Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-24
District Government Buildings.

While the District of Columbia is In
deplorable need of a new Police Court
Building of sufficient size adequately to
quarter the increasing number OF
judges and to give humanitarian
treatment to prisoners. the House APP
preparations committee has eliminated
from the second deficiency appropri-
alton bill the $500. 900 estimate and the
additional $500, 900 contract authority
transmitted by the Budget Bureau for
this structure which has already been
authorized by substantive law.
The House District committee voted
unanimously yesterday to support an
effort to have the item reinserted in
the bill, and Mrs. Edith Nourse Rogers
will offer the amendment in the
House. Sentiment in the House
seems to be that the building of the
new Police Court has been already too
long delayed.
Representative Will r. Wood of In
diana, in charge of the appropriation
bill, reported to his colleagues that the
Police Court items were omitted for
two reasons: First, there has been a
contention to have it located on Judi
ciary Square, where the appropria-
tons committee decided there Is not
sufficient room to make proper pro.
vision for very essential expansion.
and second because there is pending
legislation which proposes to console.
date the Police Court and the Munic.
ipal Court. So the House committee
decided that 1t is inadvisable at this
time to commence work on the new
Police Court Building on the site In
Judiciary Square.
1t now seems likely that Congress
will close without authorizing and
appropriating for a new Municipal
Building or buildings to care for al.
ready overcrowded conditions and for
the seven or eight District agencies
that will be thrown out of their pres
emit homes under the Federal building
program in the triangle south of
Pennsylvania Avenue to the Mall 1t
is urgent, therefore, that a very care
full study should be made of the exact
building requirements of the District
government, SO that the authorized
buildings such as the Police Court and
Recorder of Deeds Office may be prop
erly co-ordinated with the other needs.
Serious consideration should also be
given to the recommendation made
by District officials before the Gibson
subcommittee for model, modern
group of municipal buildings. In the
building program of the District gov.
eminent sensible thought should be
given to future as well as present
needs. The new Public Welfare Board
and the new Public Utilities Com.
mission are timely illustrations of the
growth of the city government. for
which housing facilities must be pro-
vided
The District building program must
also consider the need for a new GEN.
trail fire station in the Mall triangle
to care not only for the District
buildings, but the new Federal build
ings in that area-and for protection
of all the public buildings. including
the White House and its vicinage-as
Chief Watson warned the Gibson sub
committee.
The proposal for a branch library
in the near neighborhood OF the Dis
trict Building to serve the hundreds
of thousands of Government workers
in the new Federal buildings must also
be given sympathetic consideration by
those who are determining the Dis
trict building program.
The District Commissioners should
be ready to make a definite report and
recommendations to Congress as soon
as it reassembles in December. so that
adequate housing for the local gov
eminent, now greatly needed. may be
provided at the earliest date in a
sensible, practical, businesslike way.