Imperial Valley press., 1944-04-12
Capital Talk
--by-
Peter Edison

SA ~ W"
Your Uncle Sam would seem TO
be in the real es' ate business,
right up to the arm holes Of his
star -spangled vest. His troubles
begin when he tries to get out.
Tabulations made by tie assis-
tant attorney general in charge OF
the Lands division. Norman M.
Littell. show that in the five and
a half years from July, 1888, to
January, 1914, % agencies OF the
Federal Government have acquire d
s5l3.277 .992.O6 worth CT property
nearly l2500,000 acres and 21,OO0
other parcels not measured as acre
age. In addition, on Jan. l, deals
were pending or not yet closed tcr
another l8500,00C acres, which
might bring total valuation to over
a billion dollars. 1t has been the
lob CT the Lands division to clear
all those titles and close all those
deals. Who Goes the telling, ant
how. is yet TO be determined. All
Chis recently acquired land is II
addition to the public domain OF
100000 acres, some l3,00o'Ooc
acres CT which has been transfer
red by Agriculture, Interior or other
departments CT War and Navy de-
paItments, and which will probably
be transferred back to where i
was when the war is over.
LIST OF LAND AND LEASES
The net war-use propert.' is not
Just land, but it is alsc improve
ments and leases.
Through the Defense Plant Cor
roraticn. the government has title
TO 1888 fac ories, flying schools,
pipe lines, barge lines and so fclth
valued at over S7,00G000,000
Maritime Commis sion owns ST.
OC0000 worth Of shipyard real es-
tate On which are improvement.
valued at over S425 000.000.
The Federal Works Agency. after
spending its S125,000,CO0 Lanham
Act funds, will have title to 244
schools. lC9 hospitals, 5l2 recrea-
ton centeIs. 100 water works. &c
sewage systems, 81 fire and police
projects and three power plants.
National Hcusing Agency owns
$4,000 dwellings,. 123,0C0 temporary
hcmes. $1,000 dormitories, 10000
trailers.
Under lease are approximately
l4O0 warehouses, 2300 other stor-
age facilities, 29O0 offices arc
buildinge, 300 hospitals, schools arc
hctele. G,762 900 acres of land foi
airports, camps, ranges and Whaj
have you. In all. q 1856 leases
annual rental cost CT $50, ,457 ,OoO.
MERIT OF SINGLE REAL
ESTATE OFFICE
The thinking CT the Baruch re.
port on post war adjustment pol
icies was in general that the agency
acquiring property should have the
disposal Of il. That makes sense
where there is no compe' ition be-
tween sellers. But if all the %
government agencies owning prop
erty should start dumping at moro
or less the same time, what wcult
that do to property values? From
that point of view, the idea foi
having one central office to dis
pose Of real estate, as recommend
ed by Assistant Attoney Genera!
Littell and others in testimony be-
fore Congressman Carter ManaS-
cos House subcommittee on pub
lie buildings and grounds, would
eeCm to have merit.
A lot of the properties Will, Ct
course, never be sold. Some CT the
defen.e plans will be put in grease
as stand-bys for the next war. A
lot Cf the schools and hospi ais may
have to be given to the commuri-
ties which they now serve. Somc
of the campc. forts and airpor,S
which must be kept for national
defense. can be turend into parks
The airport situation is in part
self -licuidating. OF the 546 big
airfields built or enlarged under
Civil Aeronautics Administration
at a cc1t Of some $400,000,000, many
were located where they would
serve civilian and commercial fly
ing after the war. Sites were ac-
quired by municipalities, which
were leased to the Army Air
Forcec. After the war, these fields
will return to TIE cities, with the
provision that the air forces can
release them in case Of emer-
gency There are 5000 n:n-military
fields, and CAA estimates the need
at twice that many for the 10000
commercial planes and the 100000
private planes which should be