Evening star., 1952-01-24
By Francis ?. DoueIus

A halt In the rise OF Govern
|ment employment has taken the
force out Of arguments for de-
naturalization Of some Of the
Governments activities to other
|cities. :
An estimate OF last June 80
that Office space would have to
|be found for an additional 49, AGO
employees has failed to material
ize. Actually, there has been .
drop In employment Of about L.
900 since then. according to the
General Services Administration.
These are employment figures
lon which GSA works In providing
|ofiice space. While they include
the Pentagon and other Office
buildings for the military, they
do not take in such installations
as the Naval Gun Factory and
the Army Map Service.
Could Raze Tempos.
AS employment stands now. the
|erection of four buildings, each
housing 5000 employees in the
Maryland and Virginia suburbs,
according to the dispersal plan.
would enable the Government to
do away with the greater part Of
the himsy World War II tempo
|rary structures. Putting up an ex-I
ira building on two Of the sites
would make it possible to tear all
of them down.
Those buildings last June 80
provided space for 30,307 en-
|ployes. GSA said today. Razing
the buildings has been one Of the
aims of both the dispersal and
decentralization plans.
The dispersal plan, as approved
by the Senate Public Works Com
|mittee last spring, contemplated
installation Of sewers, water and
other facilities SO that q second
building could be erected at each
|of the four sites Il necessary.
Decentralization Angle.
This measure also had q decen-#
tralization angle. calling for the
removal Of activities with 25, 900
Government positions to other
cities. The bin was debated In
the Senate, which voted to send
lit back to the committee.
The decentralization bin - not
an administration .measure-was
introd oduced later. It called for NOV
ing $4,000 Government positions
Ito other cities within three years
but permitting GSA to provide
space for $1,000 additional em-.
|ployes in Washington in the same
period. This would mean q net
removal Of $4,000 positions.
The Senate Expenditures Com
mittee held q half-hour hearing
ON the measure on July ~. at
which Jess Larson. GSA admins
TRAITOR, was the only witness. Just
before the session ended. the SEN
|ate passed the bill without debate.
Reynolds Figures.
w. Z. Reynolds, Public Build
|ings Commissioner in GSA, testi-
fled before q House Public Works
subcommittee last February in be-
half Of the decentralization bill.
|He put the number Of workers
for whom GSA had to provide Of
|fice space at 1888 600 in June, 1850,
and said it was about l95. 900 in
January, 1851.
He said advice from the various
agencies indicated m increase Of
30 900 Ia employment ii the next
|18 months.
On the following June 90. the
Budget Bureau advised GSA III
should prepare to furnish space
|for Il. .46O more employees. On that
date, GSA was furnishing space
for 2l5.S16 employees, an increase
|of about 32.0 600 IN i year. and was
hard pressed to ind suitable
buildings.
Since then, however, instead Of
Ian increase Of 18.460. there has
been q decline Of about 1000.
according 10 GSA. Some OF the
drop was attributed to the Fergu-I
|son-Jensell rider TO the 1852
appropriation bills, cutting the
agencies at least 10 per cent below
their budget requests for person.
mel.
Also since last June 50. the Gov
'ernment has opened one new