Evening star., 1942-10-24
6. U. Hospita!
Addition Made
Sure by yWPB
Project Given High
Roting; Patterson
School Deferred

A high priority rating for con.
struction of additions to George.
town Hospital which will afford ISL
additional beds at that institution
appeared certainty today. At the
same time 1t was learned that the
War Production Board had listed
the new Patterson School in the
Southeast section as a essential
project at this time and had recon-
mended work be halted there.
Commissioner Guy Mason said
last night that he had been given
assurances that the hospital project
would receive an AA-3 priority rat
ing, the highest given non-militarY
construction. A similar rating was
given the Gallinger Hospital expan.
sion program on Thursday.
The Patterson School job was this
only Washington area project in.
cluded in a Nationwide list of mora
than 200 public works projects which
WPB has informed the Federal
Works Agency should be deferred IN
carrying out the initial phase Of cur
tailment of non-essential construc.
ton.
Dormitory, School Planned.
To be built in the Georgetown
project are nurses dormitory and
school and dormitory for internes,
1t is then planned to convert pre,
ent living quarters for nurses and
internes in the hospital into wards.
thus affording ISL more beds. - :.
Demolition of three old buildingS
to make way for new construction is
expected to begin Monday, Commits.
sioner Mason said.
Baird Snyder, Sd, acting adminis~
traitor of FWA, said WPB had sug-
gested that work be stopped on tho
Patterson School, Nichols and At-.
lantic avenues Sc, which was being
erected for children of workers at.
the Bellevue Naval Magazine. The
Job was started September % and
Is listed as 20 per cent complete. =,
Mr.. Snyder said he believed there
were several Washington road proj-.
ects among those which probably
will be pruned, but a check at Public
Roads Administration failed to re-,+
veal single road job to be stopped.
More Pruning May Come. "a
The list sent to FWA yesterday, IT.
was understood, included only prof.
ects for which WPB had issued pri-r
GRITTY ratings. A large number of 4
Washington war public works Jobs
have not been sent to WPB for ap-s
proval, so the Capitals program was,t
still considered far from safe fron
the pruning knife. The entire FWA
program for the Metropolitan Area, =.
including the dormitories for war
workers, totals about $29O0O.0O0.
WPB made clear that actual stop
orders had been issued for none Of
the projects already submitted to
F'WA in the first phase of the pro-
gram to review every construction
project either under way or planned
by Federal, State and local govern.
ments and private interests through
out the country. 1t was stated that
WPB would not name individual
jobs until the stop work orders were
issued. Officials refused to make
public the list sent FWA.
Hospitals Apparently Safe.
Washington's hospital expansion
and war worker dormitory programs
were considered safe. Some fear was
expressed for one or two of the
utility expansion jobs, which consist
largely of additions to the water and
sewer systems.
Mr.. Snyder said that of the more
than 200 jobs listed by WPB, 1T
were road building projects. He said
F'WA already had decided to aban-
don about half of the jobs listed, al
though WPB did not know it. He
added that since March, FWA had
reviewed its entire national program
carefully and had eliminated prof.
ects designed to cost $102, 5000 All
OF the remaining projects, he said r
had been approved by either the
| War or Navy Department.
WPB stated that while final ac-s
ton had not been taken on the
projects listed with FWA, nearly all
probably would be stopped. 1t was
said other lists would be compiled
as the construction review program
gains full speed. d
The Commissioners yesterday adj.
Vertlsed for bids for the first parts
OF the Gallinger Hospital expansion
program, for which WPB also is--
sued the highest civilian preference
rating. A 150-bed maternity ward
and dormitories for nurses and in
ternes will be added at a cost Of
s536,00O. Bids for the work are to
be opened Wednesday. When an