Evening star., 1947-03-21
CourthouseBiII
|sCut 10 Provide
For Plans Only
Senute Unit DeIetes
Building Provisions
Because Of Shortages
By Harold B. ROGERS

BY Harold B. Rogers
A Senate subcommittee today
amended the Revercomb bill for a
new Federal courthouse here and
authorized immediate preparation
Of plans and specifications only. 1t
struck from the measure provisions
for construction, equipment and fur
nishingS.
Chairman Cain of the Public
Works Subcommittee on Public
Buildings and Grounds announced
after an executive session that con-
struction was objected to because of
the present uncertainty OF materials
and labor.
The site was retained on Consti-
tuition avenue between Third street
and John Marshall place NV. The
building would be for the use of both
District Court and the Court of
Appeals.
Sharing Of Cost Undecided.
The subcommittee left open the
controversial question of how the
eventual cost of the project should
be divided between the District and
Che Federal government.
The Revercomb bill, which the
committee had before it, would have
authorized construction of the build
ing at 100000 with the cost split
half and half between the two gov
ernments.
This bill would have credited the
District with one-half the appraised
value of the site which now belongs
to the District. This sum, 81 100000
would have gone toward the Dis
trict-s share of one-half Of the en-
tire project.
The subcommitte changed this to
give the District credit for the full
appraised value of the site-S2, ,420,
O0O-toward eventual cost of the en-
tire project. But the amended
measure does not fix the total cost
OF the project nor does it specify
how the two governments shall di-
vide this cost. The revised bill
provides that the $2,420,000 shall
constitute a credit to the District
government for its share of the
cost of the entire project" and
specifies that the Districts share of
such cost shall be established by
Congress"
One of the original bills in pre-
vious Congress for construction of
a courthouse on another site had
provided that the United States pay
the entire cost. Many different pro-
posals were considered for this di-
vision of costs because the Federal
courts here operate both as State
courts and Federal courts.
Senator Revercomb, Republican,
of West Virginia, chairman Of the
Public Works Committee and author
of the bill, was said to have acre d
to the amendments. of his measure.
He was not present, however, at the
session this morning.
The subcommittee tentatively
agreed to authorize 100000 for
preparation of plans and specifica
ton OF the building by the architect
OF the Capitol.
This figure, however, is to be
Investigated further before favor
able report on the amended bill is
presented to the full Public Works
Committee. Such report will be
laid before the full committee next
Tuesday morning.
Materials Uncertain.
Senator Cain said:
I'VE feel it is proper and very
timely to obtain plans and speciflca-
tions now but we are not recon-
mending construction at this time.
Even If we had the money, which
we don't have, materials and labor
for construction of this and other
projects are so uncertain that we
do not approve construction now.
I'VE took favorable action on the
need so that the Government can
proceed with plans and specifications
for the courthouse
Cost to Be Appropriated.
The amended Revercomb bill is
only an authorization measure. The
cost of plans and specifications will
have to be appropriated by Congress
later.
The subcommittee set up COM
mittee of six to advise on plans.
The membership would consist OF
the chief justice of the United States
Court of Appeals, the chief justice
of the District Court, an associate
Justice Of District Court, a member
OF the Board of Commissioners of the
District, ar architect of the Capitol
and the commissioner of public
buildings of the Federal Works
Agency The FWA official was not
in the original Revercomb bill, but
was added by the subcommittee.