Mr. CANNON. They are only commissioned for this special service? Gen. BLACK. They are only called into service during this emer gency. Mr. CANNON. There will be no retired list for them? Gen. BLACK. No, sir. Mr. SHERLEY. If it means an additional expense to the Government when the Government is rapidly going broke it might be desirable to know why we should carry this burden. Gen. BLACK. Well, it is simply because of the confidential nature of the work and the hold that we have on them by giving them commissions. Mr. SHERLEY. That may be a satisfactory reason. Gen. BLACK. That was the reason we had. The CHAIRMAN. They were doing, under the law, a part of this work anyway, were they not? Gen. BLACK. Yes, sir; a very small part of it. The CHAIRMAN. And we provided that the Geological Survey should give preference to work required by the War Department? Gen. BLACK. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. So that prior to the outbreak of the war they were required by law not only to do this general mapping work, but if the War Department wanted something done they had to give the department preference? Gen. BLACK. Yes, sir. Mr. CANNON. And under these circumstances they would not be subject to draft? Gen. BLACK. Most of them are too old; I do not think it takes them out of the draft, except the younger ones. Mr. CANNON. They would be taken out if an affidavit were filed showing that this work was necessary? Gen. BLACK. Yes, sir; they probably would be. The act that Mr. Fitzgerald is reading was passed for the purpose of getting a plain geological survey of the areas that we wanted, and that does not entail a lot of military information at all; their regular duties did not call on them to give us this military information, but when they work for us and under us they do the whole thing together, getting the military information along with the regular work of the survey. Mr. SHERLEY. Is there any reason why they should not still do it all whether commissioned or not? Gen. BLACK. No, sir; they could do it, except we would not have the same hold on them as to the confidential nature of the information; there is no other reason. There are 13 of these men who are detailed for duty with this Heavy Artillery brigade which is being formed, and their function there will be range finding principally, because it is strictly survey work. The CHAIRMAN. Engineer work? Gen. BLACK. Yes, sir. One of the principal men here went with Gen. Pershing on his staff as topographer for military surveying there, and we have information that in addition to that 45 more have gone or will soon go. The CHAIRMAN. And you expect to utilize them in military work? Gen. BLACK. Military mapping at the front in France. The CHAIRMAN. Is that mapping in the field or at the scene of activities work that belongs peculiarly to the engineers? ENGINEER EQUIPMENT OF TROOPS. KMAN. The next item is engineer equipment of troops. d about $37,000,000? CK. Yes, sir. IRMAN. And you are asking an additional $4,300,000? AIRMAN. Will you state, first, General, what is being done LACK. Yes, sir; in the urgent deficiency act there was ap- LAIRMAN. And in the Army act $1,174,000, making about DLACK. Yes, sir; that has been spent in part. We have a CHAIRMAN. The organizations you have enumerated require nent? BLACK. Yes, sir. CHAIRMAN. And this is to provide the engineer equipment? 1. BLACK. Yes; for those additional organizations that have ..uthorized and called for by Gen. Pershing since the other estiwas made and submitted.' CHAIRMAN. Are they submitted under the provisions of the nal-defense act authorizing technical units? n. BLACK. Yes, sir. e CHAIRMAN. You ask that this be available until June 30, 1. Do you expect to spend it this fiscal year or what portion of tween now and that time? en. BLACK. That will depend on how fast we can get these troops I can not find out how fast they want them over there. Howr. the major part of it will be spent this fiscal year, but there may a portion of it, the re-equipment, that may go on over. Maj. GRANT. We think that most of it will be spent this year; it pends a little on how fast we can get troops over there. Gen. BLACK. I am sorry to tell you that the more cables that come om France the more I find I am deficient. we should put this off until after the war; then for another year after that we would still be without the maps. Mr. SHERLEY. I just want to feel satisfied that the doing of this work is not going to interfere with your supply of men for doing the more important mapping work abroad. Gen. BLACK. No; it will not interfere with that. Mr. CANNON. Just at that point let me ask this question: France and Great Britain have, no doubt, had maps made through their aviators, and can not the allies make more accurate maps than could be made by our employees after they get over there? Gen. BLACK. No, sir. The men who are going over there are to map the country where the English and French have not been able to do it; country that has been occupied by other people; in other words, the men going over there for this purpose will be used in territory in which no one is working just now except the Germans. Mr. CANNON. That is, it will be an enlargement of the Aviation Corps there and the doing of work in the enemy's country? Gen. BLACK. Yes. Before they make an assault now they take base maps made by the French in times of peace, and they are very good; then they reinforce those by the results of the work of the aviators and make a battle map; they place on that all the lines that the aviators can find of the German entrenchments, sometimes doing it so closely as to make a relief map of it. Then that is studied before the grand assault is made, so that each division or each regiment knows absolutely just what it is going into. That means that the scale is vastly increased. The original maps from which they work are usually not over an inch to the mile; those maps can be increased in scale to 12 and even 24 inches to the mile, and then added to that is the information gained from the aviation reconnaissance; then a relief map is made for the study of the troops, so that they will know just what they are going into. Mr. CANNON. Then that would involve cooperation, because when you get over there, I take it, the whole thing is coordinated, the French and Americans are substantially mixed up together? Gen. BLACK. No, sir. Mr. CANNON. I know they are under separate commands, but after all they are along the same lines? Gen. BLACK. No, sir. Mr. CANNON. Therefore, when the French have no maps, it is necessary to make new or additional ones? Gen. BLACK. Yes, sir; they will take the base maps and do exactly what the French are doing for their people when they make an attack; they will do exactly for our people what the French are doing for their people. I just want to say to Mr. Sherley that whether the country should be mapped this year or next year is a question of judgment, and that you gentlemen are just as capable of forming that judgment as I am. But the fact is that we have nothing at present. We do not need it now, but when we will need it I do not know. That is just the point I wanted to make there. Mr. CANNON. You would need these maps if an invading army would attempt to land here? Gen. BLACK. Not only then, sir, but if the German fleet ever got out we would need them for the use of our aviators as a protection against their invading aviators. ENGINEER EQUIPMENT OF TROOPS. The CHAIRMAN. The next item is engineer equipment of troops. You have had about $37,000,000? Gen. BLACK. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. And you are asking an additional $4,300,000? Gen. BLACK. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Will you state, first, General, what is being done with the appropriations heretofore made? We gave you about $37,000,000, and my recollection is that was for the necessary equipment of an army of a million men. Gen. BLACK. Yes, sir; in the urgent deficiency act there was appropriated $35,876,000. The CHAIRMAN. And in the Army act $1,174,000, making about $37.000.000 all told? Gen. BLACK. Yes, sir; that has been spent in part. We have a total unallotted of about $36,000,000, but it is all required for the purposes for which it was appropriated, namely, the National Army, but in addition to the National Army that we knew of then there have been these calls for special troops of which we knew nothing: Four railway-operating regiments, 5 railway-construction regiments, 2 shop regiments, 4 road-building battalions, 8 construction battalions, 6 topographical sections, 3 map-reproduction detachments, 10 supply-depot detachments, 6 water-supply companies, 6 forestry regiments, from 32 to 40 work companies (that is, 250 men in each; we call them service companies in order to try to make them a little more popular), 6 mining companies, 4 fortifications battalions, 5 electrical regiments, and 5 inland-waterway companies. Those are all called for by Gen. Pershing and are the results of cable messages. Now, even these are not quite correct, because we have cable messages which make changes in some minor particulars, but the number is not decreased at all. The CHAIRMAN. The organizations you have enumerated require equipment? Gen. BLACK. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. And this is to provide the engineer equipment? Gen. BLACK. Yes; for those additional organizations that have been authorized and called for by Gen. Pershing since the other estimate was made and submitted. The CHAIRMAN. Are they submitted under the provisions of the national-defense act authorizing technical units? Gen. BLACK. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. You ask that this be available until June 30, 1919. Do you expect to spend it this fiscal year or what portion of it between now and that time? Gen. BLACK. That will depend on how fast we can get these troops cut. I can not find out how fast they want them over there. However, the major part of it will be spent this fiscal year, but there may be a portion of it, the re-equipment, that may go on over. Maj. GRANT. We think that most of it will be spent this year; it depends a little on how fast we can get troops over there. Gen. BLACK. I am sorry to tell you that the more cables that come from France the more I find I am deficient. The CHAIRMAN. This is what I have in mind: We are trying to find out how much money will be needed during this fiscal year and then to carry moneys for the next fiscal year in the appropriation bill for next year. If you believe that this is to be expended this year you do not need this additional language and if it is not to be expended this year you do not need the money. Gen. BLACK. No, sir; but we believe it will be expended this year. PER DIEM IN LIEU OF SUBSISTENCE FOR CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES. The CHAIRMAN. You are asking authority to pay a per diem of $4 in lieu of subsistence? Gen. BLACK. That is required to be repeated in each act under the law; there is nothing new in that. The CHAIRMAN. You never had it before? Gen. BLACK. Yes, sir. Mr. SHERLEY. They always asked it but never got it. Gen. BLACK. No, sir; we have been having it. The CHAIRMAN. There is a law That the heads of executive departments and other Government establishinents are authorized to prescribe per diem rates of allowance not exceeding $4 in lieu of subsistence to persons engaged in field work for traveling on official business outside of the District of Columbia and away from their designated posts of duty when not otherwise fixed by law. Gen. BLACK. Go on and read a little further. The CHAIRMAN (reading): For the fiscal year 1916 and annually thereafter estimates of appropriations from which per diem accounts are to be paid shall specifically state the rates of such allowances. Gen. BLACK. That is all it is-just to comply with the law. The CHAIRMAN. But you did not have it in the previous appropriations, although perhaps I am under a misapprehension? Gen. BLACK. I think you are. The CHAIRMAN. Do officers of your corps get per diem allowances? Gen. BLACK. No, sir; they do not get a per diem allowance. That is for our civilian employees. The CHAIRMAN. This is merely to take care of your civilian employees? Gen. BLACK. Yes, sir. MOTOR CYCLES. Mr. SHERLEY. How much of this do you expect to spend for motor cycles? You had a limitation before touching the purchase of motor cycles which you are asking to be removed. Gen. BLACK. Yes, sir; because we are trying to conform exactly to what they send us word from France they need. For example. we are not sending the horses of the mounted sections of engineers over there, and in lieu of that we are sending some more motor cycles. They can not forage the horses. The CHAIRMAN. When you use motor cycles, do you use the ones with an outrigger? Gen. BLACK. Yes, sir; so as to carry tools or anything else we want to carry. |