Evening star., 1947-05-10
Gen. Grant Asks
Delay inClosing
U. 5. C.afeferias
Time for Repairs
Held Necessary;
40 Lose Licenses

Maj. Gen. U. s. Grant III,
president of Government. Serv-
ices, Inc, yesterday asked the
Commissioners to hold up the
closing of Government cafeterias
until GSI has had time to ask
the Public Buildings Adniinistra-
tion to make the needed. I'M
provementS.
The Commissioners did not reply
Immediately but asked Gen. Grant
TO put his request In writing.
The District License Bureau yester-
day refused licenses to 40 cafeterias
In Federal buildings on the recon-
mendation of the District Health
Department and granted licenses to
two. The two given licenses are in
the General Federal Building, Third
street and Virginia avenue S.W., and
the Federal Trade Commission
Building, Sixth street and Pennsyl-
vania avenue NV.
Under the usual District license
procedure, which will be followed In
this case, according to Corpl. William
Glassman, license co-ordinator Of
the Police Department, the police
will visit the cafeterias refused
licenses in 10 days, and If they are
still operating, Capt. Frank w.
Hoover, general manager'of the GSI,
will be brought before the Corpora
tion Counsel, who viii decide
whether to take the case to the
Municipal Court.
Sees Solution Possible.
Capt. Hoover said today it ap-
peared to him to be stalemate,
between the District and the Public
Buildings Administration. He said
it would be almost catastrophe to
the employees of the buildings If the
cafeterias were closed, but that he
believes that the District and the
Federal Government can work out
some solution.
Some of the recommendations OF
the Health Department, could not be
carried out, he said. One provision,
that the kitchen of the cafeteria in
the Federal Loan Building would
have to be made larger, cannot be
met, he explained, because the
kitchen is at the dead end Of the
building.
Among the complaints made by
the Health Department inspectors
were that there was no food pro-
lection on the counters, that hoods
and vents over the cooking stoves
were inadequate, that floors were
in such bad condition they would
have to be resurfaced and there
were not enough hand basin facil-
tiles for the help.
Applied Last November.
The United States Public Health
Service had been inspecting the
|cafeterias for several years, but q
resolution of Congress turned the
inspection of all lunchrooms, restau-
rants and cafeterias over to the
District Health Department. Only
exceptions made by Congress were
for the restaurants in the Capitol
and the Senate and House Office
bullQlngS. ~
The Health Department then asked
the cafeterias that they take out
restaurant licenses. At first, GSI
refused on the ground the restau-
rants are in Federally owned build
ings and exempt from District taxes.
After considerable discussion they
finally agreed to take out licenses.
They applied last November.
Before license is issued restau-
rant must be approved by the Health
Department. Inspectors visited every
cafeteria and asked GSI to make
necessary improvements. After four
months, the inspectors again made
an inspection and found that none
of their recommendations had been
carried out.
The Health Department then asked
the License Bureau to refuse the
licenses.