develop the commerce on those rivers that ought to be developed until every city contiguous to them or town of any size whatever has an adequate terminal, equipped in proportion to the amount of business to be handled, until they have the right type of carriers, and until there is established a system of prorating with the railroads so that a through bill of lading may be given for traffic to be handled partly by water and partly by rail. There must be a degree of encouragement and of supervision, and it occurred to me that this investigation, which would give us an immediate report, give us the information by the assembling of the regular session of Congress in December Mr. SHERLEY (interposing). They could not make a report by that time? Mr. SMALL. They could submit a preliminary report that would be very valuable. Mr. SHERLEY. It would be a report of no value. Take the Ohio River, do you mean to say that any set of men newly gotten together under the form of this appropriation could undertake to tell you the kind of terminals that should be at Louisville, Ky.? I happen to know something concretely about that situation. Mr. SMALL. What kind of water terminals have they there? Mr. SHERLEY. The same kind they have all along the Ohio River. They are simply without any real facilities. The problem there is a problem which it would not be possible for a board to pass intelligently on between now and the 1st of December. The CHAIRMAN. This provides for a chief of division, an assistant chief of division, and for temporary employment to the extent of $5.000. The persons who could be employed under such an appropriation as that could not make any kind of a report by December. Mr. BYRNS. Is it not a fact that the Department of Commerce is now carrying on just such an activity as Mr. Small advocates? I do not know out of what fund, probably out of the fund for the promotion of commerce, but I noticed in the papers a few days ago that Mr. Parker had been touring certain sections of the country addressing business organizations and others, advocating just such things as you have mentioned, with reference to terminals, etc. I dare say that there are probably others employed out of the lump sum to travel over the country and do the same thing. Mr. SMALL. I do not know of any regular activity in the Department of Commerce along this line. Apparently reports have been made from time to time by one or two bureaus of the department. The Bureau of Navigation has occasionally touched upon it and occasionally a man has been appointed to make special reports on certain subjects, a special man, but they have been very general, and with a view to stimulating public interest. Mr. SISSON. Are there not two things which are responsible for that situation, first, the capacity to handle at the bank of the river, and, second, quickness of transportation? That is, at the interior points the people have been compelled to pay excessive freight rates to the railroads and at competing points frequently they carry the freight at such a very low rate that it is doubtful whether the railroads make any money and the steamboat people are compelled to quit the river? Has not that been true on the larger transportation rivers like the Mississippi and the Ohio, where they have paralleled the river with the railroad? Mr. SMALL. I can make this statement in reply to the question of Mr. Sisson. In former years, more than at present, the railroads did frequently reduce rail rates competitive with the rivers, and, as a rule, they recouped by charging higher rates to the interior; but after all it comes down to the question of the facilities offered the public for the transportation of freight, and if shippers have patronized the railroads rather than the rivers, it was for the twofold reason that low rates were provided and that the rivers did not have carriers properly equipped to carry the freight. Mr. SISSON. The question of loading and unloading is a difficult one; that is, unless you have facilities for getting the stuff in and out of the boat? Mr. SMALL. Absolutely. At some of the old landings along the Mississippi River it costs more to take the freight out of the boat and to get it to the warehouse of the consignee in the city than it does to carry it on the boat 100, or 200 or 300 miles. No commerce can be built up under those conditions. That condition can only be avoided by the construction of these terminals. There must be some supervision and encouragement, some governmental activity which can prod these localities with a view to providing the water carriers with these necessary essentials. I just wanted to give you the benefit of my judgment. I think it is a valuable inquiry. STATEMENT OF MR. JOSEPH J. SINNOTT, DOORKEEPER. FOLDING SPEECHES AND PAMPHLETS. Mr. BYRNS. "For folding speeches and pamphlets, at a rate not exceeding $1 per thousand, $3,000." Mr. SINNOTT. Mr. Chairman, the last general deficiency appropriation bill gave me $3,000, and that is exhausted to-day; and we need this $3,000 for the rest of the session and for the beginning of the next session of Congress. We may not use but $1,000 of this $3,000 at the present session, but we will need the additional $2,000 at the beginning of the regular session in December. Mr. BYRNS. Could you not get that in the urgent deficiency bill? Mr. SINNOTT. No; I need that immediately. Mr. BYRNS. I refer to the $2,000 which you will need. You say you will need $1,000 for this session. Mr. SINNOTT. Very probably. It depends upon the length of the session, and we will need the additional $2,000 as soon as Congress meets in December, and that is the reason I had in the last appropriation bill $3,000 for this item. I did not think at that time I was going to use it this summer because I did not have a special session in mind. Mr. BYRNS. My question as to the urgent deficiency bill was directed to the $2,000 which you will need. I understand you will only need $1,000 for the balance of this session. Mr. SINNOTT. About $1,000. Of course that is a rough estimate. I do not think Congress will be in session more than another month, but I am simply making a wild guess at that. Mr. BYRNS. Does this work begin immediately on the assembling of Congress? Mr. SINNOTT. Yes, sir; because when the regular session begins the Members immediately begin to prepare for their campaigns, and the work starts in just as soon as they get in town. After the beginning of the session next December we will need at least $2,500 or $3,000 a month to run us for the speeches folded in a campaign year. Mr. BYRNS. And you have consumed your present appropriation and will need $1,000 for the balance of this session, and the $2,000 is to take the place of the money which you expect to have for use next December? Mr. SINNOTT. That is correct. MAINTENANCE OF MOTOR TRUCK. Mr. BYRNS. For the maintenance and repair of a motor truck for the use of the folding room, $200." Mr. SINNOTT. The last appropriation bill gave me $2,000 to buy an auto truck. We bought the truck and began its use on the 1st of July. The truck cost $1,800. That only leaves us $200 to upkeep and maintain the truck until the next legislative bill goes into effect next year. It costs about $20 a month for gasoline to run the truck, and we need this additional appropriation in case we have to make some repairs in the meantime. Mr. BYRNS. This would give you $400 for the fiscal year for this purpose? Mr. SINNOTT. Yes, sir. THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 1917. CONTINGENT EXPENSES, MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. STATEMENT OF MR. J. C. SOUTH, CHIEF CLERK. The CHAIRMAN. You are asking for $12,000 under miscellaneous items for contingent expenses of the House? Mr. SOUTH. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. What is the total appropriation for this year? Mr. SOUTH. $150,000. The CHAIRMAN. Is this for last year? Mr. SOUTH. This deficiency is for last year. The CHAIRMAN. What was your appropriation last year? The CHAIRMAN. And your balance now is Mr. SOUTH (interposing). No, sir; for last year we had $150,000, all told, and now we have got $5,000 of it left, or fifty-three hundred and some odd dollars. We have about $11,000 worth of telegraph bills on the table now to pay, and have no money to pay them with or not enough money, and we ought to have some more. The CHAIRMAN. You have a balance of $5,337.32, and you have approved accounts amounting to $11,802.48, making an actual deficiency of $6,465.16. Why do you estimate $12,000? Mr. SOUTH. There will be coming in more telegraph bills that have not yet reached us-that is, bills that have not yet been submitted by the telegraph companies. I think they will be something like that amount, knowing the territory that they are coming from. You see, the telegraph companies collect these messages from all over the country and center them at the New York office. The CHAIRMAN. Do you think they will run as high as $12,000? Mr. SOUTH. Yes, sir; or very near it. They may be a few hundred dollars or a thousand dollars under that. This has been very much larger this year on account of the war. FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 1917. PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS. STATEMENT OF COL. W. W. HARTS, IN CHARGE. PARK WATCHMEN, HIGHWAY BRIDGE AND PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD BRIDGE. Mr. SHERLEY. You have an estimate "For additional park watchmen during the fiscal year 1918, at annual rates of compensation, as follows: Second sergeant of park watchmen, $900; 18 park watchmen for duty at the Highway Bridge and Pennsylvania Railroad bridge across the Potomac River, District of Columbia, at $840 each; in all, $16,020." Col. HARTS. This is only for temporary use during the war, to replace the troops that are now just about to be removed. The purpose of this guard is to protect the highway bridge from injury. The present guarding of it has been intrusted to a battalion of militia until other guards can be provided, and I was informed just yesterday that it was the intention to take this battalion away without any further notice, and I was asked if any arrangements had been made to take over the guarding of this bridge by proper guards. I said an estimate had been presented to Congress, but no action had yet been taken on it. So this item is to replace the military who have been guarding this bridge ever since the entrance of the United States into the war. The number is explained by the fact that this bridge is a half mile long and cost over $1,000,000. We want 2 men at each end of the bridge and 2 men in the middle, in addition to the 2 guards provided under previous legislation for handling the traffic; that will make 6 men, and for three shifts will be 18 men, and 1 sergeant to take care of the men, making 19 men in all. Mr. SHERLEY. You will have eight men on the bridge, will you? Col. HARTS. We have now four watchmen, all told; one on duty during rush hours and one each eight hours during all the rest of the day; that makes a total of four men under present arrangements. We have likewise four men who have charge of opening the draw, one man on duty during rush hours and one man each eight hours on duty during the rest of the day. You see, we have eight-hour shifts. so that during rush hours we have two men who attend to opening the draw and two men watching the traffic. Mr. SHERLEY. You expect to have eight men under this arrangement? Col. HARTS. Eighteen men. Mr. SHERLEY. Eight men for each of the shifts? Col. HARTS. No; there will be six men on duty-two men on the bridge and two at each end. Mr. SHERLEY. But you are asking for 18 men now? Col. HARTS. Yes, sir. Mr. SHERLEY. And you already have a certain number there? Col. HARTS. Yes; those men are necessary to handle the traffic and handle the draw. Mr. SHERLEY. They will also be on guard? Col. HARTS. Yes, sir: during the rush hours of the day; there will be in all under the proposed plan seven men on duty all the time and one additional man during the rush hours. Mr. SHERLEY. And then a second sergeant? Col. HARTS. Yes, sir. Mr. SHERLEY. Do you know whether any plan is in contemplation looking to the creation of any sort of military force for doing work such as this and other work in connection with the protection of property that has recently been done by the troops? Col. HARTS. No, sir. Mr. SHERLEY. Any sort of a home guard? Col. HARTS. No, sir; I have had no information at all about that. The only information I have came to-day to the effect that the White House guard, composed of artillery from one of the lower forts, is to be sent back and a battalion of New York Militia sent down. Whether that order is more comprehensive than for the White House, I have not heard. Mr. SHERLEY. If it was, it might embrace the guarding of this bridge? Col. HARTS. Yes, sir. Mr. SHERLEY. It would be more desirable to have men in the military service do this work than guards, would it not? Mr. HARTS. I think it would, if force is to be resisted. A military sentinel, furthermore, is usually more promptly obeyed than a watch man. Mr. CANNON. What bridge is this? Col. HARTS. The old Civil War Long Bridge from Potomac Park across the river. Mr. CANNON. There is a highway bridge and a railroad bridge. Col. HARTS. Yes, sir. Mr. CANNON. Have you charge of both of them? Col. HARTS. No, sir: this only contemplates taking care of the Government bridge, the Long Bridge; the railroad company is guarding its own bridge. Mr. CANNON. This is the Highway Bridge over which the street cars run? Col. HARTS. Yes, sir. |