Report of the Keeper of Public Buildings and Grounds from 1905 January 1 - 1905 December 31

RECEIVED
JAN 2 6 1993
DOCUMENTS UGA LIBRARIES
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REPORT
OF THE
Keeper of Public Buildings and Grounds
From Jan. 1, 1905, to Dec. 31, 1905.
JAMES A. HALL,
Keeper of Public Buildings and Grounds.
ATLANTA, GA. The Franklin Printing and Publishing Co.
GEO. W. HARRISON, Manager 19o6

REPORT.
0 FFICE OF THE
KEEPER OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS A~D GROUNDS,
ATLANTA, . June 15, 19Q6. To His Excellency, J. M. Terrell, Governor:
I herewith beg to submit my report for the year 1905. Special attention is calhid to the condition of the State's insurance which must be readjusted by January 6, 1907. The State carries at present, under a general schedule, $810,036.00 insurance on its varions properties. The insurance under this general schedule was written in 1902 for five years, and was supposed to cover fifty per cent. of the value of the property. Other specific insurance carries the amount of the State's protection to something like $1,000,000.00. Since 1902 several costly buildings have been erected by the State. There has been a great advance in the cost of all classes of building material, labor and construction. It is, therefore, clear that the property of the State is much more valuable than it was five years ago, and it is evident that the insurance which is to be written for the next five years Rhould be considerably increased. The property of the State requiring insurance is now probably worth $3,000,000.00 and it would seem that sufficient insurance should be carried on this property to amply protect the interests of the tax-payers, to whom it belongs.

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Provision for the re-writing of .this insurance must be made at tLe present, 1906, session of the General Assembly.
If it is desired by the General Assembly to insure the State's property for something like seventy-five per cent. of its value an appropriation of about $50,000.00 will be required for tLe purpose. If it is desired to insure for only nfty per cent. of the valuation, the amount required will be about $35,000.00. The average rate upon the State's property can not be determined until buildings now in course of construction are completed, and a new schedule of all the property is made up.
During the present year, 1906, considerable emergency insurance has been taken out on buildings which have recently been completed, and, as there was no insurance fund out of which to pay these premiums, 'the amounts are being carried by the various companies. The total amount of these unpaid premiums is $923.72. This amount should be provided by the present session of the General Assembly and be made immediately available.
The need for repairs on the Capitol building, to which attention has been called in former reports, grows more pressing year by year. 'fhe Executive Mansion, which is an old and defective building, is especially costly to keep in habitable condition. The need for repairs on the Mansion will constantly increase unless the building is thoroughly overhauled. This would involve considerable expense, and the results would be doubtful.
There are many needed repairs about the Capitol. The basement floor, the interior of many offices on the first floor,

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especially the quarters of the Railroad Commission, need attention. The last named offices badly need new carpets, and the walls repained. The plastering is constantly falling in many parts of the building, especially over the galleries of the Senate and Legislative Chambers, and important repairs are needed on the roof. To make these repairs, and to meet such others as may become necessary, a small repair fund is greatly needed. Owing to the fact that there is no repair fund out of which to pay for such repairs as must be made, the appropriation for this department is forced to carry a heavy burden. The amount expended for emergency repairs-repairs which could not well be pfit off at the Capitol and the Mansion during 1905 - amounted to $2,809.68, and the result was that this department faced a deficit at the close of the year of $2,731.11. During the first three months of 1906 the amount paid out for repairs was $1,142.22. An emergency repair fund of not less than $:3,000.00 would remove the deficit which the fund of this department is forced to carry from one year 'to another.
The need of repairs not only increases' year by year, but the cost of making them-the c9st of labor and materialconstantly grows and unless a repair fund is provide<l, this department must face a deficit which will grow from year to year.
The expense account for the year 1905 was as follows: Engineer's salary ______________ _ ___ -------$ 1,200.00 Fireman's salary _____ __ _. __ _____ __________ 364.00 Keeper of Public B _uildings and Grounds_ _____ 1,500.00 Porters at Capitol and Servants at Mansion ___ 5,379.77

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Watchmen at Capitol ____________ _____ ---- 3,324.95 Water at Capitol and Mansio ______ _____ _ 177 33 Fuel at Capitol and Mamion ______ ______ ___ 1,848.47
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Lights at Capitol and Mansion __ ___________ 2,262.43 Repairs on Capitol Building, painting, plaster-
ing, plumbing,etc.. __ ---------------- . 1,551.5:d Repairs on Mansion, painting, plastering, plumb-
ing, etc. ______ ________________ _____ .... _ 1,358.16 Cleaning materials and other contingencies __ _ 689.33
Total __ _____ -~---- - - --------- --------$1-9,655.96 I have receiv'!d rent for the servants' house in the
rear of the Governor's Mansion __________ ____ $140.00 Sale of old furniture, junk, etc______ __ ___ . ___ 48.25
$188.25 Respectfully submitted,
J. A. HALL, Keeper of Public Buildings and Grounds.