every preliminary plan, so that the supervision has been very close, and it has resulted in the plans, at least as far as the local architects were concerned, being in accordance with the desires of the municipal architect. The CHAIRMAN. As far as the design was concerned?. Maj. BROWN. Yes, sir. The construction is carried out directly under our supervision. The CHAIRMAN. The man who designs the building is not required. to supervise the construction? Maj. BROWN. No, sir. The CHAIRMAN. What fee is allowed to these men for simply. getting up the design? Maj. BROWN. Three per cent on the structural cost only. Where we have the $140,000 limitation to build an eight-room building, we have limited the architect's fee to 3 per cent of $100,000 as the maximum, because he prepares only the structural plan, not the heating or ventilating or plumbing, which we do in our office. The CHAIRMAN. What would be his fee if he prepared the specifications and supervised the work? Maj. BROWN. Six per cent. The CHAIRMAN. Is that the normal fee? Maj. BROWN. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Is that the fee fixed by the Institute of Architects? Maj. BROWN. Yes, sir; 6 per cent. Mr. SISSON. It used to be 5 per cent? Maj. BROWN. Yes, sir. Six per cent is now the generally accepted figure, so I am informed by the institute. The CHAIRMAN. You think that 3 per cent is a fair division of the total fee for the work that is done by these outside architects? Maj. BROWN. I think that really we get a little the better of it, because they are fighting with each other as to who can turn out the best school building; they really enter into a competitive spirit and we are getting better results. The CHAIRMAN. Have you let any contract so far? Maj. BROWN. We have let one contract for the addition to the Monroe School. The CHAIRMAN. What is the cost as compared with the prewar cost Maj. BROWN. It is still quite a bit higher. The CHAIRMAN. Have you figured out the percentage? Maj. BROWN. It is, roughly, 50 to 60 per cent higher. Fifty per cent on the Eastern High School, where it will cost us about 27 cents per cubic foot for what we could probably have gotten done in prewar times, in 1916, for about The CHAIRMAN (interposing). 13 cents? Maj. BROWN. Not that little; about 17 or 18 cents. The CHAIRMAN. I have been told-I do not know how much truth there is in the statement-that common brick are being sold here for $26 a thousand. What do you know about that? Maj. BROWN. That is true. The CHAIRMAN. This is the easiest place in the world to find conveniences for making brick. The transportation is not high, coming up the river. In Chicago they are selling common brick for $12 a thousand, and everybody thinks the people there are being robbed. If that is true, they are certainly being robbed here. Mr. Wood. What is the reason that you do not make the brick at Occoquan? Maj. BROWN. We make all we possibly can and utilize them in building. Mr. WOOD. That may be so now; it was not true a few years ago. They did not permit them to make brick at that time. The CHAIRMAN. Why do you not go to Chicago or some place else and buy your brick for $12 and ship them down for $4, making $16, and save $10 a thousand-I do not say specially Chicago. Maj. BROWN. The last brick we got from Martinsburg, W. Va. We did not buy locally. The CHAIRMAN. What did you pay? Maj. BROWN. $26; they were face brick. The CHAIRMAN. That is different. That is the ordinary price for face brick. Maj. BROWN. We can not make enough. The CHAIRMAN. I do not think that we should put up any buildings under present conditions. Col. KELLER. We buy very little brick. Mr. Wood. You could make enough brick at Occoquan if you enlarged the facilities? Maj. BROWN. They have not enough prisoners to make any more, sir. We have the plant. Mr. SISSON. You have a plant down there, and, perhaps, you could make more brick than the District could consume and might have to stack them up, but the labor people got up a great big furore and had a statute passed preventing the manufacture of brick except for municipal purposes. The CHAIRMAN. Why do you not arrest some of these people and have them tried for operations in restraint of trade? Maj. BROWN. I may say that for joint committee of the House and Senate, of which Senator Capper is the chairman, we are now preparing a table showing the cost of various materials and so forth, which will be ready to submit to that committee within a day or two. The CHAIRMAN. I wish you would submit a copy of that table for this record. July 24, 1911 Sept. 23, 1913 J. O. Wilson Normal School, No. 162, Eleventh and O Street Manual Training School, No. 172, O Street Birney School, alterations and addition, No. 127, Sept. 23, 1913 Congress Heights School, No. 111, alterations and ad- Mar. 14, 1914 New Central High School, No. 173, Eleventh and Cubic ⚫contents. Powell School, No. 157, addition, School Street oppo- Elizabeth V. Brown School, No. 113, addition, Con- Petworth School, No. 131, 8-room addition, Shep- West School, No. 163, 8-room addition, Farragut New Eastern High School, No. 176, Seventeenth and 1 Without heating and ventilating. Statement showing the comparative prices for the fiscal years 1913 to 1922, inclusive; also the prices submitted by various bidders in competition on the 1922 proposals. 1 Items shipped by rail and scow and placed in District of Columbia property yards for issue. 2 Price; at plant. 3 Add approximately $4.40 for delivery to job. All other items are ordered from time to time for delivery on line of work. Items where no prices are given represent no bids or rejected bids. The two freight rates indicated on cement represent two different points of shipment: Hercules, Pa., and Union Bridge, Md., respectively. |