Evening star., 1946-04-02
Agencies Plan
Construction Cut
As Housing Aid
Meeting Tomorrow
To Form Unit for
Screening Projects

Proposed cuts in the type of Fed
eral construction which would in
terfere with the veterans housing
program were being whipped into
final shape today preparatory to a
meeting tomorrow of representatives
from seven major Government
agencies to form a Construction Co.
ordinating Committee which will
screen building projects under the
supervision of the Civilian Produc-
ton Administration.
The meeting was called yesterday
by Civilian Production Administra-
tor j. D. Small at the request of
Housing Expediter Wilson w. Wyatt
and John w. Snyder, director of the
Office of War Mobilization and Re-
conversion. Agencies which have
been asked to send staff members to
take part are the War, Navy, Inte-
rior, Commerce and Agriculture De-
partments, the Federal Works
Agency and the Veterans Admins
tration.
1t is expected the committee will
function primarily not to revise the
Governments construction program
but to act as a screen for borderllne
construction projects.
| Schedules Worked Out.
Basic changes in Government
construction schedules already have
been worked out by the Interdepart-
mental Committee on Construction,
headed by Maj. Gen. Philip B. Flem-
ing, Federal works administrator.
Basic policy of this committee, as
announced in mid-February, was to
defer Federal construction which
would compete with housing and to
expedite housing, sewer and water
educational and hospital projects.
Under this policy, FWA experts
have already conferred with other
agencies and their own construction
chiefs and have revised 1916 plans
for Federal Construction as follows
Total expenditures actually are
now expected to rise from an esti-
mate of 81 900, 100000. made last De-
cember, to a present estimate of
ST 800 ,000,0
Roughly speaking. estimates for
public housing, education, hospitals
and sewer and water projects have
been increased, while those for mill
tary and naval projects, highways,
investment buildings, conservation
projects and airports have been re-
duced.
Present estimate for educational
structures is S160,000,00O as against
$105 100000 in December: for hos
pitals, SITS 100000 as against s14o,-
900 900; public housing, s3l5,000,00
as against Sl15,000,0o0, and sewer
and water projects, S275 100000 as
against $175.000.
Highway Expenditures Cut.
Highway expenditures are now ex-
pected to be reduced from S700,000,-
900 to s550,000,000, military indus
trial projects from s6o,000,000 to
$50, 100000. other military and naval
construction from $13O,000,000 tc
500, 900, 900; conservation projects
from s275 900 900 to s225 ,000, 900, air.
ports from s75 100000 to s25 100000
and other Federal building projects
from s5O,000,000 to s15,00O,0O0
Actually Congress determined
FWA's Federal buildings program
when it pigeonholed the Public
Buildings Administrators long
range building program of nearly
a billion dollars, which includes
nearly 5000 100000 worth of Fedora.
building construction in the Wash
ington area over a period of years
OF all PBA projects slated fol
Washington. completion of the west
central heating plant at Rock
Creek and K street is the only one
which has been finally approved
Even this must go before congress
slonal appropriations committees
before money authorized in stop
gap public buildings legislation can
be spent. Plans last fall called fol-
new buildings within five to ten
years, for the Navy, Army, interior
Department, State Department
Treasury Department, Library OF
Congress, National Archives, Smith
sonian Institution, Washington Zoo
Bureau of Standards and Public
Buildings Administration, plus q
$40, 100000 general Office building.