Evening star., 1946-02-11
Housing Crisis
Stalls Vast j. 5.
Projects Bill
Political Risk Held
Too Great Unless Jobs
Become Bigger Issue

Become Bigger Issue
Unless unemployment becomes a
more critical aspect of reconversion
than veterans housing, the admin
istration's multi-million dollar post
war public buildings legislation is
stymied until after the fall elec-
tions.
This was learned here from au-
thoritative sources who revealed
that introduction in the House last
Wednesday of a small stop gap
buildings bill was the tip-off that
members of Congress feel they can
not take the political risk of hav-
ing their names associated with ap-
proval of millions of dollars worth
of public buildings at time when
veterans are having trouble finding
homes.
One source explained it this way:
The postwar buildings bill, H. r.
4276, which was introduced last fall
and would authorize eventual con-
struction of nearly a billion dollars
worth of public buildings, 5000 00OO,-
600 OF it in Washington, is only an
authorization bill, but the folks
back home" don't sense the differ
ence between authorizations and
appropriations.
II members of Congress were to
vote the bill now, it would put a
potent political weapon in the hands
OF their opponents in the coming
elections.
Members of the House Committee
on Public Buildings and Grounds.
another source said, favor the prin-
clple OF the bill and, if reconversion
tides were to shift to point where
unemployment would point the way
to public works program, they
would vote for it gladly.
If what these sources saw proves
to be the case, the Federal Govern
ment in Washington, which suffered
through the war with a bad case of
ONCE space cramps, would continue
to suffer for another eight months
to year before even authorization
OF new permanent buildings is made.
In addition, the proposal to au-
thorize the purchase of the land
between B streets NE. and Sc.
from First street east to the Ana
costa River for the future develop
ment of East Capitol street. which
is carried in H. r. 4276, would be
held up along with The buildings au-
thorizations.
Postpones Balanced" Capital.
This would come as welcome news
to residents of the area who have
opposed Federal purchase of the
tract. Others, however, would see
it as another setback for the long
cherished plan to balance the Ma
tion's Capital along the east-west
axis.
Delay of the building program
would come as a bitter disappoint-
ment to such agencies as the Navy.
which has never had a permanent
building of its own, and which is
slated to get a building to cost s46,-
SOC, 1000, including cost of site, on
the land between the old Naval Hos
tpital and the Potomac River.
Under the omnibus measure, now
expected to be delayed indefinitely.
the State Department, with new
duties and agencies crowding in, is
Slated to get an 5000 900 building.
Other agencies which were expect
ing fine, new home Office buildings,
which now may be in for a disap-
pointing wait, are:
The War Department and the
Veterans Administration, which ex-
pect to benefit from extension of
the new War Department" Build
ing at Twenty-first street and Vir-
ginia avenue; the Library of Con-
gress and the National Archives,
which would be provided two film
and record storage buildings at
Sultland, Md; the Smithsonian In
stltution, which would be given two
new museum buildings; the Bureau
OF Standards, the Federal Bureau
OF Investigation, the Interior and
Treasury Departments and the Zoo.
Few Projects Provided.
The stop-gap bill, introduced by
Chairman Lanham Wednesday aft
er, it is reliably understood, commit
tee members told him in executive
session they feared the political con-
sequences of the omnibus measure.
provides for a few top critical prof.
ects which had been labeled with
an administration must" when thew
were sent to the Capitol.
Chief OF these is the Government
Accounting Office Building and an
mex, to cost 19,500,0 900; the west
central heating plant, a s7.75o 00C
project, and $4,000, 900 for the pur-
chase OF future building sites in
Washington which threaten to be-
come highly valuable due to i'm
|provements.
Most prominent of the latter is the
site for the new Navy building.
Where the omnibus measure would
provide hundreds of millions of dol
lars worth of post offices. other
buildings and land purchases
throughout the country, the interim
worth.
The sources quoted admit. how
ever, that the picture could change
almost overnight. If veterans and
other politically potent groups, such
as labor. were shortly to face
iarge-scale unemployment. the bin
couldn't come out of committee fast
enough to suit the same members
OF Congress who now favor delay-
ing it.