proposed
to erect Federal buildings during the
coming fiscal year. with the estimated
cost of each. This recommendation
is to come to Congress through the
Budget Bureau and Is to be studied
carefully by the House appropria-
tions committee. where justification
for each item must be clearly shown.
and then it Is passed upon by the
House.
Representative Elliott. Republican.
or Indiana, CHAIRMAN OF the House
committee on public buildings and
grounds, author of the measure. was
in charge of it in the House. He al
located the 25 minutes allowed pro-
ponents of the bill. mostly to Demo-
Gratis who spoke for it. while Repre-
sentative Lanham, Democrat. of
Texas. who led the Democratic oppo-
sition, distributed most Of his % min
utes to Republicans who joined with
the Democrats in an attempt TO de-
feat the measure. House Leader TIL
son spoke for the bill and Minority
Leader Garrett spoke against it.
Mr.. Elliott denied charges that GER
tain members had been promised
buildings in their district on pre-
ferred list. and that SIS, 100000 Of the
800, ,O0O, 900 is to be spent in six
States, by declaring that no list has
been prepared and that as ii is to be
spent over a period OF ~ years sue
cessive Secretaries Of the Treas
ury must do the allOcating, and that
there is a possibility that there may
be a Democratic Secretary of the
Treasury yet allocating some of these