At the present time the Government archives occupy valuable space in buildings of the first order, and even in these they are packed away so that they are not available to the departments involved or to general inspection. Under existing conditions they are always a fire risk to the buildings in which they are housed, and the danger that they are constantly facing, with the possibilities of destruction by fire or loss through neglect and wear. It is an urgent need that can not be stressed too forcibly.

The fact that Congress has already recognized the needs of such a building is apparent from the various forms of legislation that have been enacted by that body. Under the act of March 24, 1914, plans were made and specifications submitted. An authorization for construction of a building containing not less than 3,000,000 cubic feet of space to be so located as to be capable of an ultimate expansion to 8,900,000 cubic feet.

Under the report of 1924 submitted to this commission by the various departments housed in the District of Columbia the following information is brought to the attention, the space now being occupied by files, active, semiactive, and dead, amounts to

State Department-.

Treasury Department--

General Accounting Office.

Department of Agriculture_.

Department of Labor..

Post Office Department_

War Department_.

Shipping Board_.

Square feet

54, 050

247, 108

331, 394

67, 154

19, 563

37, 318

434, 667

44, 954 3, 654 24, 758 1,000 6, 464

316, 562 1, 738 87,287

700

240

933

47, 141

320

449

500

15, 043

2, 730

50, 043

12, 500

Federal Power Commission_

Panama Canal

Grain Corporation__

Navy Department----

Total____

2, 604

296

5, 219

19, 889

82, 165

1,830, 968

It is apparent that with the combining of a greater portion of the abovementioned files that space now occupied by them could be made available for the use of the activities of the various departments. It will be noted that in comparison with past years an increase at a considerable rate is going on in each department and files are being accumulated from year to year, adding an extra burden that is very difficult to cope with.

Practically any department could be cited as reference, but attention is called to the State Department. The State Department is the custodian of perhaps the most valuable and precious of the historical documents of our Nation. All the journals of the early Continental Congress, the proceedings of the Constitutional Convention, many of the original acts of Congress, the proclamations of our Presidents, treaties, commissions for the Army and the Navy, foreign relations and compacts of foreign agreements, and other innumerable valuable documents. Under existing conditions, these precious archives, instead of being carefully stored away in a fire-proof and convenient

place, are crowded into wooden cases lining the various rooms from floor to ceiling. The situation is serious.

OLD BUILDINGS ARE SERIOUS FIRE RISKS

In the annual report of the Public Printer for 1922 the attention of Congress was invited to the serious fire risk existing in the old buildings adjoining the newer part of the Government Printing Office. During the year two fires were discovered in the old buildings just in time to check the rapidly spreading flames. One fire caused a loss of $7,500, including nearly 50,000 publications with a sales value of $6,500. The other fire was gaining headway in a room full of books when it was discovered by an employee who happened to be near by. Both fires are believed to have been of incendiary origin. Fortunately, they were started early in the morning when employees were passing through the buildings on their way to and from work. Had either fire been set at a time when few employees were about, it undoubtedly would have caused a serious loss, if not endangered the entire plant.

"Attention of Congress is again most earnestly invited to the serious 'fire risk which exists in the old building of the Printing Office. A considerable portion of this building was erected prior to the Civil War and all of it was completed more than 50 years ago. Except for its brick outer walls, practically the entire building is of wooden construction, even to the columns supporting its four floors. Many of the wooden columns and girders are twisted; the floors are badly worn, needing constant attention to keep them even reasonably safe; wooden window sills are rotted, and the roof boards are in such condition that extensive repairs will be necessary within the next year to keep them in any semblance of a safe condition.

66

Of necessity, the old building has to be used as a warehouse for paper and other inflammable materials for which there is no room in the new building. The carpenter, paint, machine, blacksmith, and electrical shops have had to be located in the old building, likewise adding greatly to an already perilous situation. If a fire once got under headway in this structure, it is believed by everyone who has studied the matter that nothing could stop the flames until they had wiped out not only the old building but also the new building and the documents office as well.

"The destruction of the Government Printing Office would cause many of the essential activities of the Government which are dependent upon such printing as only this office is equipped and qualified to do to stand still for many months until a new plant could be erected over the ashes of the old. Congress would have nowhere else to go for the timely printing of the Congressional Record and the bills, reports, and other papers required in the course of legislation. Such a disaster should not be possible, yet it constantly threatens as long as the old building is permitted to stand in its present condition.

“Therefore, I can not allow this opportunity to pass without again warning Congress of this peril to the lives of more than 4,000 employees in a fire that would quickly destroy the world's greatest printing plant. Modern fire-fighting apparatus has been installed in various parts of the building, numerous fire alarms and escapes provided, and suitable fire drills arranged, but even with these precautions it is doubtful if all the employees could escape from the flames that would sweep through the old building like a tinder box.

66

Secondary only to the importance of tearing down the old fire trap is the necessity for an adequate and safe warehouse for the vast quantity of equipment, materials, and supplies which this office has to keep constantly on hand for the prompt execution of the public printing and binding. The paper and envelopes on hand June 30, 1922, cost the Government $568,689.63, and the cost of other materials and supplies also in the old warehouse on that date was $201,355.79. Thus a stock costing the Government more han three-fourths of a million dollars, and oftimes exceeding a million dollars in value, is constantly exposed to total loss by fire, without a cent of insurance.

"As a matter of fact, the warehouse stock needed to operate this plant without loss of time should frequently be twice as large as it is now possible or safe to carry in the old building. Some years ago Army engineers, after a thorough examination of the building, placed a restriction on the loading of its old wooden floors to not exceed a third of its normal capacity. Consequently the old building is not only a serious fire risk but it is also for the larger part a useless and unsafe structure.

"It is urgently recommended, therefore, that Congress at once authorize the erection of a new building that will be adequate and suitable not only for warehouse and shop purposes but will also provide much-needed space for the activities that are crowding the so-called new building, now more than 20 years old. The Superintendent of Documents is also in dire need for room in which to conduct the distribution and sale of Government publications that are increasing at a tremendous rate. As has been stated heretofore in this report, the Superintendent of Documents could easily build up a sales business amounting to more than $1,000,000 a year if he had adequate room in which to handle such a growth in his work. The activities of the Documents Office have, however, about reached their maximum in the preesnt building, and unless additional space is soon provided distribution for the departments as well as the sale of Government publications will have to halt, as there is absolutely no more space available in the present buildings for additional storage of Government publications or room in which to handle the rapidly growing sales.

"Adoption of the suggestion made in this report for the purchase and storage by the Public Printer of paper and envelopes required by all branches of the Government service would sooner or later necessitate an enlargement of the Government Printing Office warehouse, which is not adequate for even the stocks of paper and envelopes now handled by this office. With a new building the proposed centralization of paper and envelope purchases could be effected in this office to the great improvement of the service and also with a substantial saving made possible by the procurement of larger and more definite quantities at lower prices.

"Therefore, the urgent need of a warehouse in which to store properly and safely the vast stock of paper and envelopes which the Government has to have on hand at all times, nine-tenths of the paper being used by this office for printing purposes, would amply justify the erection of a suitable building for that purpose alone, if no other considerations were involved.

"Space could also be provided in the new building for the folding rooms of the House and the Senate, thus putting an end to the hauling of hundreds of thousands of public documents for congressional distribution to and from the Capi tol. The basements and sub-basements of the Capitol, the House and Senate Office Buildings, and one or two rented warehouses are choked with thousands upon thousands of Government publications awaiting distribution by Members of Congress. This vast amount of inflammable material constitutes a constant and serious menace to the Capitol Building and its wealth of historic objects and works of art which no amount of money could ever replace.

"The danger could be readily avoided by providing space for the storage of congressional publications in the warehouse of the Government Printing office, where the folding-room distribution might still be under the supervision of congressional officers and yet be carried on with the utmost safety and convenience. "By storing the congressional supply of documents in proximity to the city post office and the Union Station, their distribution could be greatly expedited and carried on at much less expense than under the present method of trucking an endless quantity of books and pamphlets from the Government Printing Office to the Capitol and then back again to the city post office. Access could be had in the Government Printing Office to the conveyor which carries the vast quantities of publications sent out daily by the Superintendent of Documents over an endless belt and through a tunnel direct to the city post office, where the thousands of mail sacks from this office are sped along to outgoing trains in less than eight minutes from the time they are tied up in the office of the Superintendent of Documents. Such a convenience and saving of time and space at the Capitol would alone be well worth much of the expenditure here proposed for a new warehouse."

The necessity for the adoption of a building program has long been recognized by all who are familiar with conditions under which many of the Government activities carry on their work. Unless early action be taken by Congress to relieve the present situation, it is only a question of time, and a very short time at that, until the Government will find itself in an impossible situation, due to the rapid deterioration of the so-called temporary war buildings. Senator Keyes:

"There are now in existence 12 of these structures, ranging in floor area from 30,000 to 300,000 square feet. They are veritable fire traps of the flimsiest wooden construction and present a constant and most dangerous fire hazard. Several of them are literally crowded to the roof with priceless and

irreplaceable records, the destruction of which would mean a staggering loss to the Government. That there have been no serious fires in these structures to date is due entirely to elaborate precautions taken by the officials in charge of them. * Aside from these facts, there is no valid reason why the business of the United States Government should be transacted in buildings which are in appearance, comfort, and convenience no better than barns."

* *

In addition to the practical consideration of fire hazard, maintenance, cost, and usability of these temporary buildings, there is the humanitarian consideration of the working conditions of the Government employees. Many protests have been made to the Public Building Commission and to the Congress itself concerning the deplorable conditions under which employees must work in these temporary buildings. In the summer they are intensely hot and in the winter it is difficult to keep them warm. It has been reported that the extreme conditions at times are almost unbearable and the morale and discipline of the employees is strained to the utmost.

As will be observed in the report submitted, the Government is a tenant in its own Capital City to the extent of over $829,669 annually. Many of these buildings are poorly adapted to governmental uses and are so widely scattered over various sections of the city as to make the transaction of business exceedingly cumbersome. Economy and good business administration demand that all activities of the Government be housed in public buildings located with due regard to the rapid and efficient transaction of the public business. There are a number of independent bureaus and offices scattered over the city which could be advantageously centered. Many of them are now occupying the war-time fire traps and should be transferred to suitable quarters.

The Public Buildings Commission was created by the legislative, executive, and judicial act of March 1, 1919, and is composed of seven members-two Senators and two Members of the House, appointed by the Vice President and Speaker, respectively; the Architect of the Capitol, the Supervising Architect of the Treasury, the Director of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital. The commission was created for the purpose of controlling the allotment of space in the Federal buildings located in the District of Columbia. With five years' experience in dealing with the Government's housing problem in the District of Columbia, the commission is probably better informed as to the situation and space needs of each department than any other agency.

The CHAIRMAN. You will also find here some newspaper clippings. Mr. Will Kennedy, of the Washington Star, one of the able newspaper men of the country, has given a great deal of time and labor to the question of public buildings in the District of Columbia, and he has written these articles, all of which appeared in the Washington Star, and he has kindly brought these copies here and left them for the members of the committee to read; and if you will read them carefully, it will open your eyes in a great many respects to the conditions that exist in the public buildings of the District of Columbia.

We have before us this morning Hon. McKenzie Moss, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, and Mr. John H. Bartlett, First Assistant Postmaster General. We will call on Mr. Moss to address the committee now.

Mr. WOODRUM. Mr. Chairman, if you will allow me to make a statement.

The CHAIRMAN. Certainly.

Mr. WOODRUM. I am interested, as I am sure every member of this committee and every Member of the House of Representatives is interested, in the need for buildings in the District of Columbia, and I am glad to get the information that Mr. Kennedy furnishes us; but I do not think this committee, in approaching this matter, ought to overlook, as we appear to be doing so far, the need for public

78510-26-No. 1-3

buildings outside of the District of Columbia. Now, I will go as far as anybody on the committee or in the House in providing for the urgent needs of the District and the government in the District. I think it is a condition that might really make every Member of the House and of the Senate feel ashamed of himself somewhat that the great departments of the Government, the Treasury Department and these other great departments of the Government, are just lying around in temporary buildings and with inadequate quarters, with valuable public records apt to be destroyed by fire and with human life in danger and all of that.

I say I appreciate all of that; but may we not in these hearings have also in this record some statement showing the need for buildings outside of the District of Columbia? Now, I am interested in the District of Columbia. I am interested in every district in the country; but I am also interested in my own district, where I can match conditions with anybody in the House on the need for a public building. I would have been glad to have had every Member of this House down in my district so that I could have taken him to the public square in Roanoke, Va., and showed him there, on Christmas eve, with the thermometer only 8 degrees above zero, 5,000 or 6,000 postal packages piled up in a vacant lot, being sorted out. I would have liked to have shown him where they had put balconies all around in a building, with men falling over each other in the crowd and jam there, trying to take care of Government business. I just want to put that right in the front part of the record alongside of the chairman's assertion of his zealous interest for the District of Columbia--and I am sure that he is interested there also-and to say that these hearings should include witnesses, and let the witnesses put in the record such evidence as they want to put in showing the conditions outside of the District of Columbia.

The CHAIRMAN. I am glad the gentleman from Virginia has made this statement. I do not want the members of this committee to understand that I minimize the need for public buildings outside of the District of Columbia. I do not. The fact that 786 bills have already been introduced for public buildings out over the country is sufficient evidence to let anybody know that there is a crying need out in the country for public buildings; and this hearing is not closed yet. We are merely starting it.

Mr. OLIVER. Did you not put in the record a list of those buildings that are required outside of the District of Columbia-the list of recommendations?

The CHAIRMAN. Do you mean the list of buildings?

Mr. OLIVER. NO; but you put in the recommendations of the Postmaster General for 159 buildings.

The CHAIRMAN. So far as that is concerned, in my own district there is one place the city of Rushville-that has no building, and they are fighting for public buildings there just like they are everywhere else where they need them; and to make the matter worse, about a year ago they had a post office in the Masonic Building in a place in Rushville where they had commo.lious quarters, and everybody was satisfied; but the lease ran out, and the Post Office Department never has been paying anywhere near what they should have paid in the way of rent for these buildings, and some fellow came