Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-19
j. 5. EMPLOYMENT /.
PLANS UNDER WAY
Program Includes SO, 900, 600
Construction In District
of Columbia.
By FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Department Building in Washington, {
force Of $50 architects-the largest In
the history Of the Governments
working like beavers to help Uncle San
do his part in relieving national I'm.
employment.
President Hoover has Just appointed
strong cabinet committee" which Is
assigned the task, among other duties
of speeding UP Federal building aetiv-
tiles on even more intensive lines thar
In the past. The public buildings nc,
passed by Congress in 1925 involves &
total program of 66e,o00000. The
Treasury Department has secured
Congressional authorizations, so far
for 535 individual building projects,
accounting for cost Of $368, 1000, 900.
Toward the carrying out of those
projects, Congress has appropriated
Sl6S, 100000. Ferry K. Heath, Assistant
Secretary OF the Treasury In charge Of
public buildings, is hopeful that ct the
approaching session, House and Senate,
cognizant Of the Winter unemployment
emergencies just stressed by the PreSi-
dent, will release more funds for Fed
eral projects.
Reconstruction Charged.
Complaints are rife ut various points
In the country about alleged procrasti-
nation ct Washington in connection
with building projects long contem-
plated, and, In some cases, formally de-
cided upon. Democratic opponents Of
the Hoover Administration have as
cribed much of the country's business
depression TO tine-wasting In the Fed
eral construction field. One Of the
principal bonding houses in the United
States recently asked chambers Of cc-n-
merce in 200 towns and cities to sum-
Marie the building situation. The gist
Of their replies was that there is in
excess Of 81 ,000, 100000 worth Of public
communities in question. Only some
$200,000 900 worth of it, it was said, is
now In course of construction, leaving
nearly $500 ,000, 900 "held up" for va
rious reasons. Among the reasons
given were Federal Government delay,
Washington red tape" lack of oficial
initiative, postponed legislative action,
and outstanding approval Of local bond
issues.
Treasury officials at Washington are
now equipped to proceed with full
steam -atead building program Is rapid
ly as Congress viii provide the money.
in the supervising architects once.
which makes all plans for Federal
structures, has been increased by 80
per cent. 1t is now capable of running
so different sets of plans at one time.
It has on its boards ~ different
projects, including number turned
over TO outside, private architects. The
tidy total Of $4,000, 900 represents the
value Of buildings now being planned
by non-Treasury architects.
Bickerinrs Delay Construction.
Since Congress in 1928 appropriated
more than half o billion dollars for new
public buildings, the Treasury has &C.
tually completed the construction Of IS
individual projects. Under contract ct
the present moment and IN process Of
construction are 70 other buildings. The
supervising architects force has now
been expanded to a point where 1t Is
letting contracts on the average. Of q
contract for every two and one-half
working days. Conditions out In the
field are mainly responsible, o6hcials
say. for such delays Is ensue in the
letting Of more contracts or letting
them at q more rapid rate.
The Government cannot 90 about
the business Of putting Up extensive
and expensive Federal buildings quite
as expeditiouSly Is private concerns
could do. There Is hardly q community
In which rival local interests, for one
reason or another, do not stage Q con-
tfoversy over . site or over a building
design. This inevitably means delay.
Once q site Is selected, there crops UP
the question Of securing title TO the
p ps9ss x. Often ren property s1y o. owner
excrbitant figure as soon as he knows
Uncle Sam is after 1t. Frequently con-
daV,afaaftosn V,RoeaaAfaoa Inox,a n hA -
sorted to. This Is always q tedious and
long drawn-out affair. Secretary Mellon
and Undersecretary Mills have adopted
the policy of good bargainers. BY watt
ing . while, not long ago, in a certain
big Midwestern city, they saved the
Treasury 81 100000, which would have
been squandered II the original PROPOSE
ton Of property owner had been &C
cepted off-hand. Building operations
necessarily were correspondingly de-
layed.
Heavy ID. c. Program.
Since January /, 1880, the total
obligations under the public building
amounted to S43,0o0,0 900, Of
which approximately $4,000, 900 was for
the District Of Columbia. The number
OF building contracts let during this
period Of nine months for projects OUT
side the District of Columbia was So.
During the first three months Of the
current fiscal year, $4,000, 900 has been
obligated. Plans have been completed
or are under way In the Treasury De-
partment or the ofdces Of private arcl1i-
tects for &163 900 900 worth of addi-
tional construction for projects in and
outside Of the District Of Columbia. It
70 estimated that over 500, 000, 900 of
this amount viii be placed on the
market, or under contract, between now
and June 80, 1881.
During the calendar year 1880, 81
buildings have been completed in the
country ut large, in addition TO two
monumental structures at Warrington
the Internal Revenue Building, and the
central portion Of the Department of
Agriculture Building, costing approx
OF Commerce building, costing approx
n1ately SIT ,ooo, 900, Is nearing compile
ton. Recently contract was awarded
for the first section Of an extensible
building for Agriculture, involving a
total limit cost for land and construc-
ton Of S6,760,o00.
Other Work Under Way.
A considerable amount of additional
work In the District Of Columbia, not
coming under the supervision of the
Treasury Department. Is well under
way. including the Arlington Memorial
ing completion; landscaping Of the
Union Station Plaza development; de.
molition work now under contract; the
United States Supreme Court Building;
addition to the House once Building:
the new Botanical Gardens, sites for
which have been cleared and which are
expected to be placed under contract
during this fiscal year; the George
Washington Memorial Parkway, work on
which has been started; extension to
the Smithsonian Institution, and the
construction Of an annex to the Library
Of Congress, both authorized by recent
legislation. These additional projects