sition by any means. Most of the press expressions that I have seen have been in favor of it-that is, the expressions in the Maryland papers.

BENICIA ARSENAL, CAL.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is on page 35, "Benicia Arsenal. Cal. For addition to main issuing and receiving storehouse, $11,000." Gen. CROZIER. Mr. Chairman, that estimate should be increased to $16,000. It is intended to increase the main issuing and receiving storehouse, or to increase its capacity, about 40 per cent. Although the Benicia Arsenal is away out on the Pacific coast, it has felt the increased activity that all the arsenals have in the necessity for supplying the troops that are raised out there.

STOREHOUSES.

The CHAIRMAN. In addition to that, you are asking $60,000 for two storehouses.

Gen. CROZIER. Yes, sir. Those are two storehouses which we expect to make of reinforced concrete. They are not very large about 50 by 100 feet each, of two stories, and with proper equipment, such as lights, elevators, and sprinkling system. Even in normal times, as I have said to you more than once, the demand for increased storage space at Benicia Arsenal has been considerable, and of course that has greatly increased now.

GARAGE,

The CHAIRMAN. For a garage for motor trucks and automobile messenger wagon you ask $7,000.

Gen. CROZIER. There are two motor trucks and an automobile messenger wagon, and we will probably have to get another truck. This equipment is now kept in a wooden shed, which is not a good place for it, and which is not a safe place for it. It ought to be a suitable garage, such as everybody puts up who has that kind of vehicle to store. People do not keep them in wooden sheds.

OIL STOREHOUSE.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "For an additional amount for an oil storehouse, $3,500." We gave you $2,000 for this purpose.

Gen. CROZIER. That $3,500, Mr. Chairman, is intended to include the appropriation of $2,000 already made. It is an additional appropriation of $1,500. The $3,500 is intended to cover the whole of it. In other words, when the estimate was made it was uncertain whether that was a lapsing appropriation or not. It is covered in the sundry civil bill for the fiscal year 1918.

The CHAIRMAN. That is this year.

Gen. CROZIER. I see that the estimate of $3,500 was made before it was known whether that bill had passed Congress. It was before it passed. Therefore this can be reduced from $3,500 to $1,500. The CHAIRMAN. Why do you need to increase it at all?

Gen. CROZIER. On account of the increased cost of labor and material over that which governed this estimate which was made in

1915.

ROAD REPAIRS.

The CHAIRMAN. For road repairs you ask $10,000.

Gen. CROZIER. That is the same thing that we have with us so much. The roads are greatly needed out there. That estimate was made before. I think it was not included in the bill for 1918.

The CHAIRMAN. Yes; it was. It was considered, but not allowed.

FRANKFORD ARSENAL, PA.

For the Frankford Arsenal, Pa., you are asking, all told, $2,630,000. Do you want to make any general statement first about this arsenal?

Gen. CROZIER. Frankford Arsenal is a very important manufacturing and storage establishment for the Army or Ordnance Department. They make there small-arms ammunition, Field Artillery ammunition, and what we call fire-control instruments—that is, sights, telescopes, and instruments of that kind. It is a very active place and employs now over 4,000 men. It is a place where we have recently bought some extra land, but without having at the time any very extensive projects of improvement for covering the land with buildings. There have been continually made for a series of years appropriations for storehouses and for increased facilities for manufacture at the Frankford Arsenal, and $732,000 was appropriated for the current fiscal year.

Some of the estimates which are now before you are made necessary because the appropriations heretofore made were based upon estimates which were not sufficient. They did not appreciate the price of construction or the cost of construction, and that has been a common failure in the vicinity of Philadelphia. I have here a newspaper clipping showing something of the experience of the city government in the early part of July with reference to the same subject. When some bids were opened for construction in connection with the city's high-speed transit line they were found to be from 50 to 60 per cent more than was estimated by the city government, and it was necessary to reject the bids.

PRIMER SHOP AND PLANNING ROOM.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, you are asking $35,000 as an additional amount for a primer shop and planning room. We gave you $165,000 for this purpose.

Gen. ĈROZIER. That is due to the increased cost of labor and materials since the time the estimates were submitted.

TWO SETS OF DOUBLE QUARTERS FOR OFFICERS.

The CHAIRMAN. You are asking $10,000 for two sets of double quarters for officers, and we have already given you $30,000 for this purpose.

Gen. CROZIER. Yes, sir; and that is for the same reason. It is due to increased cost. There is no difference in the project.

WALL AND PICKET FENCE.

The CHAIRMAN. The next is, "For additional amount for a combination wall and picket fence along the north side and a picket fence along the east and south sides for the arsenal reservation, $12.000." We have already given you $20,000 for this purpose.

Gen. CROZIER. That is the same thing. We invited bids under the appropriation, but all of the bids were in excess of the amount of the appropriation.

The CHAIRMAN. Is there any necessity for a wall along there at all? Was this contemplated in connection with the fixing of a sidewalk?

Gen. CROZIER. No, sir. There was something that we asked for that purpose the last time we were before you, but it was not appropriated. This relates only to that appropriation which was made. Along one side there is no fence at all, and along the other two sides there is a very old and inadequate fence, that being the side where a good division is most necessary. We are asking for a combination wall and picket fence on top of it.

ROADS AND RAILROAD SIDING.

The CHAIRMAN. For the construction and repair of roads, including railroad siding, you ask $20,000. We have already appropriated $10,000 for this purpose.

Gen CROZIER. That is not altogether on account of increased cost. It is necessary to construct some new roads which are needed because of some new buildings which are going up, and it is also to place the present roads in good condition. Of course, you know that around à manufacturing plant it is necessary to have the roads in good condition for economy of transportation.

EXTENSION OF HIGH-EXPLOSIVE LOADING SHOP.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, " For additional amount for extension of high-explosive loading shop, $4,000." We have already appropriated for this purpose $10,000.

Gen. CROZIER. That is because of the increased cost of construction.

PAINT SHOP.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "For additional amount for paint shop, $10,000." We have already appropriated for this purpose $30,000.

Gen. CROZIER. That is for the same reason.

ARTILLERY FIRING RANGE.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, " For additional for Artillery firing range, including an explosion chamber, $25,000." We have already appropriated for this purpose $75,000.

Gen. CROZIER. That is for the same reason.

The CHAIRMAN. There was not anything there that would cost anything except a chamber, was there?

Gen. CROZIER. There was some wall construction along with it. Mr. SISSON. Would the wall construction make the difference of $25,000?

Gen. CROZIER. The wall and chamber. Pretty much all of that is for construction of some kind. It is all for construction. Mr. SISSON. It is all for improvements on land that you already have?

Gen. CROZIER. Yes, sir.

SMALL-ARMS FIRING RANGE.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "For additional amount for small-arms firing range, including a proof house and target, $35,000." You already have had $25,000 for this purpose.

Gen. CROZIER. That is partly due to a change in prices and partly due to the fact that we have made the project a little larger. We intend to have three firing places. We intend to have three instead of one, so that three times the amount of firing can be conducted at the same time. That results from out getting a whole lot of smallarms ammunition from private manufacturers, and we expect to do a good deal of testing there. A good deal of it will be in machine guns.

INCREASING FACILITIES FOR FIRE PROTECTION.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "For increasing the facilities for fire protection, including alteration of the power house and the construction of a conduit from the Delaware River to the power plant, $130,000." That is something new.

Gen. CROZIER. No, sir; that is not new. Congress appropriated for that project $19,000 in the sundry civil act of August 1, 1914, and that proving inadequate it was increased by $24,000 in the sundry civil act of July 1, 1916. Now, the appropriations were made in such a way that this latter amount of $24,000 was not a permanent appropriation, and it was not adequate to carry out the project when added to the $19,000-that is to say, $43,000 was not adequate, and it has been allowed to lapse at the close of the fiscal year 1917, with the exception of $2,000 which had been paid for engineering work. Now, I am not positive that we should carry that project that was developing so expensively in its expensive form, and, therefore, I will ask you, instead of appropriating $130,000, to just reappropriate the expired $22,000 of the act of July 1, 1916. That will leave us, then, the original $19,000 appropriation, and the $22.000 of the act of July 1 1916, and the benefit of the $2,000 which has been expended for engineering work. You will make that appropriation $22,000, and, if you like, or think it desirable, you can make it appear that it is a reappropriation of a lapsed appropriation.

The CHAIRMAN. You are getting back to the original project?
Gen. CROZIER. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. At the rate it was progressing, we would have to get a guarantee that it would not be further increased.

Gen. CROZIER. They were carrying it too far. I am not prepared to ask $130.000 now.

EXTENSION OF BARRACKS BUILDING.

The CHAIRMAN. For the extension of barracks building you ask $30,000.

Gen. CROZIER. The barracks building has accommodations for only 35 men. Now, the enlisted strength of the detachment at Frankford Arsenal in normal times is about 60 men, a part of whom are allowed to live outside of the arsenal grounds. There not only is not room now to hold the whole detachment, but the detachment ought to be increased, or we ought to have more men there all the time undergoing training for the usual work in the issuing of ordnance supplies that are necessary for the army which we are raising. Most of our depots are movable and move with the large tactical organizations, such as divisions. The arsenals are the best schools we have for them.

The CHAIRMAN. How many men would this provide accommodations for?

Gen. CROZIER. It should provide accommodations for about 25 or 30 men. I think we could get that many in there.

LUMBER STOREHOUSE.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is "For a lumber storehouse. $30.000."

Gen. CROZIER. That is a new estimate. It is intended to provide a building about 58 by 145 feet, with sliding doors in the walls, and composing most of the walls; a sort of a closed building with movable sides, one story high. Most of the lumber used at the arsenal is for packing boxes, and a good deal of it has to be stored there.

POWER PLANT.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is "For improving power plant. $205,000."

Gen. CROZIER. Of that sum $175,000 is for a turbo-generator set and about $30,000 for boiler capacity.

The CHAIRMAN. What is the necessity for this expenditure? Gen. CROZIER. It is to provide additional reserve power for the present requirements and also for certain extensions; we are making extensions all the time, although not very great ones.

The CHAIRMAN. How long would it take to put in this power plant?

Gen. CROZIER. We can get that in by the winter, I think. The winter time is the time when we must draw to the greatest extent on our boiler capacity because we must heat the shops. The plant now consists of one 150-kilowatt generator; one 350-kilowatt generator: one 250-kilowatt generator; and one 75-kilowatt generator. In the winter season, in fact, in all busy seasons, this does not leave any reserve to fall back on at all. In addition to that, we have to rent electricity from a neighboring power plant.

Mr. Sisson. What did the power plant originally cost?
Gen. CROZIER. I have not those figures with me.

Mr. SISSON. $205,000 buys a considerable power plant, even at the present prices.