The Secretary in elaborating upon the existing disabilities of the system involved in the construction of public buildings said:

Under existing legislation the responsibility for the construction of public buildings is placed on the Secretary of the Treasury. He is required to determine, within the limits of cost fixed by Congress, what sort of a building shall be erected to meet the needs of each community and of the Federal service. He has no discretion to say that any building authorized shall not be erected. If buildings are authorized to be constructed in communities where they are not needed the responsibility rests upon the Congress. The Secretary's duty is to comply with the directions of Congress. It is, however, a fact that many buildings have been authorized . . . in small towns where there is no actual need for them and that there are many places where public buildings are sorely needed or where the public business has outgrown the public buildings already erected. These must suffer until a more satisfactory plan for the authorization and construction of public buildings is adopted by the Congress.

With regard to sites he continued:

In the matter of the acquisition of sites where buildings are not yet authorized, it is manifestly unwise and unbusinesslike to buy such sites years in advance of their possible use, except in cases where the opportunity of securing particularly desirable properties might be lost through deferred action. As a general rule, it is not to the Government's interest to take title to sites years before they are required for building purposes.

I am convinced that the public interest will be best served and a needless waste of public money will be avoided if the practice of authorizing the acquisition of sites in advance of legislation authorizing the construction of buildings is abandoned and if both site and building are authorized at the same time under a single limit of cost."

Complaint was further made regarding loosely-worded legislation, which, for example, might provide only a "post office" when the intention and necessity was for the inclusion of other government services in the same building. The Secretary consequently urged that he be given authority in such cases "to construct build

29

Secretary of the Treasury, Annual Report on the State of Finances, 1915, pp. 32, 33.

ings of a size and character to accommodate all Federal departments which upon careful investigation may be found to require space in the town where the building is to be erected."

99 40

An interesting though indirect reflection of Secretary McAdoo's attitude toward the principles which had been laid down in the Tarsney Act was included in a paragraph of his report.

Acting upon the lessons taught by experience, I would also recommend that the practice of turning over the larger Federal buildings to outside architects be abandoned and that all such work be handled entirely in the Office of the Supervising Architect. The designing of Federal buildings and post offices requires a special skill and knowledge which can be acquired only by experience and familiarity with the work, and no matter how competent an architect may be in other lines, experience has proven that almost without exception large projects handled by outside architects require more time for completion, and are less satisfactory and more costly to the Government than where these projects are handled entirely within the Supervising Architect's Office. earnestly recommend that the more efficient, expeditious, and economical course would be to provide additional skilled force in the Supervising Architect's Office in all cases where these large structures are to be erected, this supplementary force to include such special and technical service as may be required.“

Continuing, the report touched upon personnel as follows:

I

To promote the efficiency of the custodian forces at the various public buildings, and in line with the proper economy of service and expenditure, the department believed that the labor regulations covering the appointment of laborers and charwomen in the 36 largest cities should be extended to all the public buildings throughout the United States; and, on the department's recommendation, an Executive order was issued June 15, 1915, carrying this into effect. As the result of this order every employee in the custodian service has a civil service status."

In 1917 the Supervising Architect reported" the building standardization plan recommended in the report of the Public Buildings Commission as successfully in operation (the first trial was

"Ibid. It is interesting to compare this with his statement, p. 30, ante. 42 Ibid., p. 37.

43

Supervising Architect, Annual Report, 1917, p. 4.

in 1916) with the result that the number of buildings constructed under given appropriations was considerably in excess of what otherwise would have been possible in the face of rapidly rising

costs.

Public Buildings Commission, 1916. The sundry civil appropriation act of July 1, 1916 (39 Stat. L., 262, 328), provided for a Public Buildings Commission which was to make a study of and report upon the need for Government owned quarters for all public service in the District of Columbia. The Supervising Architect (or in case of a vacancy in that office, the Acting Supervising Architect) was made a member of this commission. The law required that the final report" of the commission be submitted not later than January 1, 1918.

The same act (p. 273) also made specific provisions regarding gas and electric fixtures as follows:

Gas and electric lighting fixtures for the equipment of public buildings and extensions in course of construction under the control of the Treasury Department, except such gas and electric lighting fixtures as are under contract or may be otherwise provided for by law, shall be paid for from the respective appropriations provided for the construction of such public buildings or extensions.

Rising Costs. Increase in prices had now become a distinctly hampering factor, the effects of the war being acutely felt. An order came, therefore, on December 26, 1917, to place no new buildings or extensions of buildings under contract unless the urgency therefor had been established to the satisfaction of the department, such order being intended to conserve the resources of the government so as not to hamper war activities. Estimates for appropriations amounting to approximately four and one-half million dollars, which had previously been submitted to Congress, were withdrawn as a result of the order. Work already under way was carried on.

In his 1917 report" the Secretary again called attention to the laxity of wording of legislation regarding inclusion of all national government services of a community in one building.

War Work. In order to make the Supervising Architect's Office available for war work, the following clause was included in the act of May 16, 1918 (40 Stat. L., 550, 551-“ An Act To authorize the President to Provide Housing for War Needs "):

That whenever it is practicable to use any part of the office or field force of the office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department in or about any of the work contemplated by this act the President shall do so.

Apparently but limited use was made of this opportunity, and the war work of the office was of small volume, although considerable work was done for departments other than the Treasury during this period."

On November 25, 1918, the Secretary of the Treasury withdrew the ban on construction, and instructed the Supervising Architect to invite bids for new buildings and extensions which had been authorized by Congress.

Public Buildings Commission, 1919. The legislative, executive, and judicial act of March 1, 1919 (40 Stat. L., 1213, 1269, 1270), created a Public Buildings Commission which was charged with the control of space in buildings owned or leased by the United States in the District of Columbia.

The commission was composed of two Senators, two Representatives, the Superintendent of the Capitol Building and Grounds, the officer in charge of public buildings and grounds, and the Supervising Architect (or in case of vacancy in that office the Acting Supervising Architect).

Coöperation with the Public Health Service. On March 3, 1919, an act was approved (40 Stat. L., 1302) authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to provide hospital and sanitarium facilities for discharged sick and disabled soldiers, sailors, and marines. Although the Supervising Architect's Office was not specifically mentioned, it was obvious that the work would fall upon it, and a hospital section was established in order to carry out the terms of the act in coöperation with the Public Health Service.

Contractors' Relief. The Secretary of the Treasury in his report for 1919 outlined the facts regarding contractors' relief.

When the United States entered the war with Germany on April 6, 1917, there were a large number of buildings under construction, the contracts for which had been awarded on bids prepared before that date. The demands which the war made upon the resources of the country for skilled workmen and materials variously affected these contracts. Priorities given for munitions displaced orders already given for building materials or postponed their being placed, and the commandeering of plants where building materials were being manufactured, together with transportation difficulties and increases in cost of freight, materials, and labor, caused unforeseen delays and expense to contractors. With a view to reimbursing these contractors, their subcontractors, and material men (including sureties who furnished means to enable failing contractors to complete their contracts, or who completed same as sureties), an act entitled "An act for the relief of contractors and subcontractors for the post offices and other buildings and work under the supervision of the Treasury Department, and for other purposes," was passed by the Congress and approved August 25, 1919. [41 Stat. L., 281.]

That act provides for the reimbursement of such contractors, subcontractors, material men, and sureties for their increased costs due to war conditions for work performed after April 6, 1917, under Government contracts made or proposals submitted (and afterwards accepted without change in price) prior to that date. Claims must be submitted within three months from the passage of the act. Reimbursement is confined to the actual increased cost, exclusive of profits."

The matter of contractors' war claims was again acted upon in 1920 as follows:

The legislation which was enacted in the fall of 1919 for the relief of contractors and subcontractors for the construction, etc., of Federal buildings, whose contracts were based on bids submitted prior to the entrance of the United States into the war, but completed after April 6, 1917, restricted the claims which might be presented to those arising from three causes, viz., increased cost of labor and materials due to war conditions, losses due to delays caused by the United States Priority Board or other governmental

47

Secretary of the Treasury, Annual Report on the State of Finances, 1919, p. 167.