Col. BABBITT. Yes, sir; I hope it will.

The CHAIRMAN. I mean as far as you can tell now?

Col. BABBITT. Yes. Gen. Crozier is very conservative about it, and he feels that this will meet our requirements.

The CHAIRMAN. You have had how many in your regular force? Col. BABBITT. 92, and we are now estimating on 1,500.

The CHAIRMAN. How much money will the additional number require?

Col. BABBITT. Approximately $1,600,000. You will remember, Mr. Chairman, that one division of our office, namely, the trench-warfare division, which before the war had half an officer and two or three clerks, in the British service has over 600 in London alone. You can imagine what we must expand to if we are going to meet that condition.

The CHAIRMAN. That is, you have had to organize entirely new divisions in your office?

Col. BABBITT. Absolutely. We have the trench-warfare division, which includes all the grenade and gas fighting; everything connected with the offensive use of gases and all the trench mortars and the other appliances which go with that, and that will take a very large force. We have not yet been able to organize it. but are in the progress of organization. In the Ordnance Office we had 12 officers before this war and we have now 144, including our reserve officers, and I anticipate we will have nearly 500.

MONDAY, JULY 16, 1917.

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS.

STATEMENT OF COL. EVELETH WINSLOW, ASSISTANT CHIEF OF

ENGINEERS.

TEADORARY EMPLOYEES,

The CHAIRMAN, Col Winslow, whet is the Engineer Corps asking for!

Col, Wixsrow. We have in the Chief of Engineers' Office normally 96 clerks and messergers, which include those on the regular roll and the propertion of the so called allotment roll, which is devoted to elor cal sori 100.

P50 CHAPMAN. What is it without the allotment roll?

Col. Waxstow Without the allotment roll it is a total of 86. We had on the 30th of June q

essengers on the emergency sa Idition to those 92, or a

pon the basis of yees will be dissalaries that the

of $228.120.

a few messengers Weonsider that it

rgency mcrease in the

higher grade of service, because where you have a number of $1,000 clerks or $1,100 clerks you have to group them and put some person in charge of them and then group those groups together. We estimated, therefore, upon the same character of organization as exists in the normal force of the office.

TUESDAY, JULY 17, 1917.

MILITARY SURVEYS AND MAPS.

(See p. 359.)

STATEMENT OF MAJ. C. S. RIDLEY, OFFICE OF CHIEF OF ENGINEERS.

The CHAIRMAN. For military surveys and maps you are asking $1,500,000?

Maj. RIDLEY. It is proposed with the money covered by this estimate to map certain areas, for the most part along the Atlantic_and Gulf coasts to provide maps for possible needs which may arise from the present military situation. One million five hundred thousand dollars will provide for about one year's work. The work would be done by expanding the Geological Survey and the Coast and Geodetic Survey topographic forces so as to practically double their output in six months. These maps should be started now, as it requires a considerable period of time to produce them. Instead of providing the money for this work in relatively small amounts it is asked that a larger amount be now provided in order that a special effort may be made now to make up for lack of the maps which may be needed to meet a possible military contingency. The estimate is based upon the production capacity of the governmental mapping agencies. It is expected that the work will be supervised by the War Department and that a large amount of special military information will be collected in connection with the work.

The CHAIRMAN. These are maps of the United States?
Maj. RIDLEY. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. How much energy and effort are we going to concentrate on making maps of the United States? How many officers will be required out of the Engineer Corps to do this work?

Maj. RIDLEY. We do not propose to use any of the officers of the corps except for the supervisory work.

The CHAIRMAN. I know that. I understand the method by which this is done. The actual work is done by the Geological Survey and the Coast and Geodetic Survey.

Maj. RIDLEY. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. How many Engineer officers is it contemplated will be used on this work?

Maj. RIDLEY. 'Do you mean the field work?

The CHAIRMAN. Either in the field or in any other way?

Maj. RIDLEY. There will be one officer in the Chief of Engineers' Office who will give a part of his time to the supervision of it. The CHAIRMAN. Only one officer?

Maj. RIDLEY. That is the way it is being carried on now.

The CHAIRMAN. But that is under a very modified program. Prior to this present year there was but one specific appropriation for this purpose and this year there is $200,000?

Maj. RIDLEY. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. This is to provide an increase and do in five or six months work that would ordinarily be carried over a number of years. How many Engineer officers will be used in the work?

Maj. RIDLEY. Of-officers of the Regular corps, I do not believe it will require more than one man's attention in the office.

The CHAIRMAN. What other employees?

Maj. RIDLEY. The topographers in the Geological Survey have been taken into the reserve corps. I do not know whether you refer to those or not, but, of course, they would be on the work.

The CHAIRMAN. Have all the topographers been made majors in the Officers' Reserve Corps?

Maj. RIDLEY. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. How many?

Maj. RIDLEY. I think probably 15 majors.

The CHAIRMAN. How many officers of the Officers Reserve Corps are assigned to this work?

Maj. RIDLEY. No officers of the Officers' Reserve Corps outside of those who are in the Geological Survey.

The CHAIRMAN. There are 45 officers in the Engineer Reserve Corps already assigned to this work?

Maj. RIDLEY. Yes, sir. Those are the men of the Geological Survey who have been taken in the Officers' Reserve Corps and have been assigned to the work that they are doing.

The CHAIRMAN. Then there are 45 of them?

Maj. RIDLEY. Yes, sir. I did not have the figures, and I understood you asked me how many majors there were.

The CHAIRMAN. Then all of these topographers have been made officers in the Officers' Reserve Corps? All the men of the Geological Survey have been given commissions in the Officers' Reserve Corps, is that it?

Maj. RIDLEY. Only men who are qualified to do the work.

The CHAIRMAN. What I want to know is how many, but, of course, I do not want you to answer something you do not know.

Maj. RIDLEY. Well, it is our intention to take them all in and make them officers.

The CHAIRMAN. That is not what I asked you. I asked you whether all of the men in the Geological Survey who are engaged on this work have been commissioned as officers in the Officers' Reserve Corps?

Maj. RIDLEY. They have not been commissioned yet, but they will be.

The CHAIRMAN. Forty-five of them have been, because they have been actually assigned to duty.

Maj. RIDLEY. But that is not all of them.

The CHAIRMAN. I think we will have to ask Gen., Black in reference to this.

Maj. RIDLEY. I would like to tell you exactly what you want to know, if I have the information.

The CHAIRMAN. But you do not seem to know. I have before me, in the Official Bulletin, information that you do not seem to have, and I want an explanation of it. Have all of the men who are employed in the Geological Survey on this mapping work been commissioned as officers in the Officers' Reserve Corps?

Maj. RIDLEY. No, sir; they have not.

The CHAIRMAN. What proportion of them have?

Maj. RIDLEY. I have not the figures to answer that.

The CHAIRMAN. Then we will have to ask you to bring all of that information to us in detailed form, because that is the information we must have.

Mr. GILLETT. Is it the intention to take them all in-to make all of the topographers officers, Major?

Maj. RIDLEY. We are going to take all of them except ordinary rodmen, just the men who are chiefs of division, parties, etc. We are going to make them officers, because those men will be needed in France for that very same kind of work, and also to hold them for this military mapping, so we can control them, and it is our plan to take all of them in. We have only taken in those 45, but the rest are in process of being taken in.

Mr. GILLETT. How many are there altogether?

Maj. RIDLEY. I think 75; they have about 75 topographic parties, and I think that will be just about the number we will take in. Mr. GILLETT. What is the pay and allowance of a major? Maj. RIDLEY. A major gets $3,000 a year.

Mr. GILLETT. And then his commutation?

Maj. RIDLEY. When they are on this work in the field they do not have any allowance.

Mr. GILLETT. They have their expenses. What do these topographers get as topographers?

Maj. RIDLEY. I do not know their rates of pay. I can prepare this data for you.

The CHAIRMAN. You will have to do so, because we must have it in that shape.

Maj. RIDLEY. I can prepare the whole thing in tabular form showing you the exact status of the matter.

The CHAIRMAN. I want a statement showing what employees of the Geological Survey and Coast and Geodetic Survey will be taken in and the rank that will be given to them.

Maj. RIDLEY. And you want alongside of that their pay as members of the Geological Survey and Coast and Geodetic Survey?

The CHAIRMAN. We have that. Then we want very extensive information as to the particular areas to be surveyed and the necessity for it.

Maj. RIDLEY. I can give you that.

The CHAIRMAN. And you had better give us the pay of those in the Geological Survey and the Coast and Geodetic Survey.

Maj. RIDLEY. I can show you the areas.

The CHAIRMAN. Well, it would be better, if you must prepare this information, to have it presented to us all at one time, so that we will not have an interrupted statement.

MONDAY, JULY 16, 1917.

MILITIA BUREAU.

STATEMENT OF MAJ. A. E. WILLIAMS, ASSISTANT CHIEF.

TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES.

The CHAIRMAN. Major, what has your bureau requested? Maj. WILLIAMS. The Militia Bureau asks for 10 additional employees.

The CHAIRMAN. Is your bureau in active service now?

Maj. WILLIAMS. Yes, sir; the work has increased very greatly, and judging from our experience last year, with a large percentage of the National Guard in Federal service on the border, it will continue to increase after all of the troops are called. This is expected by reason of the reference of cases to the bureau for information that can be obtained only from our files. Also returns of Federal property issued to the National Guard are now examined and settled by this bureau, which were heretofore handled by the supply bureaus. This work has been practically untouched this year on account of lack of clerks. Again, many inquiries are received from Congressmen. which causes the correspondence to very materially increase.

The CHAIRMAN. Those come with reference to the National Guard after it goes into the Federal service?

Maj. WILLIAMS. Yes, sir. Many demands are made on the other bureaus, particularly the office of The Adjutant General, for data that can only be obtained from this bureau. This adds greatly to the already large increase in volume of correspondence.

The CHAIRMAN. So that, although the guard goes into the Federal service, the work of your bureau will increase?

Maj. WILLIAMS. It will. At the present time the number of telegrams is many times greater than a month ago. They include telegrams from governors, State adjutant generals, State disbursing officers, members of the Regular service, and Members of Congress. We have these to answer, and it is all necessary work. The calling of the National Guard into the service of the United States has been and will remain to be the occasion of innumerable inquiries from anxious relatives and friends of members of the National Guard, and doubtlessly the number of such inquiries will increase. They will so far as possible be answered by this bureau. Last year we thought the work would decrease, but it did not, and it has not so far this year. On the contrary, as stated before, it has increased. The CHAIRMAN, How much are these 10 additional clerks to receive?

Maj. WILLIAMS. $1.000 each. We ask for $10,183.38, but I think we employed some of them before the beginning of this fiscal year.