Evening star., 1947-07-18
Courthouse
FundApproved;
$4,000 Cut Out
Chief of Buildings
To Be Responsible
For Planning Work

The House Appropriations Com
n'ittee today voted $4,000 to get
The new Federal courthouse here
under way. The money will be used
for planning and specification work.
In recommending the amount. the
committee chopped $4,000 from
original estimates.
The committee transferred the
responsibility for the preparation of
the planning work from the Capitol
architect to the commissioner of
public buildings.
The committee said it felt the
Public Buildings Administration
should do the work "inasmuch as
that organization has had super
vision of construction of all court
buildings in other parts of the coun-
try and is in position to under
take the task with less additional
overhead cost than would be the
case in the smaller Office OF the
architect of the Capitol"
Strong Pleas Disclosed.
A strong presentation of the need
for a new courthouse was made to
the Subcommittee on Deficiencies by
Chief Justice Bolitha j. Laws of
District Court and by David Lynn,
architect of the Capitol Their testi-
mony was disclosed today as the bill
was reported.
In reporting the bill the commit
tee eliminated $4,000 for Mr.. Lynn
to proceed with a study of plans for
new Senate Office Building. and
for proposed extra Office space for
members of the House.
The latter proposals had included
more Offices on the fifth floor of the
old House Office Building, or a
structure to be built inside the court
of this building; or. in the far flu
ture, another new, House Office
building.
Members of the House Appropria-
tions Subcommittee were shocked
by Justice Laws description of the
overcrowded and inadequate facil-
tiles of the court here. He repeated
comprehensive testimony he had
presented recently to House Public
Building Subcommittee during hear
nes on the courthouse bill, now a
law.
Jury Practice Hit.
Representative Keefe, Republican
of Wisconsin was particularly sur
prised that, because of space short
age. juries had been sent home after
being charged by judge.
You sent them home and let
them disperse?" asked Mr.. Keefe.
Yes" responded Justice Laws.
Il do not know what the Appellate
Court will do about it,
IF I were sitting on the Appellate
Court" declared Mr.. Keefe, Il would
reverse every one OF those cases;
if that happened in my State, you
would not get by with that for
minute. because when the jury is
charged, the judge takes care to
instruct the marshal to take them
some place where they can begin
their deliberations.
That has happened here Justice
Laws explained, because We have
not got a place to put them where
they can engage in their delibera-
tons. and it is a question of finding
space for them
TT is the most outrageous thing I
have ever heard Of" exclaimed Mr.
keefe, Il do not know how you can
get by with it
I'VE cannot get by with it," the
iurist responded.
Could Not Obey Court.
What would you do" asked
Justice Laws, "if the Court of
Appeals gave you mandate, as it
did lis in two cases, and yet I had
to tell Chief Justice Groner that I
could not obey the courts decree,
simply because we do not have the
space? That is why I am SO con-
cerned.'
Representative McGregor, Repub-
lican. of Ohio. chairman of the
House Public Buildings Subc'Ln-
mittee. told the Appropriations Sub
committee attempts still are being
made to obtain temporary additional
ull6i btlS 1ol uSC VI pliC SocI Y, PSliu-
ing erection of the new courthouse.
The law authorizing the new court
calls for planning but no construc-
ton now. The Capitol Park Hotel,
once under consideration for court
offices, is about to be sold to the
highest bidder, Mr.. McGregor said
Cost of converting it to Office space
|. considered too hiph he said