Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-18
Il. s. BUILDING PROGRAM
NOW FOUR YEARS AHEAD
Congress Must Remove Restrictions to
Maintain Present Progress, Heath
SAYS in Radio Forum.


Treasury, was delivered last night in the
National Radio Forum. arranged by The
Evening Star and broadcast over
coast-to-coast network of the Columbia
Broadcasting System:
There have been so many untrue
statements made regarding the Federal
building program and its expedition, for
the purpose of relieving unemployment,
that I welcome this opportunity so
generously extended by The Washing
ton Star to talk for a few minutes to
you on the subject.
In 1926 Congress recognized the great
necessity for a comprehensive scheme
of providing necessary quarters for Fed
efal uses throughout the country. There
had been no Federal building during the
war nor afterwards for this purpose.
and the need was very great. 1t was
not until 1928 that Congress appro-
priated the money for embarking the
Federal Government on an extensive
public works program which was to re-
Quire ten years for completion.
Several departments and agencies have
been made responsible by Congress for
the prosecution OF this vast program.
Military and naval construction Is the
responsibility of the respective Secre-
taries Of War and Navy. The road and
highway construction is directed by the
of WATERWAYS and construction of large
engineering projects. such as Boulder
Dam. are classes Of public works &C
complished by the War and Interior
Departments: providing adequate hos
pital facilities for war veterans Is one
of the chief duties of the director of the
Veterans Administration.
Treasury Has other Building.
Construction Of buildings within the
limits of the Capitol grounds at Wash
jngton and approaches thereto is super
vised by the Office of the architect for
the Capitol. With few exceptions, all
other Federal building construction has
been assigned to the Secretary of the
Treasury and, as the assistant directly
charged with the responsibility of ex-
pediting this class of construction, am
talking to you about the scope Of the
public building program now being car
ried out by the Treasury Department.
It is we'll to point to that class Of
buildings authorized to be constructed
under the Treasury program, which in
cludeS buildings for court houses, post
Offices, custom houses, Marine hospitals,
immigration stations, border inspection
stations, quarantine stations and ac-
comm odationS for the executive depart
ments and independent establishments
1OCdI6Q III the NdllOIl capital
At the time the public building pro-
gram was inaugurated, there were ap-
proximately 1,400 Government owned
buildings of these classes. The act of
1926 authorized the expenditure of
about $175,000,0o0 for new construc-
ton to extend over a period of seven
years, and directed that the Secretary
OF the Treasury and the Postmaster
General make recommendations to Con-
gress as to where the needs were most
urgent, after a Nation wide survey had
been conducted under the terms of the
act. The report was submitted to Con-
gress in 1927 and indicated that the
authorization of $175.000.0o0 would not
be sufficient to meet the needs. On
March S. 1928. the first installment of
the public building program became a
law.
Capital Need Brings Increase.
While the housing needs throughout
the country were most urgent. the place
where the need for relief was greatest
had become so serious that legislation
applying to the District of Columbia
alone was passed in 1928, authorizing
an expenditure of an additional $685.
100000 here in the Capital. In 1929
and 1880 the Hoover administration
strongly recommended the enlargement
OF the public building program, as it
was apparent that notwithstanding its
magnitude it did not nearly meet the
requirements of the situation. AS re-
suit of the recommendation of the
President, Congress increased the pro-
gram $3.50, 100000 by acts approved in
March, 1880, and February, 1881. The
act of 1891 liberaliZed the methods of
expenditure, as we'll as the amounts
TO be expended, in such a way that the
progress of the program could be great
ly expedited. the act making possible
the completion Of the enlarged program
within 10 years from the fiscal year
1928.
am talking to you now, then about
the building of public buildings for
which about S700,000000 has been au-
thorized by Congress. It is proposed
to construct under this general author
fzation 245 new buildings to replace
obsolete structures, provide 191 existing
buildings with major extensions and
erect new buildings in 1,085 COM
munities which are now without Fed
eral buildings.
When this program is completed
there will be over 1900 buildings under
the control of the Treasury Depart
rnent. To date We have specific author
1Zation Of Congress to proceed with ap-
proximately 800 of the recommended
projects, and the total limits of cost
represent $496.O00,o0O of the 100000
900 authorized to be expended This
means working on approximately 10
per cent of the total building program
which is to be completed at the end
Of the year 1887 under existing legis-
lat:on.
IFS Buildings Completed.
The status of these 8OO-odd projects,
as of October Is, shows l25 buildings
completed, the total limits of cost of
which are about $40,000,000; 252 prof.
ectS under contract in whole or in part,
representing limits in cost of about
5000, 900; sites purchased within the
District of Columbia for Executive De-
partment buildings and projects, about
$26,0000 900; 81 projects where drawings
have been completed and work placed
on the market or in the specification
stage. with total limits of cost of about
$l7000,000. Plans for 81 projects are
now being drawn by the Office of the
Supervising Architect of the Treasury
with total limits of cost of about SIS
100000, and plans for 129 buildings are
being prepared by private architects,
the limits Of cost being about $751;
100000.
The aforementioned projects, repre-
senting 655 of the 800 specifically au-
thorized, represent $453, 100000 of the
$496,oo0,000 now available In other
words, the Treasury Department has on
the drawing boards of it's own Office,
and those of private architects. or has
under contract, or has completed. 81 per
cent of the total amount authorized to
date. The remaing pr cent, or $43,-
100000, concerns about $50 projects
plans for practically all of which will
be completed or we'll under way by the
time Congress convenes next December
Surely, this would indicate that the
Treasury Department has accelerated
the public building program to point
where 1t will be necessary for Congress