Col. HARTS. We estimate that it will cost about $6,700 to heat and light the building from that plant, furnishing the heat from the plant in the building and buying the electric current outside. We can heat and light the building for about $1,600, so that we could save about $5,000 a year, or enough to pay for the boiler in three years. If that building is to be leased by the Government for three years or over, it will pay to put in the boiler. If it is not to be leased for that long a time, then it is a question. We have the most efficient boiler system in the city in the State, War, and Navy Department Building. We can furnish electricity for less than 2 cents per kilowatt, and we are now lighting the White House, the Civil Service Building, and the Navy Department Building in addition to our own. We get our heat from the exhaust steam as a by-product, so that it is furnished practically free of cost.

The CHAIRMAN. Will this boiler be added to the ones you have in the State, War, and Navy Department Building?

Col. HARTS. Yes, sir; this boiler will be added to the battery of four boilers in that building, so that it can be used in our own building in case of necessity.

Mr. SCOFIELD. In any event, you will still have the boiler?
Col. HARTS. Yes; it will be added to our boiler system.

The CHAIRMAN. Have you room enough for the additional boiler? Col. HARTS. Yes, sir; we have room for two more boilers than we have at present, and this will take up the space for one.

HIGHWAY BRIDGE ACROSS POTOMAC RIVER.

LIGHTING, ETC.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is on page 20, "Highway bridge across the Potomac River: For lighting, power, and miscellaneous supplies, and expenses of every kind necessarily incident to the operation and maintenance of the bridge and approaches, fiscal year 1918, $4,000,"

Col. HARTS. This was for the extra lighting for the safety of this bridge. When war was declared, we found that we had to put additional lights on to better guard the bridge from injuries, and the Secretary of War authorized the expense.

The CHAIRMAN. That is for this long bridge?

Col. HARTS. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. And this is to pay for those extra lights?
Col. HARTS. Yes, sir.

OFFICE OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS.

ADDITIONAL EMPLOYEES.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is on page 32:

For additional employees during the fiscal year 1918 at annual rates of compensation as follows: Clerks-1 of class 2 and 1 of class 1, $2,600.

Col. HARTS. I am asking for two extra men in the office, one at $1.200 and one at $1,400. We have increased our work there enormously in the past few years, but we have not had any increase in

the clerical force, so it is of the utmost necessity that we ask for this additional force. Our work has not only increased but we have been required recently to pay our employees twice a month instead of once a month, which has greatly increased the burden on our office force. Mr. GILLETT. Did you ask for that last winter on the legislative bill?

Col. HARTS. I think I did, but I am not quite sure.
Mr. BYRNS. He did ask for it.

Col. HARTS. I know we need them badly enough.

TUESDAY, JULY 17, 1917.

MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT.

(See p. 327.)

STATEMENTS OF CAPT. C. P. DALY, OFFICE OF THE QUARTERMASTER GENERAL, AND LIEUT. COL. H. C. FISHER, OF THE OFFICE OF THE SURGEON GENERAL.

REPAIRS TO BUILDINGS, WHARVES, ETC., FORTS BARRANCAS, M'REE, ETC.

The CHAIRMAN. Your first item is as follows:

For repairs to buildings, wharves, roads, etc., at Forts Barrancas, McRee, and Pickens, Fla., and Forts Morgan and Gaines, Ala., damaged by the hurricanes of July 5 and October 17 and 18, 1916, fiscal year 1918, $89,962.60.

Capt. DALY. That is the amount required in addition to the $50,000 that was previously appropriated by Congress for the repair of damages occasioned by the storm of July 5. That amount was not sufficient to repair the damages due to that storm, and then the storms of October 17 and 18 were as severe, if not severer, than the storm of July 5. The damage was greater.

The CHAIRMAN. Have you not an appropriation available for the repair of wharves and things of that sort?

Capt. DALY. We have an appropriation for roads, walks, wharves, and drainage.

The CHAIRMAN. Why not use it?

Capt. DALY. This is for the repair of buildings.

The CHAIRMAN. It is for repairs to buildings, wharves, roads, etc. You have an appropriation for the repair of buildings?

Capt. DALY. That is for barracks and quarters.

The CHAIRMAN. Why don't you use that?

Capt. DALY. It will not be sufficient.

The CHAIRMAN. You are just starting the fiscal year and you have unlimited funds for everything. You have $3,000,000 for barracks and quarters and a lot of the troops will be out of them.

Capt. DALY. Yes, sir; but that does not remove the necessity for repairing the buildings.

The CHAIRMAN. You do not have so much repairing to do.

Capt. DALY. Buildings that are unoccupied require a great deal of attention and repairs.

The CHAIRMAN. You have $3,000,000 in the Army bill and in the deficiency bill you have $47,000,000.

Capt. DALY. That $47,000,000 was for cantonment construction, and it is not anywhere near sufficient to complete the construction. There is not a dollar of that available.

The CHAIRMAN. You have $3,000,000 in the other bill.

Capt. DALY. About $890,000 of that is for repairs or annual repairs. The appropriation of $3,000,000 is not all for repairs. There are many other items in there that must be taken care of from that appropriation.

The CHAIRMAN. There are a good many of those buildings that are not being utilized, and the wear and tear on them can not be as great now.

Capt. DALY. If you will take the amount of money that we ask for each year for annual repairs, you will find that it is generally less than the amount actually required for repairs. We make it less in order to keep the appropriation down. You take the buildings, for instance, and you will find that a great many of the buildings at the posts, particularly at the older posts, are of frame construction, and as the years go by they depreciate or deteriorate, and the amount of repairs necessary becomes greater. I do not know that at any time during the last five years has the total amount appropriated for or estimated for annual repairs been sufficient to keep up the current repairs at the posts.

The CHAIRMAN. What are the particular things estimated for here, Captain?

Capt. DALY. At Fort Pickens, it is the barracks, officers' quarters, and storehouses. At Fort McRee

The CHAIRMAN (interposing). How much is that first item?

Capt. DALY. $10,600 for Fort Pickens. At Fort McRee, tramway, water tanks, and wharves. That is $11,200. At Fort Barrancas, barracks, officers' quarters, noncommissioned officers' quarters, coal sheds, storehouses, mess halls, wharf, roads, gutters, track approaches, and sewers, $26,100. The damage to boats, or the boats lost and destroyed, amounted to $27,200.

The CHAIRMAN. What boats were those?

Capt. DALY. There was the launch Page, two mine-planting boats, and nine mine-planting yawls.

The CHAIRMAN. What happened to them?

Capt. DALY. They were destroyed by the storm.

The CHAIRMAN. Is there anything else?

Capt. DALY. No, sir; that is all I have here.

The CHAIRMAN. Are these very urgent?

Capt. DALY. The repairs to buildings are urgent.

The CHAIRMAN. Are they occupied now?

Capt. DALY. Partly so; yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. How is it that these things are badly needed when they have gone for a year without being attended to?

Capt. DALY. There was no money to do it with.

The CHAIRMAN. Were all the repairs made to the other buildings out of the appropriation? Were all the repairs made except these? Capt. DALY. I do not know about that. I can not answer that. I do not know that they were.

The CHAIRMAN. They had money available, and they must have used it in the places where it was most needed. The question is whether you are distributing the money where it is most needed.

Capt. DALY. The answer to that is this: A great deal of the money appropriated for repairs to barracks and quarters, etc., was used in connection with the troops on the Mexican border.

The CHAIRMAN. All of it was not.

Capt. DALY. A great deal of it at that time was.

The CHAIRMAN. Money appropriated has been available for this purpose for three fiscal years, and if this was very urgent it should have been done. The repairs to boats would come under transportation. Boats come under the head of transportation.

Capt. DALY. Yes, sir; that comes under the head of transportation. The $27.000 for boats could come out of transportation.

The CHAIRMAN. I do not understand why, just because a storm does some damage, the department thinks it ought to be specially appropriated for.

Capt. DALY. It is an extraordinary matter, which was not anticipated in the annual appropriations. The annual appropriations are just for the ordinary wear and tear. The transportation item can be taken care of, but so far as the barracks and quarters appropriation is concerned, we have not the money for that.

RENT OF BUILDINGS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

OFFICE OF DEPOT QUARTERMASTER.

The CHAIRMAN. For rent of buildings, you are asking $9,230 for office of depot quartermaster.

Capt. DALY. I think that can be cut out. It is not now desired to occupy the space contemplated when the estimate under consideration was submitted.

RECRUITING STATION.

The CHAIRMAN. Then you ask $1,000 for a recruiting station? Capt. DALY. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. What is that for?

Capt. DALY. That is for a recruiting station that the Regular Army requires here in the city. That estimate is made on the recommendation of The Adjutant General.

The CHAIRMAN. Have you one now?

Capt. DALY. They are using a tent on the avenue. The District Commissioners gave them the use of the ground, and they put a tent on the ground authorized.

The CHAIRMAN. They will simply hire a storeroom?

Capt. DALY. They will hire a room for recruiting purposes, and fit it up as an office and put the necessary paraphenalia in there, including scales, etc.

OFFICE OF ATTENDING SURGEON.

The CHAIRMAN. Under the same head, for the office of attending surgeon, you ask $1,500.

Capt. DALY. That is to enlarge the space in the building now occupied by the attending surgeons. That is for four rooms and an attic. The CHAIRMAN. What do you mean by attending surgeons? Are they in the recruiting service?

Capt. DALY. No, sir. Col. Fisher will explain that.

Col. FISHER. A great many Army officers and their families live in town, and it is necessary to have medical attendance for them. The CHAIRMAN. What is this for-rent?

Col. FISHER. Yes, sir; for rent.

The CHAIRMAN. How much rent do we pay now?

Col. FISHER. $3,000.

The CHAIRMAN. How much space have you?

Capt. DALY. The attending surgeons and dispensary occupies all of the second floor with the exception of four rooms. He occupies space on the second and third floors of the building at 1106 Connecticut Avenue.

The CHAIRMAN. How much space is there outside of those four rooms?

Capt. DALY. I can tell you in a moment. There are 4,448 square feet, and this gives an additional space of 2,820 square feet.

The CHAIRMAN. How many rooms has he?

Capt. DALY. I do not know the number of rooms.

of rooms is not given in the list.

The CHAIRMAN. Is it for only one doctor?

Capt. DALY. No, sir; there are several doctors.

Col. FISHER. There are four or five.

The number

Capt. DALY. There are four additional rooms and an attic which are to be used. The attic is to be used for storage purposes. The CHAIRMAN. Is this a dispensary?

Col. FISHER. Yes, sir; it is a dispensary. They furnish medical attendance, of course, to all the Army personnel in the city, and they have a dispensary. They give the various officers treatment and furnish medicines. They need this for the overflow. There is a certain amount of storage room required for medical supplies. They are very busy people, and they are in great demand.

Capt. DALY. The additional space covered by this estimate is 2,820 square feet. There are four rooms now occupied by an architect; that is, there are four rooms that we propose to get from him. He is going to give them up, and that will give the entire second floor to the attending surgeons.

The CHAIRMAN. Where is this building?

Capt. DALY. At 1106 Connecticut Avenue.

Mr. GILLETT. Where is 1106 Connecticut Avenue?

Capt. DALY. It is in the block between L and M Streets.

STOREHOUSE FOR FIELD MEDICAL SUPPLY DEPOT.

(See p. 336.)

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is:

Storehouse for field medical supply depot, from October first, nineteen hundred and seventeen, to June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and eighteen, inclusive, $36,000.

Capt. DALY. Col. Fisher is prepared to talk to you about that, Mr. Chairman.

Col. FISHER. On account of the war, we have had to increase our medical supply depot very largely, and this is an additional building adjoining the present medical supply depot, and it is required to accommodate additional supplies.