Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-08
Department of Agriculture
Gets Economics Structure
on c Street Southwest.
CONDEMNATION SUITS
ARE PROCEEDED WITH
Three Squares Near Farmers Mar
ket Sought for New Internal
Revenue Structure.

The first purchase of property In
Washington under the great $4,000
900 Federal housing program has been
consummated it was learned today
through acquisition of a new building
at Linwood place and & street south
west at a price o. 100000.
The structure, which is of red tap
estry tile. steel and reinforced con
crete. four stories high. and in size
14O by l13 feet, was purchased from
the Economics Building Corporation
of this city. This corporation was
formed locally to. construct the build
ing under specifications of the De
partment of Agriculture.
The negotiations were carried
through after several hitches. and
after an objection raised by Controller
General McCarl had been met, 1t was
earned.
Was Completed in March.
The building was started last Sep
tember and completed in March. IL
is occupied by the Bureau of Agri
culture Economics of the Department
of Agriculture, and is used for the
cotton and hay Standardization work
OF the department. In addition tn
large laboratories where 400 bales OF
cotton are opened at one time. and are
handled under special arrangements.
the building has office space which
is occupied BY the Division of Land
Economics. About $50 Government
employees are housed there.
The controller general in decision
to the Secretary of the Treasury had
hn mi
pav interest on the investment of the
building corporation. and that if the
Government could construct itself
building for less than the price asked
at that time. the building could not he
purchased. The $500. 900 agreed price
was understood to be considerably un-
der the first price asked by the cor
poration and the McCarl objection wa
thereby met.
During the occupancy OF the build
ing br the Government rental was
paid at the rate of $25.000 a year.
Final details for strengthening out
the abstract of title and concluding the
negotia tions are in the hands Of the
Department of Justice and are expect
ed to consume but short time.
Standards Used by World.
The cotton standards fixed by the
Government III this build1ng were
said to he those generally used in
the purchase of cotton throughout the
world. A special type of skylight
which was developed by the Depart
ment of Agriculture in its specifiCa
tion was built into thesnew building
and has since been adopted. officials
said. for use in all sections of tho
United States where cotton is rated
including the New York Cotton FIX
change and the New Orleans Cotton
Exchange.
The Economic Building Corpora.
ton went ahead with construction of
the building under the understanding
that the recommendation would he
made TO Congress for purchase This
was done and Congress appropriated
a sum not to exceed $4,000 for the
purchase.
The Department of Justice. mean
time. today proceeded with it's suits
for condemnation of three squares
in the vicinity Of the farmers mar
ket. where buildings will he erected
under the Federal program for the
Bureau Of Internal Revenue and for
housing for Government archives.