Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-07
4OO-MILLION CONSTRUCTION
PROGRAM PLANNED BY u. S.
Requirements Of Virtually All Federal
Government Agencies to Be
Covered.

the Federal governments keeping pace
with the growth and needs Of the coiin-
try. 1t Is easy TO see the psychological
effect Of the Government building, for
q Government building gives a COM
munity both confidence In the present
and faith in the future.
First Inspection at Night.
In selecting a site the committee has
tried to locate its building In the prob
able center of the business district Ia
10 or is years. Committee members try
to reach the city which is seeking a
Federal building in the evening so as
to get their first impression by artificial
light. The bright lights indicate the
shopping district. The impressions
gained thus at night are checked In the
morning with tax valuation figures and
the like. TT
Congress in 1925 set 500, ooo, 900 Jas
the limit to be spent in the constrpc-
ton of new public buildings. After
making Nation wide survey the COM
mittee reported that more than $780,
100000 would be needed, and later in
vestigation brought the total to $685.
000, 900.
81 Projects Planned.
The initial part OF the program totals
S24S, 900, 900. The projects in this pro-
gram numbered ST., of which 2s3 are
for post Offices at places where there
now are no Federal buildings. One
hundred old or inadequate Federal
buildings are to be replaced. Exten-
sions or additions to present structures
are to be made in lot: cases. Seven
teen marine hospital and quarantine.
projects, 80 border inspection stations
for the customs and immigration serv-
ices, and additional facilities in Is
cities already having some Federal
buildings are to be erected.
In the first part of the program e43,-
lis, 900 has been alloeated to New York
State. Nearly $50 900, 900 of this will 60
to New York City for post Offices, court
houses and other public buildings.
Brooklyn will get $2,700,000.
In allocating the $248.000, 600 the
committee gave its attention first to
the needs of cities having obsolete and
outgrown Federal buildings and then
made study Of those places where no
such provision had been made. It was
found that the needs of all the places
in the first classification could be cared
for at an estimated cost Of $240 .000, 900.
OIlQcT Tic LlSW law dt lCdot tHO lev
buildings must be assigned TO each
State.
The major factor used to determine
the needs of places in the first division
was the number of square feet of space
to an employe, which in the case Of
Post Office is set at 100 square feet.
The space of courts and other Govern
ment activities was fixed on the recon-
of the department or estsp-
lishment concerned.
Factors in the Survey.
Certain guides were used in deter
mining the selection of places in the
second part of the program. In a gen.
eral way the committee began with the
largest places But rather than base
Its finding wholly on population and
postal receipts, which would have
necessitated Including large number
Of places located near the large cities,
the committee decided to consider other
factors than population and postal re-
,eipts. The committee has interpreted
the basic law so as to give at least
.hree new post office buildings to each
State.
In selecting places for new post Of
ices the committee set forth that the
postal receipts must rank as first class
that is, $4,000 or more-that the town
must have a population Of $500 or
more; that not more than two new post
offices should be awarded any single
county; that pleasure resorts and places
near each other, and that such places
as are sustained by only one or two
industries should not be considered
These, in general, were the considera-
ions which determined whether given
town or city was to get a public
building.
The committee knew that the allo-
cation Of the first 500, 900, 900 was sum-
Gent to cover only a fraction of the
needs of the country. The first
task therefore, was to estimate the
actual business needs of each State,
using. the same yardstick everywhere.
1t tried to satisfy about the same ratit,
Of needs of each State, instead of giving
TO each State q certain amount, based
On its size.
The survey showed that the Governs
ment owned buildings in some towns
with a population of only 1900, and
receipts of but $4,000. whereas in many
larger towns the Government owned
nothing. The former method of selec.
ton was In part responsible for this
situation. 1t was due also to the ur.-
even growth Of the country.
Some sections have gone ahead while
others have remained stationary or all
most so. A gold mining town in Me-
vada, Tor example. had a population Of
1900 In 1908 and was on the list for
2 Federal building. In 1920, however.
It's population had sunk to few fun,-
dred. 1t was taken of the priority list.
Annual Rentals slS,00O,0 oo.
The general survey brought out the
fact that there are ash smaller cities
where receipts ranged from SIC, 900 up-
ward, which had never had Government
buildings. It is interesting to note IN
this, connection that the present annual
rentals of the Post ONCE Department
exceed $18,000.000. Much of this, of
course, Is spent in places which are too
small for Government-owned build
ing. but considerable part of this is
spent in larger cities for stations that
can be purchased on terms favorable to
the Government. It is planned to have
the Government acquire them.
The $248, 10000 program win not
meet the needs Of the United States. It
Will cost approximately another $780,
000, 900 to give every town or city
building that needs it. And by that
time the country will probably have
grown to such an extent that supple
mentary program win be necessary.
AS soon as Congress has financed the
$248, 000, 900 program. the committee
will be ready to submit lists Of other
projects to be taken care of by later
appropriations. It win be a continuing
process, but 1t will be different from the
old pork barrel. Hereafter, the Treas
ury and Post Once Departments, and
not Congress, win decide what cities
require buildings.
Members Of Congress, strange to say,
are not averse to the change, for 1t
removes q considerable load from their
shoulders Theirs will not be the
to get buildings for their
districts. Significant, too, is the fact
that members Of Congress have not
tried to bring any pressure to bear on
members of the interdepartmen5a
committee in favor Of specific projects.
BY and large. they are willing to reply
on the fairness and intelligence Of the