PUBLIC BUILDING, SUPERIOR, NEBR.

FEBRUARY 9, 1915.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. SUMNERS, from the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 2471.]

The Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, to which was referred the bill (H. R. 2471) authorizing the purchase of a site and the erection of a public building in the city of Superior, Nebr., having considered the same, beg to report thereon with the recommendation that the bill pass amended as follows:

Strike out all after the word "otherwise" in line 5, down to and including the figures "$85,000" in line 13, and insert in lieu thereof the following: "a site for a public building in the city of Superior, Nebr., at a cost not exceeding $14,000."

The Treasury Department estimates that the above-mentioned site can be procured for the sum of $14,000. The needs of the service at Superior are very great, both the Post Office Department and the Civil Service Commission asking for floor space in the proposed building. The committee therefore believes it would be wise to authorize the acquisition of the site at this time, deferring the authorization of the building until a later day.

The following report gives the Treasury estimate and shows also the business of the office:

(H R. 2471, first session Sixty-third Congress.]

TREASURY Department, Washington, D. C., February 13, 1914. The above-mentioned bill provides for a site and the erection of a building for the accommodation of the post office and other Government offices at Superior, Nebr., at a cost not exceeding $85,000.

Requests for accommodations in the contemplated building have been made by the following branch of the Federal service not now located at this point: Civil Service Commission, 500 square feet.

The Auditor for the Post Office Department reports as follows:

Postal receipts (exclusive of money order and postal savings) for the fiscal year 1913...

Postal receipts (exclusive of money order and postal savings) for the fiscal year (10 years ago).........

Annual cost of present post-office quarters (rent, light, heat, water, and janitor service)...

$12, 139. 31

$5, 184. 10

The last census reports give the population as.

The postmaster states that the population now served from the post office (including suburbs) is.

$480.00

2, 106

4,800

ESTIMATES.

Cost of adequate site, allowing for 40-foot fire limit and possible future extension

1-story, fireproof, stone-faced building for post office only (4,500 square feet)...

$14,000

1-story, fireproof, stone-faced building for post office and all other Government offices (4,500 square feet)....

90,000

100,000

TREASURY Department,

Washington, January 25, 1915.

CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS,

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.

SIR: In reply to your request of the 20th instant for a report on H. R. 2471, which provides for the purchase of a site and the erection of a public building at Superior, Nebr., you are advised that a report on this bill was submitted to you February 13, 1914, and a copy of same is herewith inclosed.

In this connection you are advised that the Office of the Supervising Architect will be engaged upon the preparation of plans for buildings already authorized until about January 1, 1920. The public-buildings act approved March 4, 1913, authorized the acquisition of 132 sites without authorizing buildings to be constructed upon them. The same act passed over a number of sites previously authorized, so that at present there exist authorizations for about 150 sites for which no buildings have been authorized. Should buildings be authorized on these sites shortly before the commencement of the year 1920, they would occupy the attention of the Office of the Supervising Architect until about January 1, 1922.

In view of all the conditions stated above, the department is unable to report favorably upon the authorization for any new buildings on sites previously authorized until the present volume of public building construction has been sensibly reduced, and is unable to recommend that any new sites be authorized, either with or without buildings, until after buildings have been authorized upon the sites already provided for.

Respectfully,

W. G. McADOO, Secretary.

O

POST-OFFICE BUILDING AT COHOES, N. Y.

FEBRUARY 9, 1915.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. BURNETT, from the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 21184.]

The Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, to which was referred the bill (H. R. 21184) increasing the limit of cost of the United States post-office building and site at Cohoes, N. Y., having considered the same, beg to report thereon with the recommendation that the bill pass amended as follows:

Line 6, strike out the figures "$150,000" and insert in lieu thereof the figures "$140,000."

The purpose of the bill is to authorize the additional expenditure of $40,000 on the post-office building and site at Cohoes, N. Y., in order that a suitable site may be secured and a building erected which will be in keeping with the size and importance of the town and requirements of the service.

The act of March 4, 1913, authorized the expenditure of $100,000 for the purchase of a site and the erection of a building. The site has not yet been purchased, but two site agents of the Treasury Department have been sent there and both reported in favor of the same site, one which the department states can be purchased for $45,000. The purchase of this site, the only suitable one available, will leave the department with but $55,000 to construct the building, which, they state, "would be manifestly insufficient to erect an adequate building.'

The report of the department on this project is as follows: TREASURY DEPARTMENT, Washington, January 28, 1915.

CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS,

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.

SIR: In reply to your request of the 27th instant for a report on H. R. 21184, which provides for an increase in the limit of cost of the United States post-office building and site at Cohoes, N. Y., the following is submitted:

The last estimate submitted to Congress, on January 25, 1912, was for a one-story and basement building of 6,500 square feet ground area, fireproof, to cost $95,000, the

cost of a suitable site being estimated at $35,000 additional. The act of March 4, 1913, authorizes the sum of $100,000 for the site and building, or $30,000 less than the amount of the estimate. Two site agents have made very thorough investigation of the availability of the sites offered, and in the opinion of both agents the most suitable site is that situated at the southeast corner of Ontario and Mohawk Streets, which has been offered for $45,000. The site in question is of ample size, conveniently located, and is favored by a large proportion of the prominent citizens of Cohoes. Should this site be purchased the balance remaining for the construction of the building would be $55,000, which would be manifestly insufficient to erect an adequate building.

It is estimated that the sum of $140,000 will be required for the acquisition of the site and the construction of a suitable building, fireproof construction, or an increase in the present limit of cost of $40,000.

Respectfully,

W. G. MCADOO, Secretary.

Having given the foregoing very careful consideration, the committee begs to report the bill favorably.