was made. The board of commissioners of the Orleans Levee District, by resolution dated February 23, 1940, declared that it does not intend to use it for levee or street purposes.

The purpose of the proposed legislation is to declare a forfeiture to the United States, pursuant to section 2 of the act of April 22, 1932, of the above-mentioned portion of this strip and to revest in the Attorney General the control and custody thereof. As a result, the distance between the Federal detention headquarters and the street would be increased, thereby establishing more adequate safeguards against the possible escape of prisoners than now exist.

The board of commissioners of the Orleans Levee District of New Orleans, La., on February 23, 1940, also adopted a resolution authorizing its president, at the expense of the board, to provide for the moving of fences, trees, and shrubbery, and the repaving of the driveway, that would be required as a result of this

conveyance.

I recommend the enactment of the enclosed proposed bill.

I have been informed by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget that the proposed legislation is in accord with the program of the President.

Sincerely yours,

ROBERT H. JACKSON,

Attorney General.

This is merely a reconveyance to the United States of this strip of land which was to be used for street or levee purposes and which was conveyed to the levee district down there. This runs along by the detention headquarters, and they have decided that they are not going to use it for such purposes and that it is much better for the detention headquarters to have it farther away from the street and simply reconvey to the Government the land that the Government formerly conveyed to this levee district.

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Is there anything on record showing that the city of New Orleans is not going to use this land except this letter? The CHAIRMAN. This was conveyed to this levee board, and the statement is made here [reading]:

The board of commissioners of the New Orleans Levee District of New Orleans, La., on February 23, 1940, also adopted a resolution authorizing its president, at the expense of the board, to provide for the moving of fences, trees, and shrubbery, and the repaving of the driveway, that would be required as a result of this conveyance.

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Do we have that resolution of the board on record in this committee?

The CHAIRMAN. No; but we have it from the Attorney General that they did do it. So I assume there is no doubt with reference to that. It seems that this was originally conveyed to them for street and levee purposes, and now by resolution they have decided that they do not wish to use it for this purpose and they wish to reconvey it to the Government and put the street back farther from the detention headquarters, which is better for the detention headquarters and which will prevent escapes, and the board of commissioners will also bear the expenses of moving the fences, trees, and shrubbery back to the original line. This is merely reconveying to the Government some land which they are not going to use and do not want. Is there any objection to reporting that and putting it on the Consent Calendar? Mr. RUTHERFORD. I so move, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. CROWE. I second the motion, Mr. Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, it is so ordered.

(Thereupon the committee proceeded to the consideration of other business.)

No. 8

HEARINGS

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON

PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SEVENTY-SIXTH CONGRESS

THIRD SESSION

ON

H. J. Res. 472

A JOINT RESOLUTION TO PROHIBIT THE SALE
OR DISPOSAL OF THE UNITED STATES

CUSTOMHOUSE FOR THE CITY
OF DETROIT

MAY 30, 1940

Printed for the use of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds

DOTATES OF AMERICA

2.40

PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS-NO. 8

THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1940

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS,

Washington, D. C.

(The committee met, at 10:45 a. m., pursuant to notice, Hon. Fritz G. Lanham, chairman, presiding, for consideration of H. J. Res. 472.)

The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order and we will consider Joint Resolution 472, which was introduced by Representative McLeod of Michigan. The resolution will be printed in the record at this point.

(The resolution above referred to is as follows:)

[H. J. Res. 472, 76th Cong., 3d sess.]

JOINT RESOLUTION To prohibit the sale or disposal of the United States Customhouse for the city of Detroit

Whereas the United States Customhouse, located at the northwest corner of Larned and Griswold Streets in the city of Detroit, is at the present time on the list of Federal surplus real estate to be disposed of by sale; and

Whereas the aforementioned customhouse is situated conveniently close to the Detroit River front, which location has been proven to be the most advantageous due to the nature of customs service work; and

Whereas the Federal Government is now renting privately owned space in the city of Detroit at a cost in excess of $215,000 per annum to house Federal offices; and

Whereas the present Detroit customhouse has an annual maintenance cost of only $19,000: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That until otherwise expressly permitted by Congress, the United States Customhouse for the city of Detroit, adminis. tered by the Public Buildings Administration of the Federal Works Agency, shall not be sold or disposed of.

The CHAIRMAN. The resolution is to prohibit the sale or disposal of the United States customhouse for the city of Detroit. I have two letters here on it, the first of which is from the Federal Works Agency under date of April 15, 1940, which will be incorporated in the record. The letter is as follows:

MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Reference is made to your letter of February 27, 1940, requesting a report on H. J. Res. 472, Seventy-sixth Congress, third session, to prohibit the sale or disposal of the Detroit, Mich., customhouse.

This agency is opposed to the enactment of the resolution for the reason that legislation on this subject is unnecessary. This agency has no present intention of selling the customhouse and will not change its position on this question until such time as the property may become surplus in fact. The act of August 27, 1935 (49 Stat. 885), as amended, authorizes a sale or lease only where the property has been declared surplus. The act of August 26, 1935

(49 Stat. 800), as amended, authorizes the sale only where there is no further Federal need for the property. The findings necessary to make these acts applicable could not be made on the facts as they exist at the present time. The statement in the third paragraph of the preamble to the resolution to the effect that the United States is now renting privately owned space in Detroit at a cost in excess of $215,000 per annum is misleading for the reason that it would appear to include space for activities which could not in any event be housed in the customhouse, such as postal stations, other activities which because of their nature must be located in particular areas, and activities using space for storage, garage, or other purposes which could not feasibly be housed in an officetype building. The only activities now renting space which could be conveniently located in the customhouse rent a total of 90,713 square feet of space at a total rate of $124,305.24 per annum, which includes 8,069 square feet for temporary occupancy by the Bureau of the Census at $6,396 per annum. Moreover, these activities which might be housed in the old customhouse (except the Bureau of the Census and the Home Owners' Loan Corporation which rents 55,020 square feet of space at $74,277 per annum), together with customs and appraisers stores' activities now located in the old customhouse, have been given tentative assignments of space in the two additional stories to be added to the new! Detroit post office, courthouse, and customhouse located at Wayne, Lafayette, Shelby, and Fort Streets. The additional stories are authorized under an allotment of $1,125,000 under the 1938 construction program. (See H. Doc. No. 177, 76th Cong., 1st sess.) The drawings for this project have been completed.

The Bureau of the Budget has advised that it has no objection to the submission of this report.

Letter, April 15, 1940, that is signed by Alan Johnstone, general counsel, Federal Works Agency.

Then under date of May 14, 1940, we have this letter from the Acting Secretary of the Treasury, referring to the resolution:

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Further reference is made to your letter of February 27, 1940, requesting an expression of the Department's views with respect to House Joint Resolution 472, a joint resolution to prohibit the sale or disposal of the United States customhouse in Detroit, Mich.

The Honorable Martin R. Bradley, collector of customs, Detroit, Mich., has advised the Department that, from a business and customs standpoint, the new post-office building into which customs activities in the Detroit area are proposed to be moved in the near future, is not ideally located for the handling of customs transactions because it is not readily accessible to the traveling public, to importers and shipping interests, and to international transportation companies and facilities. The building is located in what is probably the most congested area in the city of Detroit. The traffic on the four streets surrounding the building is always congested during business hours with post-office vehicles and the vehicles of people who are delivering and collecting mail and transacting business with other Government units in the building.

The

Mr. Bradley further advises that in his opinion the freight platforms and the loading facilities provided the Customs Service in the new post-office building are inadequate, and will impede the expeditious handling of the large volume of imports which enter the United States at Detroit by motortruck. collector contends that there is insufficient space adjacent to the loading platforms to permit heavy freight trucks to manipulate into position to load and unload, and that it will be impossible to manipulate the large trailer and semitrailer trucks which are used in carting merchandise to the appraiser's stores. It is believed that the collector's contention in this respect is worthy of consideration especially when it is noted that these freight platforms and loading facilities were originally intended for use by the Postal Service which uses light trucks and handles comparatively small and light packages.

The present United States customhouse, while old and in need of renovation and modernization, is nevertheless particularly well located from a customs standpoint in that it is only two and one-half short city blocks from the waterfront and is midway between the various avenues of entrance into the United States from Canada. It is conveniently located with respect to the Walkerville Ferry, the Grand Trunk Railway and car ferries, the Detroit and Windsor international tunnel, the Wabash and Pere Marquette Railway and car ferries, the Michigan Central Railway and tunnel to Canada, and the