MAKING APPROPRIATIONS TO SUPPLY URGENT DEFICIEN- MENTAL APPROPRIATIONS REQUIRED IMMEDI- 157585 Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations UNITED STATES WASHINGTON: 1939 HJIO .B8 1940 соруг COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS SEVENTY-SIXTH CONGRESS EDWARD T. TAYLOR, Colorado, Chairman CLARENCE CANNON, Missouri THOMAS S. MCMILLAN, South Carolina J. BUELL SNYDER, Pennsylvania GEORGE W. JOHNSON, West Virginia ROSS A. COLLINS, Mississippi HARRY R. SHEPPARD, California JOHN TABER, New York RICHARD B. WIGGLESWORTH, Massachusetts FRANCIS H. CASE, South Dakota URGENT DEFICIENCIES, FISCAL YEAR 1939, AND SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS, FISCAL YEAR 1940. HEARINGS CONDUCTED BY THE SUBCOMMITTEE, MESSRS. EDWARD T. TAYLOR (CHAIRMAN), CLIFTON A. WOODRUM, CLARENCE CANNON, LOUIS LUDLOW, THOMAS S. MCMILLAN, J. BUELL SNYDER, EMMET O'NEAL, GEORGE W. JOHNSON, JOHN TABER, RICHARD B. WIGGLESWORTH, WILLIAM P. LAMBERTSON, AND J. WILLIAM DITTER, OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, IN CHARGE OF THE DEFICIENCY APPROPRIATIONS ON THE DAYS FOLLOWING, NAMELY: TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 1939. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OFFICE OF CLERK STATEMENT OF J. C. SHANKS, DISBURSING CLERK STENOGRAPHIC REPORTS OF COMMITTEE HEARINGS Mr. WOODRUM. We will take up at this time the items for the House of Representatives contained in House Document No. 318. Mr. Shanks, the first item we have to take up with you is with regard to stenographic reports of committee hearings, $6,500. Mr. SHANKS. Mr. Chairman, the appropriation for the current year was $30,000, and our expenditures up to the present time have amounted to $29,996.20. We only have a balance of $3.80 on the books. The committee stenographers claim that they are now holding vouchers amounting to twenty-five-hundred-and-some-odd dollars, and estimate that there are outstanding vouchers, not yet submitted, amounting to about $1,650, making a total of approximately $4,200 unpaid. There are about 2 weeks more, roughly, until the end of the fiscal year, and the amount that we are asking will leave us a balance of about $2,300, all of which I do not think will be necessary to carry us until the end of the fiscal year, but we cannot tell. Mr. WOODRUM. If you do not need it, you do not have to spend it. Mr. SHANKS. That is right. Mr. LUDLOW. We had unusually large hearings this year. Mr. SHANKS. The dean of the committee stenographers showed me a list of the hearings and on June 2 of this month, they had 14 committees holding hearings simultaneously. Sometimes we have gone as high as 20 on some days. So there is no control over those expenditures. 1. Mr. WOODRUM. What do you think this amount ought to be, instead of the $6,500? Mr. SHANKS. I would not make it less than $6,000. Mr. TABER. How about $5,500? Mr. SHANKS. I would not say that was sufficient, Mr. Taber. Mr. SHANKS. There are four official committee stenographers now, and these outside men are called in to assist in reporting committee hearings. Mr. LUDLOW. I know that some of the committee hearings have been unusually voluminous this year. TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH SERVICE Mr. WOODRUM. Take up your next item, please. Mr. SHANKS. It covers telegraph and telephone service, and we are asking $25,000 additional. For the current year, the legislative bill carried $85,000, which has been the smallest amount for a good many years. We had a balance on hand as of June 17 of $1,193.10. The telephone expenditure was $37,687.25, or 45 percent, and the telegraph expenditure $46,119.65, or 55 percent. The June telephone bill, of course, has not come in, but that is estimated to be about $4,500, and the telegraph bills, what we call the regular bills from the companies for the 3 months, April to June will amount to about $18,000, and there might be left about $2,500 to take care of pick-ups which come in from about 4 to 6 months late. Of the $85,000 which was appropriated, $83,806 has been expended, leaving a balance of $1,193 on hand, which leaves us an estimated deficiency of $23,000 plus. Mr. LUDLOW. That is your appropriation for next year? Mr. SHANKS. Ninety thousand dollars. Mr. LUDLOW. Would it be practicable to let some of this go for next year? Mr. SHANKS. We now have a Western Union bill in my office for over $3,000 which we cannot pay, and the additional amount will be required by June 30th. Mr. JOHNSON of West Virginia. Why do you have so much telegraph business. Mr. SHANKS. That is for telegrams sent by Members on official business, and, of course, the telephone bill is for the switchboard at the Capitol. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Did you say that $23,000 was enough? Mr. SHANKS. We might get by with it, but we asked for $25,000 to play safe, because these pick-up bills come from 4 to 6 months late; and, of course, none of this money can be used for any other purpose. ADDITIONAL MESSENGER FOR HOUSE PRESS GALLERY Mr. LUDLOW. Your next request is for $1,440. Mr. SHANKS. That is merely to carry out House Resolution No. 172, passed April 24, 1939, providing for an additional messenger in the House Press Gallery. We are now paying that amount out of the contingent fund until otherwise provided by law. Mr. TABER. When did we pass that resolution? Mr. SHANKS. April 24, 1939; and, as I said, we are paying it now out of the contingent fund. SALARY OF SUPERINTENDENT FOR RADIO ROOM OF HOUSE RADIO PRESS GALLERY Mr. WOODRUM. Next you are asking for $2,700 for a superintendent for the radio room of the House Radio Press Gallery. Mr. SHANKS. That is a somewhat similar resolution, House Resolution No. 99, passed May 23, 1933, which provides for a superintendent for the radio gallery at $2,700 per annum. We are also paying that amount out of the contingent fund, and we would like to take it up in an appropriation bill. The same resolution provided for a messenger for the Radio Gallery at the rate of $1,560, for the sessions of Congress. So we figuredthat for the time being we would continue paying that amount out of the contingent fund for the duration of the session. REAPPROPRIATION OF UNEXPENDED BALANCES OF APPROPRIATION FOR SPECIAL AND SELECT COMMITTEES Mr. WOODRUM. We also have a letter from Mr. Trimble asking for the reappropriation of the unexpended balances for special and select committees, House of Representatives, 1938, amounting to $39,824.53. We have an appropriation of $60,000. Mr. SHANKS. That is for 1940. For the current year, we had $130,000 appropriated, $60,000 regular, and $70,000 special, and, of the $130,000, up to May 31, we expended $114,317.47, leaving a balance on hand on June 1 of $15,685.53. Up to June 17, we spent close to $6,000 out of that balance of $15,000 and, we estimate that for the month of June the various committees now in existence will require about $22,000 which, less the balance on hand as of June 1, will run us into a possible deficiency of $6,315. The reason we are asking that the 1938 money be made available for 1939 and 1940 is that it will give us sufficient funds to take care of any expenses during the current year, and then we can carry over the surplus from that fund into 1940, in addition to the regular $60,000. We will then have about $90,000 to start off at the beginning of the fiscal year July 1, and we estimate that the unexpended balance of authorizations already created will run about $85,000, not including any money which may be necessary for the funerals of deceased Members, and, of course, that does not take into consideration any additional special committees or additional funds that the House might authorize, in which event we would have to come in the second time before the present session closes. SALARIES OF PAGES We also should like to have put in the same bill an indefinite appropriation for the salaries of the pages beginning July 1, when their salaries expire. Mr. WOODRUM. Thank you very much. |