July 1, 1913, balance unexpended__ June 30, 1914, amount expended during fiscal year, for maintenance of improvement_-- July 1, 1914, balance unexpended. July 1, 1914, outstanding liabilities_ July 1, 1914, balance available___. $19, 410. 58 9, 593. 51 9, 817. 07 90.00 9, 727.07 Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1916, for maintenance of improvement. 10, 000. 00 EXAMINATIONS AND SURVEYS. STATEMENT OF COL. HARRY TAYLOR. In reference to the amount carried in the bill for examinations and surveys, I called attention to the large number of surveys which were provided for in the bill, and stated that in my opinion the amount of $250,000 is insufficient. At the time I made that statement I had in mind only the examinations and surveys which were authorized, and failed to take into consideration sufficiently other incidental expenses which are borne out of this appropriation. One very heavy expense which this appropriation now bears is that of printing. By the act approved March 30, 1906, entitled "A joint resolution to correct abuses in public printing and to provide for the allotment of cost of certain documents and reports," it was provided: (PUBLIC--No. 13.) JOINT RESOLUTION To correct abuses in the public printing and to provide for the allotment of cost of certain documents and reports. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That hereafter, in the printing and binding of documnts or reports emanating from the executive departments, bureaus, and independent offices of the Government, the cost of which is now charged to the allotment for printing and binding for Congress, or to appropriations for allotments of appropriations other than those made to the executive departments, bureaus, or independent offices of the Government, the cost of illustrations, composition, stereotyping, and other work involved in the actual preparation for printing, apart from the creation of manuscript, shall be charged to the appropriation or allotment of appropriation for the printing and binding of the department, bureau, or independent office of the Government in which such documents or reports originate. Approved, March 30, 1906. * The effect of this resolution was to transfer the cost of printing documents, such as the reports of the Chief of Engineers and other similar reports, from the appropriation for printing for Congress to that of the War Department. Senator RANSDELL. And they are paid for out of the provision for surveys, are they? Col. TAYLOR. Yes, sir. Senator RANSDELL. That amounts to a rather considerable sum, does it not? Col. TAYLOR. I will give you a little bit more information upon that subject. Section 13 of the act of July 25, 1912, reads as follows: The printing of matter relating to river and harbor works, including all reports, compilations, regulations, etc., whose preparation is liable under War Department regulations, may upon the recommendation of the Chief of Engineers, and the approval of the Secretary of War, be paid for from river and harbor appropriations. Section 6 of the same act provides for the printing of 3,000 copies of the laws of the United States relating to the improvement of rivers and harbors, and also directs the printing of 1,500 copies of the index to the reports of the Chief of Engineers. The laws which are authorized to be printed by section 6 of that act have been printed. The index to the report of the Chief of Engineers is now going through the press. We have received considerable portions of the proof. It is estimated that the cost of printing that document will be not less than $25,000. That will be a charge against the appropriation for examinations, surveys, and contingencies. Under date of January 28, 1915, the Public Printer submitted the following letter, addressed to the assistant chief clerk, War Department: OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC PRINTER, SIR: Continuing the statements made on the 13th and 20th instant, in regard to printing done for the War Department at the Government Printing Office, for which the War Department allotment might properly be reimbursed from the appropriation for rivers and harbors, there has been charged to the War Department allotment the following amounts: So that the cost of printing of the index to the report of the Chief of Engineers and the report of the Chief of Engineers will be in the neighborhood of $50,000. In addition to that the appropriation bears the expense of printing all of the reports on examinations and surveys. That amounts to a very considerable sum in the course of the year. A further expense which is borne by that appropriation is the expense of technical assistants and some clerks in the office of the Chief of Engineers; those clerks who are directly connected with river and harbor improvements. Under existing law we are authorized to charge to the river and harbor appropriation $50,400 per annum. The items which I have enumerated amount to over $100,000 per annum and are charged against this appropriation for examinations, surveys, and contingencies. Upon further consideration of this item I am of the opinion it should be increased to $400,000 instead of $350,000, in order to fully provide for all these examinations and surveys and these incidental expenses which I have enumerated. I would like to add to that also the fact that these reports were to be a charge against the appropriation for examinations, surveys, and contingencies was evidently known to Congress at the time the 1912 act authorizing the payment of printing expenses was passed. I find a letter addressed to Mr. Sparkman, the chairman of the Rivers and Harbors Committee of the House, in which an estimate of the cost of printing the annual report is given, and certain other matters amounting to $25,000. I ask that that be inserted in this record. (The letter referred to is as follows:) 66 [Memorandum for the Secretary of War.] WAR DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, 1. In my communication of April 11, 1914, in regard to the payment for certain printing relating to river and harbor works, I stated in paragraph 3 that I did not believe that the congressional authorization to apply the appropriation for Examinations, surveys, and contingencies of rivers and harbors to this purpose was intended to cover such matters as the Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers, because this was essentially a part of the report of the Secretary of War, a document which has been regularly published for many years before the legislation referred to was enacted, and at that time I was not willing to recommend that the cost of printing the annual report or any part of it be charged to the appropriation in question. I did, however, recommend that the sum of $12,439.66 be transferred in the proper way to cover the cost of printing the reports of examinations and surveys authorized and directed by Congress. 2. Since then I have had an opportunity to give further study to the matter and I find a letter of the Chief of Engineers dated February 29, 1912, bearing upon the subject, which shows that it was clearly his understanding and intention to pay the cost of printing the annual report from this special appropriation. The letter is as follows: Hon. S. M. SPARKMAN, Chairman Committee on Rivers and Harbors, United States House of Representatives. SIR: 1. Answering your verbal inquiry of a few days ago, you are informed that the usual cost of printing of river and harbor publications per year is estimated by me to be about $25,000 to $30,000; that of the fiscal year 1911 being as follows: Annual: 369. 14 1,583. 58 Report of the Chief of Engineers, with appendixes, 550 copies-- $16, 721. 89 Special Congressional reports-Examinations and surveys of rivers and harbors___. Total___ 83. 14 18, 757.75 6,885. 97 25, 643. 72 2. It would seem desirable and quite proper and fair that such cost should not be charged against military appropriations when such charge makes some adverse comment in the War Department and prevents our getting desirable printing when we need it. 3. The printing of 1,000 copies of a brief description of each river and harbor Improvement in the United States with a map (usually single page) of locality, and one of the past year's work, and a chart showing graphically the amount of tonnage and appropriations for the past 20 years (much as given in a few cases in the annual report for 1911) is estimated to cost about $10,000, at the most. 4. The printing of 2,600 Lake Survey Bulletins is already done at river and harbor expense, costing about $1,600 per year, but being very much desired and appreciated by the lake vessel interests. Very respectfully, W. H. BIXBY, Chief of Engineers, United States Army. 3. The opinion of the Judge Advocate General in regard to the law covering this matter is herewith, and he holds that the appropriation in question may properly be applied to printing that portion of the Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers which relates to river and harbor works. 4. I have had the bills for this printing carefully examined and have also considered the portion of the report which pertains to river and harbor work, and I find that 97 per cent of the contents of these volumes bears exclusively upon the subject of rivers and harbors. The total cost of printing was $25,189.69, and 97 per cent of this would be $24,434. 5. I am therefore prepared to recommend under the law, and I do recommend, the transfer of $24,434 from the appropriation for "Examinations, surveys, and contingencies of rivers and harbors" to the credit of the War Department allotment from the appropriation for "Public printing and binding, 1914," in payment of the cost of printing the above-described portions of the annual report. DAN C. KINGMAN, Chief of Engineers, United States Army. Col. TAYLOR. Formerly the amount allowed for examinations and surveys was $300,000 per annum. That was before the printing expenses were paid out of this appropriation. The index is an extraordinary expense. It is not a usual expense. The index had not been published for 10 years and it presumably will not be published again for another 10 years. It must be carried by the amount in this bill. This matter was brought to my attention particularly on account of receiving that bill from the Public Printer yesterday afternoon, and upon examining the balance I find that we have about $33,000 on hand. If I pay him $25,000, if that is transferred, it will leave us only about $8,000 balance. Senator RANSDELL. To run from now to the 30th of June? Col. TAYLOR. To run from now until this bill becomes a law. The money becomes available immediately upon the passage of the bill, and as we have a number of other documents going through the press it will practically exhaust our examinations and surveys money to pay for the printing of these documents. |