Evening star., 1941-12-14
Bill 10 Permit
u. ). Buildings
In Nearby Areas
Action Expected
Tomorrow on
$4,000, 900 Fund

New Federal Office buildings to
be erected with s25,000, 900 provided
in the third supplemental national
defense appropriation bill can be
located in nearby Maryland and
Virginia as well as in the District
under an agreement reached yes
terday by House and Senate con-
ferees
AS the measure passed the Senate
Friday, it authorized erection Of
some of the buildings on the Sol
diers' Home reservation and di-
rected that all of the others also
be built in the District. The joint
conference committee at the in
sistence of the House members, how
ever, agreed to allow some of the
buildings to be located near the
District either in Maryland or Vir-
ginia.
In addition to approving s25,000.-
900 for additional Federal Office
buildings. the conferees left intact
in the bill items totaling in excess
of s20O0,000 for emergency items
in Washington. These include ST.
9l1,000 as the Districts share of
Federal-aid highway improvements,
most of which is for removing traf-
fic bottlenecks approaching the Po-
tomac River bridges, 100000 toward
completion of a 10000 000-gallon
covered reservoir near the Mcmillan
Park liberation plant, $22,570 to
administer the Districts new rent
control law and s7,700 to enforce
the new industrial safety law.
Action Likely Tomorrow. :,
The conference agreement on the
bill which appropriates total OF
about s10,5o0 900 900, is expected to
be acted on tomorrow in both House
and Senate The House will con-
slider it first. according to Chair
man Cannon of the Appropriations
Committee.
Testimony before the Senate Ap-
preparations Committee indicated
that the new Federal Office build
ingS would be both temporary and
semi permanent in character and
designed to accommodate al least
1000 defense workers. Construc-
ton. it was said. could be completed
in from As TO so days.
W. E. Reynolds, commissioner OF
public buildings. said the new
buildings should be segregated from
the downtown area for these rea-
sons:
First, there is growing conges-
ton of traffic in the downtown area
and, secondly. it is subject to at
tack if the City of Washington is
attacked by hostile forces. My
thought has been that we might &C
quire some lands in the Northwest.
| Northeast and Southeast portions Of
| Washington and the environs."
Rental Element.
Mr.. Reynolds described as "an-
/ other element" in the Federal hous-
! ing picture the apartment buildings
, rented by the Government for Of
/ flee purposes.
I'VE rented the Dupont Circle
Building, which you probably heard
something about" he declared. Il
live out at the Westchester and I
have even been asked when We are
taking over the Westchester. How
ever. we would like to get one or two
of these apartments back for the
use for which they were designed.
They are not good as a rule for
Office buildings inasmuch as they
are not designed for Office pur-
poses"
Highway Projects.
The projects that will be under
taken with the S1,911 900 for high
way work follow:
l, Grade separation at Fourteenth
street and Maine avenue and low
level bridge across the Tidal Basin.
2. Elevated highway on K street
from Rock Creek Parkway with con-
nections to Key Bridge.
3. Extension of Independence ave-
nue. west of Fourteenth street to
connect with Memorial Bridge.
4 Widening of Twenty-third
street from Pennsylvania avenue to
| Constitution avenue