SECOND DEFICIENCY APPROPRIATION BILL, 1922 HEARING & BEFORE SUBCOMMITTEE OF HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS CONSISTING OF MESSRS. MARTIN B. MADDEN (CHAIRMAN), JOSEPH G. CANNON, DANIEL R. ANTHONY, JR., PATRICK H. KELLEY, WILLIAM R. WOOD, JOSEPH W. BYRNS, THOMAS U. SISSON, SECOND DEFICIENCY APPROPRIATION BILL, 1922. HEARINGS CONDUCTED BY THE SUBCOMMITTEE (MESSRS. MARTIN B. MADDEN (CHAIRMAN), JOSEPH G. CANNON, DANIEL R. AN THONY, JR., PATRICK H. KELLEY, WILLIAM R. WOOD, JOSEPH W. BYRNS, THOMAS U. SISSON, AND JAMES A. GALLIVAN) OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, IN CHARGE OF THE SECOND DEFICIENCY BILL FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 1922, AND PRIOR FISCAL YEARS, ON THE DAYS FOLLOWING, NAMELY: FEBRUARY 14, 1922. BOTANIC GARDEN. STATEMENT OF MR. GEORGE W. HESS, DIRECTOR. REPAIRS AND RECONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS DAMAGED BY FIRE, ETC. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Hess, please tell us in your own way what justification you have for asking for this $3,000? Mr. HESS. Mr. Chairman, I am asking $1,300 for the repairs and reconstruction of the two buildings damaged by fire, $600 for the purchase of a new hot-water boiler, $200 for packing shed roof, $400 to reconstruct greenhouses and cupola on main conservatory, and $500 for repair of comfort station. The CHAIRMAN. This was all affected by the fire? Mr. HESS. Yes, sir. A fire on the night of December 4 damaged two buildings, and an immediate restoration of these two buildings to a safe and usable condition is urgent. It is necessary that an arched concrete roof be built over the boiler from which the fire started as a preventative of another fire. There is now no emergency boiler at the garden; and should one of the boilers now in constant use fail, there would be a loss amounting to thousands of dollars in valuable plants, many of which could not be replaced. We always keep an emergency boiler. The last emergency boiler that I had was transferred to me by Mr. Woods from the old buildings which they tore down on the plaza. The CHAIRMAN. Is that worn out? Mr. HESS. No, sir: we had to replace one which had worn out, so that took the last one that we were holding in reserve. The CHAIRMAN. Is there any boiler in any one of the departments that could be utilized? The Shipping Board, as I understand, has a very large number of boilers which they are selling. Mr. Hess. All of their boilers are different, and they are lowpressure hot-water boilers. I do not think that we could use them for the greenhouses. I will ascertain and let you know. The CHAIRMAN. It seems to me that if we have any equipment of this sort anywhere in any of the departments that is surplus from the 3 war that we ought to use it. I understand that they have a large number. Mr. HESS. Before we purchase we always inquire of the Supply The CHAIRMAN. And you always comply with that rule? The CHAIRMAN. You think there is no escape from this appropriation of $3,000 on account of the fire? Mr. HESS. No, sir. The CHAIRMAN. And you have to have the repairs to the comfort station? Mr. HESS. Yes, sir." 1 The CHAIRMAN. Were the greenhouses affected in any way by the fire? Mr. HESS. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. And the packing shed roof was burned? Mr. HESS. Yes, sir; that is very dangerous. For instance, there is a part of the weather vane on the conservatory which was constructed in 1876, and which weighs about 150 pounds, that was blown off during the recent storm. The CHAIRMAN. And an individual near might have been injured? Mr. HESS Yes, sir. This [exhibiting] is a photograph of some buildings that have been damaged by fire that we will have to make repairs to. The CHAIRMAN. When did the fire take place? Mr. HESS. If I remember aright, on the night of December 4, 1921. The CHAIRMAN. Was this $3,000 included in the estimates in the legislative bill? Mr. HESS. No, sir. The CHAIRMAN. If the appropriation made by the legislative committee has sufficient money in it to do this work, would not that meet your case? J Mr. HESS. We could not take it out of that, Mr. Chairman, because we figured and cut our estimates very close.. The CHAIRMAN. In the legislative bill? 量 Mr. HESS. Yes, sir. This work should be done immediately, and after having had estimates made we find that it will require the $3,000 that we have requested. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1922. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. STATEMENT OF MR, HERBERT PUTNAM, LIBRARIAN. CONTINGENT EXPENSES. The CHAIRMAN. For "Contingent expenses of the Library" you are asking $1,000. Will you be kind enough to tell us the importance and necessity of this? Mr. PUTNAM. We have two photostat machines that are busy in part with the work for the Library, properly incidental to our own |