Evening star., 1945-10-16
Building
Needs Based on
10000 Payroll
Hearing Develops
Estimate of Office
Space in 1850
BY RUDOLPH KAUFMAN II.

By RUDOLPH KAUFMAN ii.
New Federal office buildings which
would be authorized for the District
by the administrations 1914, 4,000, 900
Federal postwar buildings bill are
proposed on the basis of an esti-
mate that 1850 will see 10000 Fed
eral employees working in Washing.
ton.
This estimate was made today by
w. E. Reynolds, commissioner of
public buildings. as the House Com
mittee on Public Buildings and
Grounds resumed hearings begun
last week.
The buildings in question-which
include additions or permanent
homes for the State, War and Navy
Departments, General Accounting
Office, Federal Archives, Library Of
Congress, Public Buildings Admin
istration, Bureau of Standards, Fed
eral Bureau of Investigation, Smith
sonian Institution and other agen-
cies at a cost of approximately $17o,-
600 ,000-would, however, still fail
short of housing the 10000 em-
ployes by 2,550, 900 square feet.
Temporary Quarters to Go.
This amount would have to be OBJ
tanned, If the estimate proves ac-
curate, by renting privately-owned
Office space for about 5000 900, Mr..
Reynolds said.
The estimate supposes, he contin-
ued, that all the more than 80 tenn
porary wartime buildings which now
exist, would be torn down by 1850.
In speaking of Uncle Sans rent
bill in the District, which now costs
Sc, 900 900 annually, Mr.. Reynolds
said If the proposed buildings are
approved by Congress and built.
they will pay for themselves in 80
years, through rent savings.
Estimate May Drop.
His estimate of 10000 employees,
Mr.. Reynolds said, probably will be
reduced by the decision to decen-
tralize the Veterans Administration.
but this would not affect the need
for all the buildings proposed by
the measure. In August of this
year. according to the latest figures
of the Civil Service Commission
there were 250,923 civilian employees
| here.
Maj. Gen. Philip B. Fleming, Fed
eral Works administrator, who also
testified today, said the accumulated
need for structures of all sorts for
the proper conduct of the Govern
ment's business is very great"
Buildings that were obsolete long
before the war are still in USE" he
said, although the cost of their
operation and maintenance is dis
proportionate to their value"
| Efficiency Impaired.
/ Frank L. Yeats, assistant controller
general, who testified in support
of new General Accounting Office
buildings proposed in the bill. de-
scribed how the GAO is scattered
Throughout the District in 20 differ
ent buildings-five Government
owned and Is leased-and that for
this reason. GAO efficiency is seri-
ously impaired.
/ Records have to make so many
trips around town." he said. that
they become worn out and have to-
be sent to our repair unit"
Mr.. Yeats said the volume of
business performed by the GAO
could be measured by comparing
total of Federal appropriations for
1921 of $4,000 000, 900 with total ap-
preparations of 1945 of $137, ,000, 900, :
900.
He said that the greatest volume
of GAO business would come in.
1947, when employees are expected
Ito increase to 1856 (they now total
14,586).
He estimated, however, that by
1850, the number of GAO employees
would have leveled off to 10000. y
It is on the basis of the latter
| figure, he said, that the buildings
included in the current measure are
proposed.