The Wilmington morning star., 1940-08-10
WASHINGTON
DAYBOOK

day is moving day in Washington. Walk
around the streets in the government building
section in the evening or at night and you are
lucky if you don't step on a typewriter, butt
your brains out on a filing cabinet or fall into
a desk drawer.
The reason: National defense.
The government is short on Office space and
is trying to juggle and jockey it's various units
into a new set-up that will take care of the
rapidly spreading defense personnel.
It has W. E. Reynolds, the public buildings
commissioner, nearly crazy-but he isn't the
only one. A Reconstruction Finance corpora
ton employe, returning after a short illness
to his office in the old Commerce building,
found some Old Age Insurance division en-
ployes working there. He swears it was two
days-when the new phones were connected
before he could locate his office. CNote: His
personnel director refused to accept the alibi,
locked him for two more days off,
Then there is the case of the Potomac Park
apartments. That shows how desperate the
situation is-Uncle Sam taking office space in
apartment buildings.
AS a matter of fact, Uncle Sam has been
using this apartment for some time. Th e
Social Security board has been there, or at
least the aforementioned Old Age Insurance
division of the Ssh, has been there for some
time. They moved out to make way for war
department and national defense employees.
Ihls sort OF triple play-moving three offices
to accommodate one new one is going on all
the time. It's the only way adequate quarters
can be apportioned.
LII one case, the government has taken over
an old roller-skatlng rink and is converting
it into offices for the justice departments
alien registration division.
Think of 200, 900 Rugs
If you are interested in figures, the federal
departments now occupy nearly 81, 600, 600
square feet of space. In other words. if YOU
can spread 100000 nine-by-twelve rungs out on
the ground, you could just take care of Wash
ington government workers, but you'd still
have to find a place for the congressman and
senator's.
The office space problem isn't the only ogre
raised by national defense to haunt the Sleep
less nights of federal officials. the residential
housing problem has them sweating, too, and
come what may, it looks like the capital is in
for a building boom.
Several government and private agencies al
ready are working separately on this and re-
Gently Charles F. Palmer, a hard hitting World
war calvary officer from Atlanta, Ga, who is
recognized as one of the country's leading
aotlAo1 ltleS Ou llOuSllS, Was appointed defense
housing coordinator.
His organization hasn't had time to get under
way, but its work is certainly cut out. It'll
be Palmer task to see that all the other
agencies function properly and that when the
influx of defense workers really reaches pro-
portions, there is housing Accommodations at
reasonable rentals, for all.
But Not In Alleys
One of the government agencies, and one
with a charming name by the way, is the
Alley Dwelling authority. So far this is the
only one I've heard Of that has any definite
plans made. They are ready to throw up 1000
low rent houses Cnot in alleys, by the way as
soon as congress gives them the w%herewithal.
That gives you some idea of the proportions
that defense is going to take in Washington.
Private rentals here <already among the high
est in the country have oozed up only slight
ly. Runor a few weeks ago that they were
going to skyrocket brought a warning from
congress that if landlords tried any profteering
monkey business, the government would slap
federal control on all rentals.