Evening star., 1936-11-09
Public Buildings Needed.

creased. New bureaus have been estab-
lished, those already existing have been
enlarged. As at no time since the Or
ganization Of the Government, save per-
haps during the Great War, the execu-
tive branch has been enlarged, until
there are employed at the Capital no
less than 115,00O persons. The reelection
of the President assures that these added
activities and this increased personnel
will not be "liquidated" within the next
four years and that much of the present
program will continue indefinitely. Per-
haps there will be further increases, and
probably so in the branch established
for the administration of the social Sc
curities law.
The present housing Of this great force
of Government workers is wholly in
adequate. All Of the Government owned
buildings are crowded and for the greater
part of the past four years 1t has been
necessary to lease private properties for
the accommodation of large proportion
of the clerks of the newly created estab-
lishments. Some of them have even
been transferred to Baltimore, for lack
of space in this city.
In these circumstances it Is in order
to urge that the construction program
of the Government in Washington
should be carried out with the least
delay. There Is no economy in the use
of privately owned property, which is at
best only makeshift at accommoda-
tion. According to the latest obtainable
figures, the Government is now occupy
ing 2,766. 900 square feet Of space in 123
privately owned buildings at an annual
rental of approximately $2,64o, 900. For
that sum a permanent public building
could be erected to care for q large part
of the services now distributed among
these inadequate, inconyenient and
widely scattered private structures.
The already adopted program of public
construction at the Capital is far from
completion. Several additions are now
under way, some are in the first stages
of plan-drawing. For others sites have
not been acquired. Existing plans have
been interrupted. The Mall-Avenue
group of structures has not been COM
pleted.
In the beginning of the sudden en-
largement Of the Governments opera
tions and the consequent heavy additions
to the personnel rolls there was justifi-
cation for the utilization of every avail
able structure that could be had. Now
it is time to consolidate, to the extent
that the program Of public works of
all descriptions has become established
as the normal work of the Federal
administration.
Short of definite plan Of emplace-
ment, with continuous development of
a building program, there is likely to be
a series of misplacements, without re-
gard for convenience and efficiency.
Furthermore, it is the due Of the Capital
City and its permanent residents that
the plans for construction be settled
promptly, in order that the business
community may be assured Of an orderly
procedure.
No less than ST privately owned build
ings are now under lease to the Gov
ernment in this city. The personnel Of
practically all of the establishments are
housed in separated quarters. This en-
tails serious loss in efficiency Of ad-
ministration. The only conceivable ad-
vantage in this wide scattering Of the
Government quarters Is that the traffic
congestion of the downtown area Is
thereby somewhat lessened. If that is
a desirable object, it can be attained by
the location Of permanent quarters
throughout wider area than has been
heretofore contemplated in the planning
Of the Governments structural equip
ment. But whether the entire estab-
lishment is to be concentrated within
the downtown area or spread over q wide
expanse, the Government should pro-
vide its own housings, on whatever scale
Of architectural attractiveness may be
deemed desirable, and within the short
est possible time for the drawing of
plans, the requirement Of sites and the
construction Of the required quarters.