Evening star., 1944-10-29
Leohy Explains Opposition
To Moving Draft Boards

off1ces. They have sacrificed, too
They could slip over there at night
or late in the day after their office
work was done and get down to the
grind Of classification of their neigh
oor's sons, in justice as they saw it,
and with little hope for citation or
glory in the tough job they had to
do of breaking up another home.
Again. it was close to transporta-
ton for clerks. They could get a
bite of lunch close by. 1t was handy
to the registrants who could and
did drop in literally by the hundreds
each day, week in and week out, to
ask what their rights were, give
changes of addresses and get an
swers to the many questions which
lay closest in their minds.
when we saw these two buildings,
they were idle and had been for
months. We asked for the right to
occupy them and got it from the
Federal Works Agency's Public
Buildings Administration. We are
grateful for that permission.
permission to occupy these buildings
on July 8, 1912 We received 1t
August 8, 1912, subject to these four
conditions.
81. That the buildings be used
only for the purpose for which per-
mission was given, that is, for the
purpose of locating there approxi-
mately ten local draft boards
%, That Public Buildings Admin
istration should not be involved in
any expense in the use, renovating,
remodeling, operation or mainte-
nance of the buildings.
/ "3. That the buildings should be
vacated within 80 days upon written
notice so to do and left in neat
and presentable condition.
Il That they be subject at all
times to the control of Public Build
ing Administration.
"As quickly as we could. we moved
in 10 local boards. We did not do
any renovating or remodeling. We
| had not the funds. We got those
buildings "as was" and hey had
been condemned for razing. The
local boards and clerks have worked
In there for the past two years and
longer under conditions this head
quarters couldn't correct, and for its
failure so to do often received
the criticism of those who were
compelled to work under the condi-
tionS mentioned.
%.%
| Local draft boards in the District
OF Columbia consist almost through
out of five members. They have no
offices. Space will not permit an
office for local board members They
meet in the same space where the
boards are conducted and frequently
at night-in 1924 H street at least
four nights each week. Draft boards
occupy their offices six days a week
and all day, every day, of every
single week, and that is for eight
hours each and every day, and che
members work at least four nights
each week in 1924 H street, and they
are working all the time.
There are over rs, 1000 cover sheets
OF $4,000 registrants in 1924 H street.
There are over 10000 cover sheets
in 1922 H street. Some of these are
over an inch thick with official and
personal correspondence. They are
Government records, not just pa
pers. They must be kept accurately.
safely and permanently, in justice
not more to the soldier and the
registrant than to our Government
which must take care of him and
see to his rehabilitation and his
rights. They can be neither lost
nor damaged. Every move imperils
their security and integrity.
THE facts surrounding our en-
trance upon the occupation of these
buildings have been indicated al
ready. In our request for permis-
sion to use them we asked If we
could not have them for the 'dura-
tion.' Nobody else seemed to want
them then. We prevented the for
nation or institution of no club or
any other organization in no way by
taking over these buildings which
had stood vacant SO long; but re-
garding SO much of our request for
use OF the buildings for the duration,
the Acting Commissioners of Public
Buildings had this to say: With
respect to your request that the
District of Columbia Selective Serv-
ice be given the use of the buildings
for the duration, you are advised
that in view of the uncertainty as
to when possession of the property
Will be required for other more
urgent Government purposes, the
Public Buildings Administration is
not In a position to give favorable
consideration to such request. 1t
feels that the 30-day notice for va
cation herein set forth should be