Evening star., 1949-04-10
Hot Fight Likely
0nHowtoHouse
Sales Tax Force
Somebody Must Move
From District Offices;
Nobody Wants TO Be 1t

44c bloIIlCI COMMISSIONED vi
Tuesday will referee what is ex-
pected to be a hot verbal battle
when they decide on a series OF
Office shifts to make room for
anticipated sales tax personnel.
With about seven major de-
partments likely to be affected by
the proposed moves. the city
heads anticipate a hard fight
when the department heads meet
with them TO settle the details
The point of the fight is this
If Congress passes the sales tax,
somebody is going to have to move
out the District Building to make
room for more than so sales tax
personnel.
The Commissioners will have
to decide not only what Offices
must be shifted out of the Dis
trict Building and Municipal Cen
ter but where to put the displaced
Offices then.
Possible Shifts Listed.
The departments which may be
forced to move from their present
quarters are those Of Auditor A
r. Pilkerton, Superintendent OF
Weights, Measures and Markets
Thomas J. Kennedy, Purchasing
Officer Roland M. Brennan, the
Police Boys Club, Supt. of Cor
rections Donald M. Clemmer, the
Health Department and the Mini
mum Wage and Industrial Safety
Board.
Other District officials who
probably will be embroiled in the
battle are Assessor Edward A.
Dent. Collector of Taxes Guy W.
Pearson. Director Of Construction
Archie G. Hutson and Assistant
Engineer Commissioner L. E. Cox
The contending forces tomor-
row will complete marshaling
arguments aimed to prove they
should not be moved. They ex-
pect to go before the Commits
sioners Tuesday armed with at
least five alternate plans pre-
pared by Col. Cox.
Reacts Vigorously.
Mr.. Pilkerton reacted vigorously
when it was suggested last week
that his large staff be moved out
of the District Building and sent
to Municipal Center. So did Mr.
Kennedy, who is one of those
likely to be shifted out of Munic-
ipal Center to make room for the
auditors staff. Neither official
wants to move.
Messrs. Dent and Pearson
meanwhile. insist that they must
have the sales tax, crew in the
District Building near them. Mr.
Pilkerton has handed the Com
missioners a list of Is reasons
why he should stay there, too
Aside from the physical incon.
venience of moving. there is 9
good reason why some Of thu
affected officials do not want tt
shift location. The reason is thai
the District probably will have
nowhere to put the vagrant Office!
except the old Weightman Schoo
"a drafty, hard-to-heat. hard-to.
keep clean and outmoded struc'
ture.
U. S. Wants Library Space.
The Commissioners Space Com
mittee would like to put the ousteo
Offices In the new Central Library
Building but the Public Buildings
Administration already has asked
for 10000 square feet of office
space there. The District will
need exactly 10000 square feet tc
accommodate the sales tax per-
sonnel.
If the Commissioners renege or
their promise to the PBA of the
use of the Central Library space
the PBA may counter by oustine
Waldron E. Leonard's Veterans
Service Center from the Informa-
ton Building at Fourteenth street
and Pennsylvania avenue NV
Faced with this choice. the Com.
missioners almost certainly would
start moving homeless personne.
into the Weightman or some Other
old school building.