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The CHAIRMAN. We will be very glad to have it, because I think if there is anything that we ought to do it is to protect the people in the construction of buildings and the sale of building materials and in that way encourage the development of housing facilities. You can not hope to develop housing facilities while the cost is three times what it ought to be.

Maj. BROWN. I might say that we have allowed the Municipal Architect $25,000 out of the $100,000 limitation. That applies to the divisions of the District Government, except the water_department, which has its special allotment. Out of the $100,000 originally authorized we allotted him $25,000. That was compared to $14,000 which he was originally allotted last year, which was an ordinary building year, when we had no special program. Now, we need $12,000 more in addition to an original allotment of $25,000 in order to keep the force going at the speed they are now going for the balance of the fiscal year, which will put us on the first of July with everything under way that we have authorized.

The CHAIRMAN. How much of the $100,000 has already been used, if you know?

Maj. BROWN. He is using at the rate of $3,000 a month.

The CHAIRMAN. That is $36,000 for the entire year?

Maj. BROWN. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. You mean the Municipal Architect is using thatTM amount?

Maj. BROWN. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. What about the rest of the work?

Maj. BROWN. Before we asked this appropriation we went to the other divisions to find out if it was possible for them to allot anyof their funds to the Municipal Architect. We got $1,500. I might state that at the beginning of last year the Municipal Architect's allotment was $14,000, and we cut $11,000 from other divisions in order to give him $25,000 to start with this year.

The CHAIRMAN. Will it not be possible, even in the present instance, to reallot the other $75,000 so as to give the Municipal Architect $12,000 more?

Maj. BROWN. No, sir; because, to start with, the first of July we cut from the other departments and we have cut off $1,500 more already, and as they have to maintain the usual program the other departments are all now engaged in the maximum economy to provide for the Municipal Architect's office.

The CHAIRMAN. The other departments will be the sewer department?

Maj. BROWN. Yes; and the surface division and electrical department.

The CHAIRMAN. How much street paving are you contemplating during the fiscal year 1922 as compared with the fiscal year 1921? Maj. BROWN. It is considerably less. A good portion of the $12,500 comes from the surface division.

The CHAIRMAN. $11,000 of the $12,500 was from last year's appropriation and $1,500 from this year's appropriation, as I understand Am I right?

Maj. BROWN. No, sir; all this year's appropriation.

Col. KELLER. We put more in the sidewalks and more in temporary roads where appropriations have not been made for permanent improvements. If we want to extend building we have to give people water supply, and sidewalks as building develops.

GRADING OF STREETS, SIDEWALKS, ETC.

The CHAIRMAN. Let me ask you this question, in that connection. It is prompted by a question that was asked me some time ago by a real estate man engaged with others in the construction of buildings, erecting buildings on a street that had not been opened, although designated, and where the buildings, for example, when erected would face a bank on what would afterwards be a street; is any part of that work of opening the street paid for out of this $100,000? Col. KELLER. I think not.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you take a steam shovel and open up a street for those people to put up buildings?

Maj. BROWN. No, sir; practically all of the grading is done by contract which involves no expense from this limitation other than for inspection.

The CHAIRMAN. Who pays for that, does the Government pay for it?

Maj. BROWN. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Why does the Government pay for it?

Maj. BROWN. I may say that a great many of the builders erecting buildings will go in and grade the streets themselves because of the fact that they realize that they are building in some out of the way place where it is not logical to pay for the grading from public funds. The grading is never assessed against the abutting property as street paving and the laying of water mains, that is one of the features of the improvements that is not assessed, the District using its discretion as to whether or not they shall grade a certain street and that discretion is based upon whether or not it is a public rather than a private improvement.

The CHAIRMAN. Let me ask you this question. We will say that a building is to be erected right here [indicating]. This is the topography of the street [indicating] as it exists when the building is put up and it must be cut down to this level [indicating]. Who pays for that?

Maj. BROWN. The District government, provided the District does the work. There are many cases where the builder realizes that he can not expect the Government to go in and pay for it and he will grade it at his own expense.

The CHAIRMAN. Should not he always do that where he is laying out a subdivision and wants to have a street on which to erect his buildings?

Maj. BROWN. There are certain cases

The CHAIRMAN interposing): Is there any law that requires the District to do it or is it just done as a matter of accommodation for those people?

Col. KELLER. Last year we had $40,000 for grading. It is a question of public policy in the effort to increase taxable values. We have to give a reasonable amount of encouragement to men who have the capital and enterprise and desire to build.

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The CHAIRMAN. Is there any assessment?

Col. KELLER. We assess them for the sidewalk. For the permanent pavement under the Borland Act we assess them on the 50-50 basis; half of the cost is paid by the owner, and that is true of the sidewalk as well. They pay for the water and sewer extensions in accordance with the law.

The CHAIRMAN. I should like to see some modification of that system that permits this extraordinary waste of public money, to open streets under this plan. I think the man who owns the property and builds on it ought to open the street and turn it over to the community.

Mr. GALLIVAN. As I understand, when you lay out a public street you assess no benefits for betterments on the owners?

Maj. BROWN. When we open a street the cost is assessed. The grading is not assessed. Our appropriation for grading is $40,000, which is a very small amount. A large amount of grading is being done all the time by private enterprise.

The CHAIRMAN. It seems to me when the owner of property subdivides it into lots and streets there should not be any tax levied against the people of the District for the property that is included in the streets or for the physical work of cutting it to grade; it ought to be done by the people who own the property and make the subdivision.

Maj. BROWN. There is one point that I think should be considered. The District establishes the grades of the streets.

The CHAIRMAN. I know.

Maj. BROWN. And they do it for the sake of economy and uniformity.

The CHAIRMAN. The city would do that anyway.

Col. KELLER. If you will allow us to look into that, we will try to investigate it.

The CHAIRMAN. I think it would be worth while.

Col. KELLER. Yes, sir.

ALLOTMENT OF APPROPRIATION.

The CHAIRMAN. Will you be good enough to tell the committee how the $100,000 was allotted, the amount allotted to each activity, and how the $12,000 you are asking for will be allotted?

Maj. BROWN. The entire $12,000 will go to the municipal architect. The CHAIRMAN. Please give us the rest of the allotment?

Maj. BROWN. For the fiscal year 1922, the surface division, $43,000; sewer division, $30,000; electrical division, $2,000; and the municipal architect, $25,000.

The CHAIRMAN. The surface division, does that mean repairs and new pavements, the opening of streets, and all that?

Maj. BROWN. Sidewalks, suburban roads, etc.

The CHAIRMAN. And all of the $12,000 will be to meet the emergency that you think exists for the expeditious movement of the school building program?

Maj. BROWN. Yes, sir.

Mr. WOOD. What is the reason that you do not do this architectural work through the municipal architect instead of letting it out to independent architects?

Maj. BROWN. Our only reason was the desire for speed, to get all of these buildings ready for occupancy, except the two junior high schools, which are large jobs that we can not get ready for the opening of school next year, and it would have been impossible for us to expand the municipal architect's office sufficiently to have done that.

Mr. SISSON. Is not this another reason, as a matter of fact, if you have just about what you ought to have for supervising the work, doing the ordinary work, coming within his jurisdiction, it is more economical in the pressure of business to hire outsiders to do the work than to build up a sufficiently large overhead to take care of the peak, because when the peak is over, you have a great big force with nothing to do?

Col. KELLER. It would not cost any less.

The CHAIRMAN. Let me ask you a question in connection with this request for $12,000. How many children are prevented from attending school due to a lack of school facilities?

Maj. BROWN. Perhaps, I ought to know that as a matter of general information, but I do not believe I do.

The CHAIRMAN. Perhaps one of the commissioners knows it?

Mr. RUDOLPH. No; I do not. There are two shifts in the schools and a great many more children in each half and they are pretty badly crowded.

The CHAIRMAN. You think that this appropriation is essential in order to meet the situation?

Col. KELLER. Yes, sir. It calls for no additional appropriation. It simply means giving us latitude to distribute the funds so as to make progress, because we can only make progress in that way.

Mr. SISSON. Do you know whether all the portable schools are in

use?

Maj. BROWN. Yes, sir; every one.

Mr. SISSON. Actively in use?

Maj. BROWN. Yes, sir; we move them from place to place so they relieve the pressure. If we build an addition we move the portable

school.

Mr. SISSON. We have had to deal with that for several years, compelled to do that during the war, and I understand the commissioners looked into the question of the proper distribution of the children so the school space less crowded would be added to, even though the children had to travel a little farther. We had a discussion some time ago with members of the school board and they promised to look into this matter. Have the commissioners looked into the question of whether or not they have endeavored to avail themselves of the space which might be so used?

Col. KELLER. We have no control over the school board.

Mr. SISSON. I understand that. I am sorry you do not have. We put it in the bill once, giving you absolute control of the board of education, but when it got over to the Senate some of the teachers, especially the inefficient teachers, appeared and the Senate knocked it out. I think it is a misfit to have the court appointing the board of education.

Mr. RUDOLPH. We agree with you.

Mr. SISSON. That administrative feature of the schools is a misfit. Col. KELLER. The court has asked to be relieved of that duty, and it has been suggested, and it is an obvious suggestion, that some

authority over the board of education be given the Commissioners of the District of Columbia.

Mr. SISSON. Yes, sir.

GALLINGER MUNICIPAL HOSPITAL.

The CHAIRMAN. Let us pass on to the Gallinger Hospital, for which you are asking $150,000. Please tell us about that.

Maj. BROWN. This printed note, I think, can hardly be improved upon unless there are some other questions that you want to ask about it. Shall I read it?

The CHAIRMAN. Yes; read it into the record.

Maj. BROWN (reading):

The limit of cost fixed by existing law for the construction of the Gallinger Municipal Hospital is $1,500,000. Appropriations authorized to date aggregate $1,103,550, leaving additional appropriations yet to be granted amounting to $396,410. The board desires to place this building in operation on July 1, 1922, but before this can be done power plant should be completed as a structure and at least partially equipped, and domestic building, or at least so much of it as is necessary to serve the psychopathic group, should be completed. To carry the power plant and the domestic building any higher than the basement, new contracts must be entered into. While the commissioners have authority under law to enter into these contracts, there is no money available for payment thereon. An appropriation of $150,000 is required at this time to prevent the loss of about six months in construction work. The psychopathic group of the Gallinger Hospital takes the place of the present Washington Asylum Hospital, and for the latter institution no appropriation has been requested for the fiscal year 1923, on the assumption that the new hospital would be ready for use at that time. Moreover, on the basis of this assumption. appropriations have been recommended in the regular District bill for 1923 for maintenance and equipment and for salaries of personnel for the new hospital.

I may say that the psychopathic group is completed, or will be within, perhaps, two weeks or a very short time. We have built the heating tunnels from the psychopathic group to the power plant and the service tunnel to the domestic building. It is the desire of the Board of Charities to put the psychopathic group of the new Gallinger Hospital into operation July 1 next, and they have asked for appropriations on that basis, but before it can be put into operation we need to complete the power plant and to install such heating and power units as are necessary to serve the psychopathic group, and it is necessary, or at least desirable, to complete in part the domestic building, as all provisions for cooking, etc., are in the domestic building and not in the psychopathic group itself. It is in the desire to have this building ready for occupancy on next July 1 that we asked for the additional amount of $150,000, which will still leave some $240,000 below the limit of cost.

The CHAIRMAN. Will this complete the work?

Maj. BROWN. No, sir; but this will enable us to put the psychopathic group into operation.

The CHAIRMAN. Is any part of the hospital in operation now?
Maj. BROWN. No, sir.

Mr. BYRNS. Will this building be completed within the limit of cost?

Maj. BROWN. Yes, sir; the plans as authorized for the hospital will enable an extension which will cost much over the limit of cost, but the limit of cost will provide for at least the number of patients, or perhaps a greater number of patients than contemplated when that cost was made.

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