Evening Star Newspaper, October 11, 1925, Page 4

) * THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., OCTOBER 11, 1925—PART 1. FEDERAL QUARTERS ARE HELD DISGRACE $50,000,000 Building Pro-: gram Blocked by Request for National Program. (Continued from First Page.) Revenue Bureau, for the Department O Justice, for the General Accounting | Office, for the National Archiv for | the Departnient of Agricultuve, for the | Department of Commerce and for the General Supply Committec. Space s lacking to tell in detail in this serfes of articles the complete | housing negligence of the Federal Gov ernment, but the list of new Govern- ment-owned buildings whic 1 ready sadly needed is not means completed with cipal structures that + cifically discussed. The: the program which the ngs Commission has ur gress and which the House and Ser e upon Con- | committees on public buildings and | grounds have recommende They | arve the ones that will probably be| erected first under the $50,000.000! bullding program for the National Capital which President Coolidge s in sisting Congress must appro Others Badly Needed. Other bhuildings are required proper accommodations for the terstate Commerce Commission, Departments of Labor and State Civil Service Commis er independent Federal Trade ping Board, the Bur the Government Printin other independent establish fire hazard should be a son for stabii omm ants ice were not considered. In a report to_the Senate on May 3, | 1924, Senator Keves of New Hamp shire, for the committee on pubil buildings and grounds, in an independent office buildt “There are a_numbe: bureaus and offices scattered ove: city which could be a centered in one building them are now oce fire traps and she more suitable quarters. follows: Alien Prope, reau of E v, Civil mission, 11 Power Yederal Trade Commission, Commis- sion of Fine Arts, International Boundary Commission, International Joint Commission, United States Tar- 1Y Commission and other miscellane- ous units.” U. Rent Bill High. The public, even those individuals dealing dally with various establish. ments of the Government realize to what an extent Uncle Sam is a tenar* in the Capital City, which was Itself sullt for the primary pur- pose of actommodating Government activities. Here is the rent roster by departments und independent estab- lishments: Department of Agriculture, $182,850; Department of Justice, $101,- 3 Treasury Department, $80,786; General Accounting Office, $72,200; Interstate Commerce Commission, $72,058; Department of Commerce, $85,500; Railroad Administration, $63, 000; Post Office Department, $53,613; War Department, $44,982; Board of ‘Tax Appeals, $40,000; Department of Labor, $24,000; Civil Service Commls- sion, $21,875; Interior Department, $15,451; Mixed Claims Commission, United States and Mexico, $14,678; Mixed Claims Commission, United States and Germany, $12,177; Court of Claims, $10,000, and Navy Depart- ment, $4,320. The complete plcture of how the work of the Government is scrambled with many units of different services in the same building, thus complicat- ing administration and flaunting econ- omy and_efficiency, cannot be given | here for lack of space, but the situa- | tion in several buildings will serve as {llustrations: In the new Navy Build- ing we find 13 agencies—the Navy Department, the United States Ship- Pping Board, the Emergency Fleet Cor- poration, office of public buildings and | public parks, the Rock Creek and Potomac_ Parkway Commission, the Public_ Buildings Commission, the Joint Welfare Board, the Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission, the John Ericsson Memorial Commission the Meade Memorial Commission, the Aeronautical Board, the National Ad- | visory Commission on Aeronautics and | the co-ordinator for motor_transport. In Temporary Building No. 1. at Eighteenth and D streets, we find 11 agencies—Joint Welfare and War De- partment, United States Shipping Board, United States Grain Corpora- tion, Civil Service Commission, pub- lic roads, United States Food Adminis- tration, United States wheat director, United States Sugar Equalization Board, Department of Labor_and the superintendent of the State, War and Navy Buildings. In the Treasury Building we find seven agencies—the Treasury Department, General Ac- counting Office, Bureau of the Budget, Federal Reserve Board, War Finance Corporation, World ‘ar Forelgn Debt Commission and ‘the Interde- partmental Board of Contracts and Adjustments. In the Arlington Build- ing we find six agencies—the Vet erans’ Bureau, allen property cus- todian, Federal Purchasing Board, | Federal Liquidation Board, Federal Real Estate Board, Interdepartmental Board on Simplified Office Procedure. In Temporary Building No. b5, at Twentieth and C streets northwest, we find six agencies—the War Depart- ment, Treasury Department, superin- tendent State, War and Navy Build- ings, Federal Traffic Board, Navy De- partment and the National Assocla- tion for the Promotion of Rifle Prac- tice and Civilian Marksmanship. Did Best Possible. The Public Buildings Commission, which finds quarters for the various Government activities, and which is therefore responsible for the scram- bled condition, cannot be blamed be- cause this hodgepodge scattering has resulted from the necessity of provid- ing space for new and expanding ac- tivitles when there was little or no ade- Qquate and proper housing to be found. ‘This commission has struggled along for a perfod of years with utterly in- adequate facilities in which to house the Government departments, and has on numerous occasions presented to Congress the urgent need of a building program in order that the Govern. ment’s business may be transacted in an economical manner, with due re- gard to the health and efficiency of its employees and to the proper safe- guarding of the public records in -the different establishments. It can be said without fear of suc- cessful contradiction—and this is con- firmed by the Public Buildings Com- mission—that there is scarcely a de- partment of the Government in Wash- ington which is adequately and satis- factorily housed, and this condition of effairs is steadily going from bad to worse, Congress is constantly passing laws creating new Federal activities and imposing additional duties on the ones now in existence, which means that the personnel and housing re- quirements of the Government are on the increase. The seriousness of the housing situation of the Government here can hardly be exaggerated and it is of the most vital importance that immediate relief be provided. The Public Buildings Commission in its reports to Congress has for years called attention to the hazardous It wasted on and such oth- | * s the ! uneconomical arrangement of the Gov- erninent’s housing © in Washington. ‘I he: ars reas y the score why this intolerable und preposterous situ- stion " should remedied without Can Save $1,000,000 a Year. In the first place, there is the matter The Government is now cinounting In add dutenance & to $881,682 annu- there are the D charges on z<, which the Gov- which in many the rent. It is o safe to say ion of public buildings and the mination of these charges would v effect a saving of $1,000,000 an- Other zreat economies would when exch department is able o bring its activities together under e root, or at least in the Imikediate ty of each other. the situation exists today the squandering untold pary As Government is sums of money for messenger service, utomobiles, trucks, time lost by em- plovees going from one building to the other, delays while offictals are wait- j g for papers, etc.. which in numer- ous instances must he secured from another division or hu considerable distance. The time by the pub'e in transacting usiness with the Government on ac- count of the widely scattered units u located at | of each establishment is also large. Congress Fully Warned. s an example of how Congress has en warned of the growth of var{- which further congests acilities—awa the Secre! transinitted to Congress a letter from the then Postmaster Gen- v»mvl, Dr. Huber: Work,.in which he i Next to the I Internal R he greatest ik of space. N tion of direct taxes under the rix. eenth amendment of the Constitution nd the enforcement of prohibition under the eizhteenth amendment. This has added so greatly to the per. sonnel that {n many buildings part of the ernal revenue business is transacted in public corridors to the t detriment of efficiency and the ce Department Service hax sufferer on account Sinee 1913 there has health ot the employes. Neotwith. anad the maximum use of Fed- ! bulldings this bureau alone is 3 now paying $45 1l space. has been repeatedly and Ivised of the necessity rent annually for working out & definite program of housing for Government activities. December 18, 1 the Public ldings - Commission, composed of iers of the appropriations and public buildings committees of both House and Senate, the architect of the Capitol, the supervising archi- tect of the Treasury and the engineer officer in charge of public buildings and grounds submitted a comprehen- sive report analyzing the needs of the Government departments and establishments for office space in the | Distrlct of Columbfa. In this report the Public Buildings Commission an nounced certaln important principles, which should be followed in the con: struction. of new buildings, as follows: First. Public bulldings, other than those of ‘the executive departments, should face the grounds of the Capi- tol. Second. New executive depart- mental buildings may well be located to face Lafayette Square in such man- ner as to complete the arrangement already begun, and south of Pennsyl- vania avenue along Fifteenth street to B street, on the land already pur- chased and awaiting such occupation. Third. Both sides of the Mall, with the exception of the space needed by the Department of Agriculture on its grounds, should be occupied by mu- seums and other buildings containing collections in which the publjc gen- erally s interested, but net by de- partmental buildings. Fourth. The space east of Four- teenth street, between Pennsylvania avenue and the Mall should be occu- pied by public bufldings. Distinet Types Urged. In determining the cost of the buildings to be constructed the follow- ing types have been assumed: First. Departmental type, to house the head of a department ahd such of the divisions and bureaus of the de- partments as should be in direct and immediate touch with the ceritral office. As typical examples of de- partmental buildings to be followed, but not copled, in designing future structures, your committee has taken the Treasury Department Building, the preliminary designs for the De- partment of State, Justice and (then) Commerce and Labor, the Patent Office, the Senate and House Office Buildings, 2nd the old Post Office De- partment Building on Seventh and F streets. A five-story bulldiag (above basement) is considered proper and suitable for the departmental type. Second. The Mall type, for build ings constructed along the Mal Typleal examples are the new Na- tional Museum, the Freer Art Gal- lery, the new Department of Agricul- The terms of Morris practicable and ng rentals in the District of Co- | that the con- | ed to its uctivities the collec- | i Upper left: Thousands of General again if destroyed. Lower lef terials in the carpen Crowded files in Temporary Building No. 1, Eighteenth r shop in fire trap building, Temporary No. 6, occu Accounting Office dc HUMAN LIVES AND PRICELESS DOCUMENTS AND DATA IN DAILY DANGER IN GOVERNMENT FIRE TRAPS ments that never could be replaced are stackeg away here—an easy prey to flames Upper gight: Thousands of dollars in supplies of the general supply nd D streets, kn ied by the General Accounting Office. It would cost millions to gather these data committee that woufd be lost in a fire, either by the flames or by water from patent sprinklers. wn to be a fire trap, which should be in an archives building. Lower right: Mass of inflammable ma- nd the design for the »n Memorial Hall. ce type, to be used ! ctivities other | specified above. Your| committee has taken the new office building tor the Department of the | | Interior as typical in respect of con- | struction and materials, lighting, pro portion of h: and walls to office spaces, and cost per cubic foot. The desirable height is considered to be six or seven stories above the base- ment The Pubiic Buildings Commission in this report also specifically urged | the immediate construction of an | archives building. | Urged Razing Fire Traps. In its report to Congress on Janu- ary 4, 1923, the Public Buildings Com- mission emphasized the moral duty and real economy in tearing down the temporary, war-emergency buildings, saving: “One fact which is becoming more evident each day is that the Govern- ment should at the earliest possible moment embark upon a building pro- gram which will lead to the housing of all departments and independent establishments in permanent Govern- ment-owned structures. The commis sion is rapidly approaching a point where it will be impossible to effect further reductions in rentals unless | new buildings be erected. | “To illustrate the urgent necessity for immediate actlon, the attention of | Congress is directed to the fact that | there are now in existence 12 of the | so-called temporary war buidings, com- prising a total fidor area of 2,380,559 square feet. The best judgment of those in position to know is that these structures cannot possibly last more than § or 10 vears longer, and even | then 1t will probably be necessary to spend vast sums for their repafr. In fact, one of them is deterforating so rapidly at this time that the constant | expenditure of considerable funds is necessary to make it habitable. The building referred to is the old War In. dustries Building at Fourteenth and B streets, and occupied by an important unit of the Bureau of Internal Rev- enue. “It is very evident that immediate steps should be taken to replace these structures with permanent buildings. ture Buiiding. George Washing Third. The o {in ger in housing Plan Loans | public | Public Buildings Commission sugge {in one of the public buildin | | various buildings to be constructed The commission then went cn ord unanimously as convinced Congress should “a the expenditure of dollars for the const buildings in W In advising regarding needed legls lation in ts last annual report the ed “as the most feusible plan th general authorization for buildin the District of Columbia be in , au 000, thorizing the expenditure of 000 over a perfod of 5 or 10 y This general legislation would m possible to carry out the gram without the necessity of coming to Congress and asking for authoriza tion for each individual buflding, a ke it entire pro- has been the custom in the past. In| fact, the commission is convinced that this is the only way in which satisfac- tory provision can be made for an ade- quate housing of the various depart- ments within a reasonable timi Furthermore, it would make it pos sible to plan the entire program at once, keeping in mind at all times the desirability of bringing the v units of each department as cl together as possible. Asked Definite Authority. “To this end it is suggested th the proposed legislation specifically charge the Public Buildings Commis- ston with the following dutl 1. Selection of the site: for the Decision as to the type and size ch building. of e “3. Allocation of the actual work of | preparation of plans, specifications, letting of contracts and supervision of construction among such qualified agencies of the Government as may seem desiruble. 4. The commission should approve such plans end specifications before bids are asked for. “5. The submission of an annua! estimate to the director of the budzet showing In complete detail the various amounts which will be required to carry on the work during the follow- ing fiscal year. ““This plan, if adopted, will place the entire construction program under the general supervision of one centralized authority. In the past it has been the custom of the various departments and bureaus to submit their individual are simple and Thoughtful people who do not abuse credit facilities will find it possible to borrow on The Morris Plan to their advantage. LOANS—FOR_THE AVER- AGE _MAN. The mechanic, S 5 clerk, professional or business moderute means who $50 to $5,000, or more, is welcome st THE MOR- RIS PLAN BANK of Washing- the more prosperous man of aeeds ton merchant is at his commercial bank. Loans a accounts, sickness, home provements, taxes, discounting bills, and many other demands. made for sny sound and sensible resson—past due PAYMENTS—WITHIN THE EA -Gl U NGS. For each $50 or frac- uor borrowed you agree to de- posit $1.00 per week on a Sav- ings Acoount, the proceeds of which may be used to cancel the note when due. OUR_EARN. Deposits may be made on a TIME—TWELVE MONTHS N SERVICE—PROMPT AND R S. _MORRI _notes are usually made Tor 1 though they may be given cee year, for any period of from 3 to months. There are 100 Morris P 12 cereeen weekly, monthly basis as you prefer. It is suggested that borrowers ar- range to pay on their own pay- days. CONFIDENTIAL. passed within a dav or two after filing application—with few ex- semi-monthly or Loans are ception: Banks or Companies in the U. S., and since 1910 these institutions have loaned over 640 millions of dollars on the above terms to over 3 millions of persons. . 5 THE MORRIS PLAN BANK Under Supervision U. S. Treasury 1408 H Street N. W, “Character and Earning Power are the Basis of Credit” in | erted | ,.lmmdmu needs to Congress, without |com regard to any géneral plan, and this is | grounds, stressed the fire peril, say- ® | one | buildings are scatt ! ton | ner. | five qui ditic bia. ing will N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N § 2T T2 2T, N N § N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N Gever “The importance of action with a view to ade: In n May AMUNDSEN'S SHIP ALOOF IN TRAGEDY All Glamor About the Maud Gone as Vessel Faces Auctioneer’s Hammer. By the Consolidateq P; SEATTLE, October 10.—A fraved, dejected Norwegian flag hangs limp from the halyard of the Maud, Amund- sen’s defeated ship, which tried to sail across the North Pole. Proud but aloof in her tragedy, the brave ship lles today in Seattle har bor, waiting the rap of the auc tioneer's hammer, for she is to be sold to pay debts incurred during three long years when she lay locked In Arctic ice. Her sides are scraped and marred by contact with lcebergs. Her shrouds are worn and battered. As though ashamed, the Maud erept this week into Puget Sound un- der cover of darkness and slid into her berth like a wounded thing. Thers were no crowds and no cheering. But when she talled away three years azo on her magnificent adventure, bands played and destroyers accompanied her up the Sound. Awaited by Creditors. The masts which once traced vic tory over the world’s southern arc as a part of Amundsun’s triumph: ship Fram, now tower aloft in stoic silence Zven when the Maud reached Nome the edge was taken off he: glad welcome, for creditors awaited With hills like undertakers at a feas:. This did not dull the appetites of tt lcrew for the first fresh vegetables in three years, but the old ship seemed to feel the disgrace. Short of oil, the scudded before the wind under ¢ vas like a hunted thing on the down from Nome and then slipped forlornly fnto Puget Sound Only Thomas Kolderup, Norwegian consul at Seattle, braved the misty night to go out in a motor launch to meet her. Even when the Blue Sea, the trad- ing schooner which found the Maud, anchored alongside, there was littie joy or hilari “We looked at them. They looked at us. We said o, how are you?” That's all there to it.” Dan Kahlow, engineer of the Blue Sea, says that is what happened. Traded in Arctic. “The Arctic night was beginning when the Blue Sea left the shore,” Kahlow said. “Hundreds of Eskimo most dungerous fire hazard. Several crowded to the nd irreplaceable of which loss to the tee on public buildings and | | arious departmental | ing [rScants red over Washing-| “The necessity for the adoption gf | would mean in their present hephazard man- | a building program has long r.opn‘(‘-n\emm"n;- e ve bet:n This commission has had nearly | recognized by all who are familiar | DO SCrious fires in these structures to years® experience in dealing with | (G0 EC 0 under which m u\‘) e e e o ent of space i e publ g 3 sy y o autions taken by the officials in R ey PUPC | the Government activities reason the nd has nec d on | charge of them. Sitimate fno their work. Unless early action be| ... ¢ . ed an intimate know taken by Congress to relleve the pres. |, Aside from the fire menace there ns and the space of The o aiation: 1¢ 1 i is the undeniable fact that they can ent in the District of Colum, | % situation, it is only a question of last but a short time longer, and only | then by the annual expenditure of considerable money for their repair In fact. only a few months ago one of these buildings, Treasury Annex No. 2, Fourteenth and B streets, became dilupidated that the advisability of abandoning it altogether was consid- ed Fortunately. however, func were ailable with which it could be time, and a very short time at that, until the Government will find itself in an {mnossible situation, due to the rapid deterioration of the so-called temporary war bulldings ““There are now in existence 12 of these structures, ranging in floor| | area from 30,000 square feet to 300,600 | square feet. They are veritable fire | traps of the flimsiest wooden con- taking early tely hous- Washington exaggerated, and this m earnestly hopes Congress take suitable action in the prem- | at the earliest possible day.” »rt to the Senate in Keves, for t thi Government in Iy be aking a 222272772227, Join the crowds at Kay’s this week—help celebrate our 11th Birthday. Take advantage of the Super Values offered and the E-Z-K Credit Terms. Buy at these Low Prices and have us lay your pur- chases away for Xmas delivery. A small deposit will do. “Your Promise to Pay Is Good With Kay’ Beautiful scintillating blue- white diamonds set in a variety of mountings (some for ladies \\ and some for gents); handsome, hand-plerced green or white 3] solid ; gold. 11th Anniversary pricel 491 Pay $1 a Week Diamond Rings You'll say they're worth twice as much. 11th Anniversary price— $gi Pay 50c a Week Week Guaranteed ‘movement; mahogany finish, highly polished case; cathedral gong. 21 inches long. 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