Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-19
Holds Estimate Is Conserva-
live and Will Increase Unless
Space Is Made Available.
CITES OTHER OFFICES
HOUSED IN BUILDING
Says New Structure Should Be of
Four Stories and Provide $780,
225 Feet of Floor Space.
II the new $4,000, 900 building for the

If the new $4,000 900 building for the
Washington city post Office favorably
reported yesterday by Chairman Elliott
of the House committee on public
buildings and grounds is erected on
the lot just north of the present post
Office, a saving of at least $25,378 a
year can be effected, according to the
report.
The itemized saving estimated is as
follows: Rent, mail bag depository in
the Washington Terminal, $500; rent
for garage, $1,000: truck travel between
garages. $2,0l8; salaries of two night
watchmen employed in leased garage,
$3,240: by centraliZing distribution of
incoming mail at main Office, $4,000.
Chairman Elliott says that this esti-
mate is conservative and would be in
creased before long because unless the
relief suggested is made available adj
ditional outside space will have to be
hired.
Other Offices in Building.
The report points out that in addition
to the Washington City Post ONCE the
present over-crowded building is occu-
pied by the following departmental
Offices to a total Of 106,167 square feet
of floor space: Division of dead letters,
1907 square feet; division of registered
mails, 7,766; division of postal savings,
$500; division of stamps, 14,272; di-
vision of equipment and supplies, 1886;
division of topography, 8,377.
How the business of the Office has
grown is stressed by Chairman Elliott:
"The City Post Office Building was &C.
cupied by the Washington Post ONCE
in September, 1914, and at that time
it was expected that the floor space
provided would be ample to take care
of all increases in the volume of mails
for SO years. Since then the revenue
of the Office has increased over 100
per cent, and the increase in the volume
of mail handled, according to the post
master, has been considerable. There
were 1,025 employees of the Washington
Post Office in 1915, while at this time
there are 1871. employees in all, an in
crease of 756, The gross receipts have
increased from $1,792,917 in 1914 to
$5,8S2,851 in 1929, the increase amount
ing to $4,089, 1874. There were 215,264
money orders issued in 1915, amounting
to 81 ,911 ,491, as compared with 874, Dos,
amounting to SO 1927, issued in 1929.
In 1915, 719,l60 money orders, amount
ing to $3,856,521, were paid, in COM
parison with 2,245,473, amounting to
$l7.s55,4 52, paid in 1929.
Gives Plan of Structure.
Regarding the proposed new structure
Chairman Elliott's report says:
ANY addition to the present build
ing should harmonic intellectually
with the City Post ONCE Building. It
should be four stories and basement
high and provide total of 260,22
square feet of floor space. The base
ment and approximately one-half of the
first floor and the upper floors for mail
ing activities, including parcel-post de-
livery, outgoing parcel-post, outgoing
foreign mail, circular distribution, and
allow Capitalization of city distribution
at the main Office. The terminal rail-
way post Office should also be located
on one of the floors and ample swing
room space should be provided. The
mailbag depository should also have
space in the new building. There should
be platform, Of about 5000 square
feet, on the first floor of the new build
ing, which would be on level with
the basement of the City Post once
Building. The second floor of the new
building should be on the same level
with the first floor of the present build
ing, and those floors connected by two
wide bridges Another wide bridge
should be provided between the new
building and the Washington terminal
station, which would relieve the con-
gestion of trucks now complained OF.
Sufficient elevators of ample size should
be planned for the new building.
1.-THE store room of the division of
equipment and supplies would have
I available the 1929 square feet of floor
space now used by the Washington
terminal railway post Office, and, in
addition, 7,542 square feet of floor space
used for the distribution of parcel-post
for delivery, which is now separated
from the store room by wire fence.
Describes Crowded Conditions.
In describing the present crowded
conditions the Elliott report says:
THE situation is acute and the need
for space cannot be too strongly en-
phasized.
1.-The workroom floor is badly crowded,
particularly in some sections. The
space allotted the parcel-post delivery
section, in the basement, is inadequte,
and this condition has heretofore &C.
casioned several reports by post Office
inspectors, suggesting relief. There is
room floor with the Washington Term
inal Station, but by reason of in
adequate space and lack of proper ele-
vator service, there is frequent con-
gestion at both entrances to the bridge
lin the post Office and in the station
resulting in a jam of some times as
many as so trucks in the west end of
the station concourse.
THE Washington office has no suit
able space for the mail bag depository.
Bags are now stored in five separate
parts of the Office and in space leased
in the Washington Terminal Building
There is rented in the terminal build
ing 3,120 square feet of floor space at
the rate of 81 per square foot. or at a
cost of So, 100 per annum. All the space
available is congested, and adequate
supervision is impossible.
There is a total of 1889 square
feet of floor space available for the
Washington Post Office in the building
The Office needs at this time 149,776
square feet of floor space, and it is esti-
mated that 211 500 square feet will be
needed 20 years hence"