Evening star., 1938-05-19
An Illogical Ban.

should eliminate from the new work re-
lief bill the provision prohibiting the
Public Works Administration from using
any of the $100,0O0000 authorized for
Federal projects to meet the Govern
ment's construction needs in the Dis
trict of Columbia.
The House acted wisely in deciding
to give Public Works Administrator Ickes
and the President some discretion to
devote part of the appropriation to the
Governments own construction require
ments instead of using all of the new
P. w. A. fund of $685. 100000 for nom
Federal loans and grants to municipali-
ties. But it was neither logical nor wise
to say that these Federal needs could
be met anywhere except at the seat
OF government.
The House Appropriations Commit
tee took the view that there are meritori-
GUS Federal public works for which
Congress would have to make regular
appropriations in 1910 or later, and
since they create the same kind of employ
ment as that resulting from non- Federal
projects, the regular budget for future
years could be reduced by allowing p.
w. A. to build some Of them now.
This is sound reasoning as far as
it goes but there is no justification for
preventing its application in this one
limited geographical area, if it should
be found advisable to have P. w A.
meet the urgent building requirement
of some Federal agency here
The question is not one of benef1ting
Washington as local community. be-
cause there is no doubt that the major
part of the cost Of public building
erected in Washington filters out into
all sections of the United States tor
the purchase of materials 1t puts men
to work in the steel mills and other
centers of heavy industry that fabrlcate
the supplies. And even a part of the
construction force employed at the site
is likely to be brought in if a structure
Is built by an out-of-toWn contractor.
Throughout its existence P. w. A.
has pointed to the fact that since
1t finances permanent improvements
calling for heavy materials. its projects
spread employment generally regardless
of where the construction work is pro-
ceeding.
Surely the exclusion of the Dis
trict could not validly be based on lack
Of need, for within the past few months
a committee of Federal officials and
members of Congress recommended to
the President a ten-year building pro-
gram to fill unmet space requirements
for carrying on the public business
at the Nations Capital.
While much has been done in recent
years to improve office accommodations
of the Federal departments the ma
chinery of government has been grow
ing at the same time with the creation
Of permanent new activities, so that
today the Government still has a sub
stantial rent bill for leased space.
1t should be remembered also that
the provision for Federal projects is
permissive and not mandatory, so that
if the ban against the District were re-
moved 1t would still leave to the dis
cretion OF the President and his ad-
visers the question of where these P.
w. A. projects are needed most urgently.
Entirely apart from this P. w A.
fund, there is separate section in
the pending bill that would increase
from s7O,o00.0o0 to s13OOoO,O0o a pro-
gram authorized year ago for Con-
struction of Public Buildings Outside
the District of Columbia" The projects
for this program would have to be
selected from specific list filed with
Congress month ago, and would virtu-
ally assure post offices and other public
buildings in every State of the Union.
Thus, as the bill now stands, Federal
public works elsewhere could be under
taken from two different appropriation
items while an urgent Federal project
here could not be considered unless
the bill is amended to give p. w. A. dis
cretionary authority.