Evening star., 1938-12-29
j. :. Rent Bill
In D. T.. Climbs
To o$2,906,654.
Space Now Expanded
To 11S Privately
Owned Buildings
By NELSON M. SHEPARD.

Creation Of new governmental
agencies necessitating demands for
more office space continues to baf-
f1e all efforts Of Secretary of the
Interior Ickes to reduce the annual
rental charges of the Federal Gov-
ernment in the District.
The National Park Service, which
is charged with supervision over
most of the Federally occupied
buildings here, reported to Mr..
Ickes for the 1898 fiscal year that
the Government was paying rental
bill of s2,906,65 for 3,245,775 net
square feet of Office space in lib
privately owned buildings. This
represents an increase of $185, 1863
over the 1887 rent bill and an addi-
ton Of 356,327 square feet of usable
space.
The increase in rented ONCE space
is just a little more than one-half
the amount of net space provided in
the new Interior Department Build
ing for 5000 employees.
Nearly $1,500, 1000 in 1894.
In 1894 the National Park Service
was placed in charge of the main
tenance, operation and ALLEGATION
Of space in most of the Federal
buildings, and Mr.. Ickes learned
then the rental bill for privately
occupied quarters amounted to near
ly 81 o,000. He estimated quickly
that the rent bill represented 3 per
cent interest on $50,000,0 900, which
was sufficient to erect several new
Federal buildings.
The next year he started con-
struction of the new Interior Build
ing, but the rent bill continued to
mount in that year to $2,031 900.
1t has been the same ever since.
Since then the new Federal Tri-
angle buildings have been occupied,
but in the 1888 fiscal year the Gov
ernment was renting more space
than ever before.
Net space as figured by the Ma
tional Park Service is space which
is used for Offices and excludes such
space as corridors and even ele-
vators. At the close of the fiscal
year space aggregating 14.354,352
net square feet was occupied by
Government agencies in ITO Gov
ernment-owned buildings in the
District under supervision of the
Park Service. A total of 79,199 en-
ployes worked under those roofs.
The lib private-owned buildings
housed 27,657 employees.
17,600,127 Square Foot Total.
This renders an accounts of H.
900, ,127 square feet of space occupied
by 106.858 employees in 228 build
ings. Despite the occupancy of
newly built Federal structures,
about one-fourth of the Federal
employees in the District are still
accommodated in rented buildings.
The task of allocating Office space
from month to month is compli-
Gated by the number of changes re-
quired during the year. Forty
changes in space ALLEGATIONS were
required last year, and they neces-
STATED 507 moves.
The problem confronting the
Space Control Division of the Ma
tlonal Park Service is by no means
a complete picture of the Govern
ment's Office troubles. Excluded
| from its control are the Capitol
and the Senate and House Office
Buildings, the Treasury. Bureau OF
Engraving and Printing, the Gov
ernment Printing Office, the Smith
sonian Institution and the group of
Bureau of Standards Buildings.
There are some others, also, which
have not yet come under Mr.. Ickes'
general responsibility.
The upkeep of the buildings COM
ing within the jurisdiction of the
National Park Service in the Dis
trict cost $7,094, ,480. It required
5,388 men and women, including S" :
temporarily employed, to guard al.
operate them. A special train'i'
school for guards and elevator OF :.
| orators Is being maintained.