Evening star., 1926-11-18
Administration to Support
Request for immediate
Authorization.
CHANGE OF SITE FOR DC.
STRUCTURES REQUESTED
City Officials and Subcommittee
Want Space South of Present
Location Reserved.

Immediate authorization OF an eX'
penditure of SIS .o0o. 900 to carry cut
plans for purchasing at once all Of tho
privately owned land in the triangle
south of PENNSYLVANIA avenue to y
street, between Third street and Eft
teeuth street. will be promptly put
though Congress with the support -
the administration.
This assurance was given a. the
White House today by Representative
Richard n Elliott OF Indiana chair
man of the House committee on public
buildings and grounds and q mcmbe"
of the Public Buildings commission.
after conference with the President
At the same time Senator Smoot.
chairman of the Public Buildings Com
mission, announced that Congress will
be asked to authorize the expenditure
of this amoun.-S25. 100000.
at is better business. in the interest
of economy. and will give better COM
position to the Federal building pro-
gram" Secretary Mellon said today.
when explaining that this new plan TO
acquire the entire area will not delay
the actual construction of buildings
siready authorized. which include
enue and Archives.
Want Plans Changed.
The application to Congress to buy
all the land at once is the next step in
the program of eventually expending
a total of $3.50 900 900 for needed pub
lie buildings in Washington.
Concident with this was an inten-
sive drive by District officials and the
Gibson subcommittee of the House DIS
trict committee to try to persuade the
Public Buildings Commission so to
alter their layout as to leave space
available, south of the present District
Building, betweens Fourteenth and
Thirteen-and- "a half streets from ID to f
street for a municipal group of build
ings to cost between $8,000,0 900 and
SIC. O.000,0 900. This land, with two ada
cent squares to the east. is now
charted as the sites for the Labor De
partment Building. facing b street,
and the General Supply Building,
south of d street.
Chairman Gibson of the Subcommit-
tee which is now studying the munich
pal administration, stated yesterday.
at about the same time the Public
Buildings Commission was making an
nOuncement of its plans for the entire
triangle area. that his committee would
actively work for a consolidated mu-
ncipal plant as essential to the eff
cient and economic administration of
the municipal business. District Au.
ditor Daniel j. Donovan was requested
TO submit plans for such a plunt.
Cooperation Is Urged.
District officials. the Gibson sub.
committee and leading business and
civic organizations are anxious that
the municipality of the District Of
Columbia should cooperate with the
Federal Government in development
of the entire triangle between Penn
sylvania avenue and B street. by
erecting seriously needed structures
for consolidated grouping of city in
stitutions south of tho present Mu-
nicipal Building, of monumental char
acter that will harmonic with the
new departmental buildings for EN-.
bellishment of the heart of the oitv.
Chairman Gibson and other mem
bers Of his committee are to hold Il
conference with Chairman Smoot
and other members of the Public
Buildings Commission. and Auditor
Donovan made a personal survey to.
day of the District Building prepara-
tory to submitting detailed recon-
mendations and plans, as asked by the
Gibson subcommittee.
Chairman Smoot said today that
the District Government must look
to acquisition of the square now oc-
cupied i'll part by the Southern Rail.
way Building for the expansion need
ed This square lies directly east Of
the present District Building, but is
not half large enough TO provide for all
the municipal agencies and activities
that the Gibson subcommittee desires
to- have housed i'll one group for pur-
poses Of efficient operation and for eco
nomic maintenance. The purpose OF
the conference with the Public Build
ings Commission Is to explain what the
Gibson subcommittee has In mind.
presenting an array Of facts and a
statement of conditions that the COM
mission did not have before 1t when
1t made the decision announced yes
terday.
May Use Old Building.
OF course, If the District takes over
the Southern Railway Building that
structure can be used for q time for
District offices until Congress au-
thorizes the erection of a new build
Ing to harmonic architecturally with
the other public buildings in the same
immediate vicinity.
The projected municipal group
would supercede several buildings al
ready authorized for individual Dis
trict activities and would absorb them,
such as a new Police Court Building
and O new recorder of deeds office,
and would in that way include an ex-
penditure of several million dollars
already approved. AS against the first
cost Of $4,000, 10000 to $10,000,0 900, be-
sides the Offset on these other build
ings, would be the fact that then there
would be one equipment, one me-
chanical force, one supervision. which
throughout the years would represent
very important economical propo-
sltion. It would promote efficient busi-
ness administration. and reduce very
materially the overhead cost.
Chairman Gibson will explain to
Senator Smoot that the principle is
the same as involved in a great de-
partment store which houses all
branches Of its business IN one build
ing for the primary purpose of reduc-
ing the overhead. II will be en-
phasiZed that there Is no reason why
the local government should not adopt
such business methods
In his survey of the District Build
ing today Auditor Donovan pointed
out that this structure was opened for
use July l. 1908. and was designed TO