Capt. DALY. But we stand just as good a chance to lose supplies sent over for prisoners as supplies sent over for the men.

The CHAIRMAN. But that is just an arbitrary amount. When you asked for an appropriation for subsistence for 1,000,000 men, you figured that they were going to have 200,000 prisoners, and now you figure that this million men is only going to have 100,000 prisoners. You can put in any arbitrary figure you please for subsistence of prisoners. Of course, if these million men do not leave this country they will have no prisoners to subsist. We are not going to capture any German soldiers over here.

Capt. DALY. No.

The CHAIRMAN. So those arbitrary figures do not enter into the computation.

Capt. DALY. Deducting those, that leaves $64,163,523.

The CHAIRMAN. Where do the others come in?

Capt. DALY. That is half of it.

then, $70,551,023.

That would make the reserve,

The CHAIRMAN. Now, you say these figures are based on 40 cents for rations?

Capt. DALY. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. I understood you to say yesterday it was based on 38 cents for rations.

Capt. DALY. I intended to say that the cost of the ration was 38 cents. The explanation is just as I gave it this morning. The cost computed for the six months ending December 31 was 38 cents. We have not been able to get sufficient data to give us the accurate cost for the six months ending June 30, for the reason that all the papers are not yet in.

The CHAIRMAN. Have you made contracts for your rations for the year?

Gen. SHARPE. The stores are bought from time to time. We do not make contracts for the year.

The CHAIRMAN. Why not?

Gen. SHARPE. Because we do not find it advantageous.

The CHAIRMAN. It would surely be advantageous if these prices are going up continuously.

Gen. SHARPE. That never has been the policy of the department. The CHAIRMAN. I do not care what the policy has been. Here we are in a rising market, with no prospect of prices going down. Has no attempt been made to make contracts for a year's rations?

Gen. SHARPE. We have an arrangement by which we are to get the supplies at greatly reduced prices.

The CHAIRMAN. Nobody living in the United States is expecting to buy any foodstuffs at reduced prices.

Gen. SHARPE. I do not believe we could make contracts for that period of time which would be advantageous.

The CHAIRMAN. For how long a period do you make contracts? Gen. SHARPE. We buy the stores for about a three months' period. The CHAIRMAN. As a result of competitive bidding?

Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. In all of these items of ration?

Gen. SHARPE. It has been arranged that for all canned goods and things like that we are to get fixed prices from the packers all the way through.

The CHAIRMAN. Who is to fix the price? Gen. SHARPE. It is to be fixed by the bureau in the Department of Commerce. They are to go over the matter and fix those prices. Capt. DALY. An annual contract under the present high prices would not be advantageous.

The CHAIRMAN. It would be advantageous if you are figuring on paying 40 cents for next year where you paid 35 cents the last year. Gen. SHARPE. I suppose it would cost 50 cents under a yearly con

tract.

Capt. DALY. The man making the contract would be speculating, and he would have to protect himself and would probably take care of that feature.

The CHAIRMAN. You do not show any advantage in these figures in buying for three months when the price has increased 14 per cent in a few months.

Capt. DALY. They are much lower figures than the public at large is paying.

The CHAIRMAN. I do not know. I do not know what the public pays for the stuff it gets.

Capt. DALY. We get the very best stuff.

The CHAIRMAN. But the price of the ration does not indicate whether the public is paying more or less. Of course, you ought to pay less, because you are buying in bulk.

Capt. DALY. We are paying less for beef than the public pays for it, and also bacon.

The CHAIRMAN. You should pay less, because you are buying it in great quantities.

Capt. DALY. And there is no doubt but what we are buying a higher grade of beef and bacon and other articles than the public in general.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, with reference to these figures given for the subsistence of prisoners of war, is that for prisoners of war captured by our own troops? Does it contemplate subsisting prisoners that have been taken by any of the allies?

Capt. DALY. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. $5,496,000, you say, is for subsistence of recruiting parties?

Capt. DALY. Recruits and applicants for enlistment, at 90 cents a day.

The CHAIRMAN. Is it expected that that will run as high as it is under existing conditions? Under the law now, where the men are being taken in under the draft system, can not a lot of that be eliminated?

Capt. DALY. Well, voluntary enlistment and recruiting goes on just the same.

The CHAIRMAN. That is true.

Capt. DALY. And the activities are probably greater than they have ever been, and probably will be. The recruiting has jumped up materially, Mr. Fitzgerald. A year ago we had 90 recruiting stations and last June we had over 500.

The CHAIRMAN. Will you state again what the $9,659,000 is for? Capt. DALY. That is for commutation of rations for enlisted men. on furlough, for retired enlisted men when ordered to active duty, male and female nurses when stationed at places where rations in

kind can not be issued and when traveling on detached duty, male and female nurses on leave of absence, applicants for enlistment, male and female nurses on duty in hospitals, applicants for enlistment while held under observation, general prisoners sick in hospital, and enlisted men sick in hospital.

The CHAIRMAN. Everybody in the hospitals is subsisted by

Capt. DALY (interposing). By commutation by the Medical Department.

The CHAIRMAN. Out of your appropriation or out of the Medical Department appropriation?

Capt. DALY. Out of our appropriation.

REGULAR SUPPLIES, QUARTERMASTER CORPS.

(See p. 423.)

The CHAIRMAN. For regular supplies for the Quartermaster Corps you are asking $163,917,925. There has been appropriated $115,250,000.

Capt. DALY. The items of soap, candles, and matches amount to $850,000; salt and vinegar for animals, $102,313. We can submit this detailed statement for the hearings if you want it, Mr. Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. I want to get some general information first. This is based upon the need of the additional 1,000,000 men for one year.

Capt. DALY. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, you ask $48,000,000 for that part of the Army in excess of what you have asked for for the first 1,000,000

men.

Capt. DALY. That is due to cantonment construction and additional construction in connection with these troops.

The CHAIRMAN. Find out what it is. We gave you for the cantonment construction about $84,000,000.

Capt. DALY. Not out of regular supplies.

The CHAIRMAN. Maybe not, but if there is any part of this regular supply money being used for that purpose we want to know it. Capt. DALY. Yes, sir. The estimate outside of construction purposes is $95,410,925. We have added to that $46,500,000 for a reserve stock of supplies, making a total of $141,910,925, being the amount of the estimate, independent of the construction item.

CONVERSION OF NATIONAL GUARD CAMPS INTO CANTONMENTS.

(See pp. 335, 501, 568, 904.)

The CHAIRMAN. What is the construction item?

Capt. DALY. Construction for heating and lighting barracks, extensions, 16 National Army cantonments, $700,000; heating and lighting depots of supplies at 16 National Army cantonments, $60,000; heating and lighting hospital buildings, 16 National Army cantonments, $1,690,000; electric lighting and power plants at camps for the National Guard, $800,000; heating and lighting for Coast Artillery troops, National Guard, $352,000; electric wiring, storehouses, Governors Island, $25,000; changing National Guard camps to cantonments, additional wiring and heating, $18,380,000. The original proposition in connection with the National Guard was for 10 encampments, with temporary mess shelters and latrines and shower

baths, the troops to be quartered in tents, which included the flooring. That was changed by authority from that sort of a tent camp to cantonment construction.

The CHAIRMAN. The Secretary stated yesterday that the National Guard would be in tents.

Capt. DALY. We submitted the estimate.

The CHAIRMAN. We asked him about it, and he said that the National Guard would be in tents.

Gen. SHARPE. Col. Littell had instructions to submit an estimate.
Capt. DALY. I think that gives the total, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Does that complete the list of those items?
Capt. DALY. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. In the appropriation of $82,000,000 that was made for cantonments did we not include the heating and lighting of them?

Col. LITTELL. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. When we appropriated for the cantonments we appropriated for the heating and lighting?

Col. LITTELL. Yes, sir; the installation of limited heating and lighting apparatus.

The CHAIRMAN. $700,000 is requested for heating and lighting these cantonments?

Col. LITTELL. Yes, sir; the extensions to barracks.

The CHAIRMAN. Why is it necessary to add that much more?

Col. LITTELL. In the original estimates for the cantonments the companies were not 200 strong. They have increased the number of men in each company to 200. That makes the barracks larger.

The CHAIRMAN. They were designed to take care of a certain number of men?

Col. LITTELL. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. And whether you have the larger building or the smaller building, that would not affect the cost of lighting?

Col. LITTELL. In addition to that, it was decided that as these buildings were to be permanent and were to be a little better than the original cantonment

The CHAIRMAN (interposing). That would not affect the heating and lighting?

Col. LITTELL. Yes, sir; we would put in a little better heating and lighting.

The CHAIRMAN. What difference does it make in the character of the heating and lighting which has been decided upon as a result of making these more permanent?

Col. LITTELL. The buildings are two-story buildings. They are larger and will accommodate a greater number of men.

The CHAIRMAN. If the buildings are to be larger and to accommodate a greater number of men, that would reduce the number of buildings originally contemplated?

Col. LITTELL. In a general way the original estimate was made for a million men.

The CHAIRMAN. And you figured so much per man?

Col. LITTELL. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. That was based on the experience you have had? Col. LITTELL. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. It did not make any difference whether you had large buildings or small buildings, figuring on the unit price?

Col. LITTELL. We got those figures on the buildings that we had constructed on the border. We added a little to compensate for the difference in price, but we found that we did not add enough to meet modern conditions. In order to make these buildings habitable all the year round we have to line them, and we want to heat them by steam in order to reduce the fire risk to the very lowest limit. To heat by steam will not only reduce the fire risk but it will save fuel. Of course, the original installation will cost more than just putting in ordinary plain stoves.

The CHAIRMAN. Does not the fact that a number of the cantonments originally scheduled to be established in Northern States have been transferred to Southern States have a material effect upon the cost?

Col. LITTELL. In reducing the cost?

The CHAIRMAN. Yes, sir.

Col. LITTELL. Not so much. of course we do not have to do so much lining in the Southern States. We put sheathing on and board over that and then put the weatherboard over that. In the Northern States we put a ceiling on the inside of the building.

The CHAIRMAN. Would not that add very materially to the cost? Col. LITTELL. It adds quite a little.

The CHAIRMAN. And you save that much?

Col. LITTELL. But in order to get all we have gotten out of this money, we have had to shift from one to the other.

The CHAIRMAN. Somebody ought to be able to give some kind of an explanation why this additional money is needed. You came here with carefully prepared figures based on years of experience and more recent experience and now you have not enough money. The mere fact that the buildings are larger does not help you, because in one sense that would reduce the cost, by eliminating a great number of buildings, and the fact that instead of building a number of these cantonments in the North, where you would have to make them more substantial, you will build them in the South, where there is a milder climate, would reduce the cost?

Col. LITTELL. The buildings are larger and better, and the original estimates which we made provided for a plain wooden shack which was not enough. The medical people insist that we have 500 cubic feet of air space. Our original buildings had something less than 300 feet, about 287 feet, something like that. That is almost double. The CHAIRMAN. Per man?

Col. LITTELL. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. What did you have on the border?

Col. LITTELL. We had about 287 feet.

The CHAIRMAN. Did you have any serious illness there among the troops?

Col. LITTELL. No; but they practically lived outdoors.

thing was open there most of the time.

Every

The CHAIRMAN. What do you have ordinarily in the barracks?

Col. LITTELL. The rule is 900 cubic feet.

The CHAIRMAN. That is, the permanent barracks?

Col. LITTELL. Yes, sir; that is what the doctors require.