Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-29
Federal Government Respon-
sibIe in Triangle Building.
Plans, MCCarI Rules.
HELD NOT CHARGEABLE
TO D. C. APPROPRIATIONS
Question Entirely Different From
Market Sheds, Controller Says.
Treasury Prepares Estimates.

The cost Of diverting and relocating
water mains and sewers in the Penn
sylvania avenue triangle building pro.
gram must be borne by the Federal
Government and not the District Of
Columbia, it was decided today by
Controller General McCarl.
In letter to the Secretary Of the
Treasury the Controller General went
into detail to show how the building
program is a Federal instead of a
municipal project and that costs for
this work properly should be taken
care of out of Federal appropriations.
The vacating Of the streets to be
used as parts of the sites includes
the removal Of existing water mains
and sewers" said the Controller Gen.
eral. obviously these cannot be re-
moved without making provision for
dlVerting the water and sewerage.
Such diversion is, therefore, neces.
sarily incidental to the vacating Of
the streets, and. accordingly, expendi.
lures for such purposes either in con-
Meeting the mains and sewers with
other existing mains and sewers, if
feasible, or the relocating Of such
mains and sewers in other streets. il
necessary, are properly chargeable to
appropriations made for the acquisi-
ton Of sites and the construction of
buildings as authorized by the act Of
May Is, 1926"
Different From Market.
This question, however, the Con-
troller General pointed out emphatical.
ly should be considered entirely diff
ferent from the question of the Farm
ers' Market sheds. In a recent de-
cision the Controller General held that
Federal appropriations might tear
down these sheds, but if they were
re-erected District of Columbia money
would have to be used. The market
sheds are on the site of the Internal
Revenue Building, soon to be erected.
THE removal of the market Sheds"
said the decision, twas not dependent
on their re-erection elsewhere, and
1t followed that the cost of such re-
erection was not a necessary incident
to the construction of the new build.
ing. Here provision must be made
for diverting or relocating the sewers
and water mains before they can be
removed from their present location,
and consequently the cost of such
work Is directly traceable to and is
a necessary part Of such removal"
THE divergence or relocation of
the sewers and the mains is not re-
quired by the District of Columbia,
nor will such divergence or relocation
be of any apparent benefit to existing
service maintained under District OF
Columbia appropriations. Accordingly
there appears no basis for charging
the cost of work necessary in tho
construction of Federal buildings to
any District Of Columbia appropria.
tions."
In Treasury Estimates.
The facts in the case at hand, the
Controller General said, not only dis.
tinguish it from the market sheds de.
clsion, but also from decisions holding
that the costs of sidewalk construc-
tion, planting of trees and street
parkings and repairing of streets ad.
Jacent to Federal buildings are pay
able from specific District Of Column
bia appropriations for such purposes
and not from Federal appropriations
for repairs and improvements to such
buildings and grounds.
There is an extensive building
work here involved, for which Con-
gress has provided appropriations as
an operation of the Federal Govern
ment. 1t is to be distinguished from
the normal work for performance by
the District of Columbia in it's connec-
ton with sewers, water mains and so
forth, for which annual appropriations
are provided"
The Treasury Department, It also
was recently learned, feels that the
Federal Government should bear the
expense also of installing new water
mains and sewers, and has included in
the estimates for next years appro.
priations an item, understood to be
about S225,000, for this purpose.