Evening star., 1951-04-07
Revised Draft
0fDispersaIb Bill
|sDue Shortly
New Measure Coils
For Four Suburban
Office Buildings
By Francis P. DouqIos

Chairman Holland of a Senate
Public Works Subcommittee said
today that a revised bill for dis
persal of Government agencies
into the suburbs should be COM
pleted in the next two or three
days.
The revised measure, calling for
four Office buildings. each provid-
ing for 5000 workers, on four out
lying sites in the Capitals sub
urbs. was tentatively approved by
the full committee yesterday.
The decentralization program
calling for removal of $4,000 jobs
permanently to other cities-ap-
peared in precarious situation
after its rejection by the House
Appropriations Committee. The
Senate committee, however. made
it clear it regards decentraliza-
ton as part and parcel of the dis
persal program.
Truman Support Cited.
Supporters Of the whole pro-
gram discussed measures to meet
the House Appropriations Com
mittee's criticism that the bill
appropriating $40 million to-
finance decentralization contained
legislative provisions which Con-
gress should authorize before
money is supplied. They also
pointed out that President Tru-
man is 400 per cent behind the
decentralization plans" and could
be counted on to urge support
of the measure in Congress.
Senator Holland and Senator
Case, Republican, of South Da-
kota, both stressed that decen-
tralization is about as important
as dispersal.
What we are shooting at isl
to accomplish the decentraliZa-
ton of about 10000 jobs" Sena-
tor Case said. The Budget Bu-
reau has listed about 5000 jobs
for immediate dispersal, is pre-
pairing a list Of about $4,000 jobs
for removal when space becomes
available in other cities, and
counts on transfers by military
agencies to bring the total to
$4,000.
Proposal Scaled Down.
The revised measure which the
Senate Public Works Committee
directed be drawn up represents
a scaling down of the original pro-
posal. But Senator Holland said
expansion would be possible if a
Tightening of the emergency JUS
titles it. ....
Originally. the Government rec
commended a plan for eight sites
and eight permanent buildings to
provide Office space for 10000
workers. Then. if more space were
needed, an additional building
would be erected at each site. The
cost was put at $3.50 million.
Later the number of sites was
reduced to six and the cost to $145
million.
Under the Senate committee
plan, the cost would be cut further
to about SLOT million. In addition
to the four original buildings, each
site would accommodate an addi-
tional semi-finished building pro-
viding for an additional 5000
workers, to be finished if needed
permanently and otherwise avail
able for storage after it's need as
Office space is ended.
Sites About 20 Miles Out.
While one Of the sites would be
part OF the Agricultural Research
Center area at Beltsville, about "A
miles from downtown Washington,
the others would be about 20 miles
distant.
Utilities provided would be on a
scale to serve 10000 workers on
each site and the full program for
telephone and other communica-
tions would be carried out.
Senators Holland and Case in
sisted that demolition of the
World War II temporary buildings
is a must" in connection with the
program. They now house about
81 200 workers. With these out of
the way, Senator Holland said, it
is the Intention to maintain a CELL
ing OF 10000 to 100000 on the
number of Government workers in
the District area.