Evening star., 1942-01-23
House Approves
Funds for Two
Highways
Independent Offices
Bill Increases Sum
To Maintain Buildings

To Maintain Buildings
Appropriation of 5000. 1000 for an
improvement to the George WASH
ington Memorial Parkway and $780,
839 for the Mount Vernon Memorial
Highway are contained in the in
dependent offices appropriations bill
approved by the House yesterday.
The parkway fund will be used
to acquire strip along the Po-
tomac River in Virginia between
Spout Point, above Key Bridge, the
present terminus Of the parkway,
and chain Bridge" the House APP
preparations Committee said in re-
porting the measure. The strip COM
prises about 2ls miles of river front,
approximately 400 feet wide, and
contains some 145 acres of land.
The Mount Vernon highway ex-
penditure would be used to acquire
such additional lands adjacent to
the highway as may be necessary
for the protection and preservation
of the memorial character" of the
highway, the committee stated.
An increase of almost 100000
in the appropriation for admins
tration, protection and maintenance
Of public buildings in the District
and adjacent areas also was in
cluded. These additional funds will
be used by the Federal Works
Agency in providing guards, jani-
tors and other custodial employees
to operate buildings now being con-
structed or rented for the expand
ing defense program.
No Public Buildings Money.
No money was provided in the
measure for construction Of public
buildings in the District. Last year
the independent Offices appropria-
ton carried $34, 100000 for such
construction.
A boost of $5,o36,sl3 in the ap-
preparations for the Civil Service
Commission was provided. The
commissions total allowance of
$40, 0,l95 1886 would include $105 ,258,-
600 for the civil service retirement
and disability fund and s7,491 .908
for national defense activities. The
retirement fund recommendation
call for an increase of more than
S4, ,000, 900.
Appropriation provisions for the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission amount to 5000 ,O00-a
decrease of 100000 while the
Smithsonian Institution would be
given an increase of S22, ,083. OF
this amount $1,088 would be used
for preservation of collections and
$8,065 for salaries and expenses Of
the National Art Gallery. More
than $1,000 of this increase would
be for promotions under the Rams
peck Act.
) The h6ll searmarks $4,000 Of the
n, ,557 900 appropriation for hospital
and domicilary facilities under the
Veterans Administration for use in
completing the hospital at Fort
Howard, Md.
The Appropriations Committee
disallowed an estimate Of $4,000, 900
for construction Of the new Cen
eral Accounting ONCE. Public
Buildings Administration officials
had Informed the committee that,
because of the emergency, the time
schedule for construction of the
G. A. o. Building had been dis
turbed and the estimate could be
eliminated.
Site Appropriation Deleted.
The committee also cut out an
estimate of $50O,0OO for acquisition
of a site for the Army Medical
Library and Museum and recon-
mended that approval of this item
be deferred until after the emer-
gency.
In the trust account appropria-
tions the sum of $211 ,137,575 is car
ried for the civil service retirement
and disability fund. This is an
increase of $19,376,373. This ap-
preparation was not included in the
bill, since it comes from permanent
statutes previously enacted.
The committee report showed that
John Ihlder, executive officer of the
Alley Dwelling Authority, testified at
the committees hearings regarding
defense housing.
I'm this work." he said, "the Alley
Dwelling Authority has been ap-
pointed as the agent Of the Federal
Works Agency in the construction
and management of $50 dwellings
for national defense workers in the
District of Columbia"
During the construction period,
Mr.. Ihlder pointed out, the A. D. A.
pays construction costs by means
of funds kept In suballotment ac-
count of the Federal Works Agency.
Mr.. Ihlder said the Authority was
not seeking at this time any other
funds than those regularly author
lied by Congress. This amounts to
81 900, 900 year, beginning in 1889
and continuing for five years and is
to be borrowed from the Treasury.