Dr. MADDOX. From year to year. I think it will run a year longer. This must be done anyway.

The CHAIRMAN. Why?

Dr. MADDOX. Because it must be in repair when returned to the

Owner.

The CHAIRMAN. Is it not in as good repair as when we took it over! Dr. MADDOx. I think not.

Mr. WETMORE. There is one item of $8,000 for restoring the inside painting, and an item of $3,000 for miscellaneous repairs. The other two items are $2,000 for the completion of the garage and $2.000 for the extension of heat, water, and light services to the garage and the occupational therapy building.

Mr. SISSON. What is the contract in regard to repairs?

Mr. WETMORE. That is a contract made by the War Department. Mr. SISSON. I can not be put in the attitude of appropriating money to improve private property, and I do not know what the contract provides.

Mr. BYRNES. You are proposing to construct a garage here?
Dr. MADDOX. It is not really a garage, but simply a shed.

The CHAIRMAN. It is the same thing as far as the Treasury is concerned.

Dr. MADDOX. It is not an ordinary garage.

The CHAIRMAN. The effect is the same on the Treasury.

Dr. MADDOX. Repairing the cars is an operating expense, and if the cars get rusted out they will require more repairs.

Mr. SISSON. I think that this sort of a proposition would be subject to a point of order anyway. An appropriation for improving somebody else's property certainly ought not to be in this bill.

Mr. WETMORE. There is a law justifying what you have done there. Nothing has been done here that is not authorized by act of Congress. They have had authority to take over from the War Department any hospital that the Public Health Service needed, and they took over the buildings under the leases. Those leases were already made before the Treasury Department took the properties over, and the War Department had a contract under which they were required to turn the properties back to the owners in the condition in which they were received. The Treasury Department falls heir to that burden.

The CHAIRMAN. How many patients are being provided for here? Mr. GALLIVAN. Over 500.

Mr. STRATTON. Five hundred and thirty-two.

Dr. MADDOX. A part of the buildings were built by the Elks and rented to the Government for $1 a year. Then the mechanical utili ties were provided by the Parker Hill Hospital, alongside it.

Mr. GALLIVAN. Is this money for the Parker Hill Hospital, or is it for the Elks' Reconstruction Hospital, which is just now connected with it by a shed?

Dr. MADDOX. It is for both places. It is simply making repairs to that plant.

Mr. GALLIVAN. The most essential thing is not mentioned here at all. The thing that they have been clamoring for, namely, the im provement of the sanitary arrangements, is not mentioned here. The plumbing, for instance, is in a bad way.

Dr. MADDOX. Is not that the West Roxbury Hospital?

Mr. GALLIVAN. No; it is the Parker Hill Hospital. When Col. Forbes was up there he gave us information about the condition of it, and said he had been trying for 15 months to get an appropriation to improve the sanitary arrangements at the Parker Hill Hospital. It was not the West Roxbury Hospital.

Dr. MADDOX. Here is the estimate made by the medical officer himself eight months ago, and it does not mention plumbing.

Mr. GALLIVAN. What is the date of it?

Dr. MADDOX. It is under date of July 18.

Mr. GALLIVAN. I know that for six months they have been hollering for some money to have the sanitary plant fixed up.

HOSPITAL NO. 52, FORT BAYARD, N. MEX.

REPAIRS TO BUILDINGS, ETC.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is

Fort Bayard, N. Mex., Public Health Hospital No. 55: For repairs to existing buildings, water tank for laundry, water main for fire protection, septic tanks, and additional mechanical equipment, $103,700.

The construction and remodeling of this hospital was provided for out of the $18,600,000 appropriation. I am sure of that.

Mr. WETMORE. Yes, sir; there was an allotment made of something over $800,000 out of that appropriation. This estimate of $103,700 is made up of things that were not included in what the allotment out of the $18,600,000 was intended to cover. Fort Bayard is an old Army post. I think it was an old Army post away back in 1867, or right after the Civil War, when they commenced to use it for hospital purposes. The War Department has used it as such ever since. Some of these gentlemen can tell you how many buildings are included there, but I know there is a very large number. These expenditures are intended mainly to take care of the old portion of the plant.

The CHAIRMAN. The whole thing was intended to be covered by the allotment out of the $18,600,000.

Mr. WETMORE. They provided additional hospital facilities down there, or a new outfit, but that does not take care of the items I would like to read to you showing what is included in this large expenditure.

The CHAIRMAN. It is not authorized by law?

Mr. WETMORE. There is no law that I know of that especially authorizes this.

The CHAIRMAN. The question is what right have we to enter upon new activities that are not authorized?

Mr. WETMORE. These are things that must be done at some time or other to make the plant what it should be.

The CHAIRMAN. But it does not have to be done now..

Mr. WETMORE. Some of it is very essential right now.

The CHAIRMAN. Then why did they not provide for it out of the $18,600,000?

Mr. WETMORE. I can not answer why the consultants did not give more money there, but they made an allotment for certain purposes there which are complete in themselves. The buildings we are building have their own proper services, so far as water, sewers, and light

are concerned, but these are improvements that relate to the old buildings. One of the items is $15,000 for a new water main for fire protection. In the report made by Mr. H. C. Russell, mechanical engineer in the Supervising Architect's Office, who was sent down there to see what the condition of this plant was, this statement is made under the head of "Fire protection":

With the exception of a few connections around the tanks, the main fire lines are 4-inch lines of considerable length. There is a storage capacity of about 625,000 gallons, but the 4-inch Ine with the limited heads (50 to 90 pounds, according to location) are absolutely inadequate.

They have two gasoline motor-driven fire engines, either of which can pump a 4-inch main dry.

The only change absolutely necessary for the infirmary is the possible relocat on of a few fire hydrants.

For the proper protection of the station these 4-inch lines should be largely replaced with 8-inch lines, thus utilizing the present trenches as rock is encountered from 1 to 2 feet below grade.

Four or five additional fire hydrants on the hill near the reservo'r are absolutely necessary if connected to the present 4-inch mains.

Under the head of "Fire alarm" he says:

The only fire alarm available now is the telephone. I recommend that a standard type of closed-circuit electric fire alarm be installed with the necessary number of control boxes with gongs and indicators in the engine house and power house.

The estimate for the electric fire-alarm system covers also an additional 150-kilowatt generating set, $37,000.

The CHAIRMAN. You have fire-alarm system and water system where does the rest of it come in?

Mr. WETMORE. The fire-alarm system and the additional generating set, or the two together, amount to $37,000.

The CHAIRMAN. What is the matter with the present electrical plant?

Mr. THOMPSON. The report indicates that the present generating apparatus will just about take care of the present stations, and they are adding this new infirmary building, which will overload it.

The CHAIRMAN. The new infirmary building is being paid for out of the $18,600,000 appropriation, and these other things should be paid for out of that appropriation. We have no authority that I can see to provide for all of this additional work. You should have gone to the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, it seems to me, with this matter.

Dr. MADDOX. These are simply repairs, chiefly. The old plant needed repairs when we took it over.

Mr. BYRNS. It seems to me that the board in making its allotments should have taken these things into consideration.

Mr. SISSON. Did they make no provision for heating and lighting the building?

Mr. WETMORE. They made no provision for enlarging the plant to supply the entire station.

Mr. Sisson. Did they build the plant just large enough to supply the old buildings, or are the new buildings to be provided for from the same old plant?

Mr. WETMORE. Yes, sir.

Mr. SISSON. When they made their arrangements for this $800,000 building, they should have arranged for taking care of it in connection with this plant.

Mr. THOMPSON. They probably thought that the $800,000 allotment would cover it, but it did not.

Mr. WETMORE. I do not know whether they thought that, or not, but we do know that the allotment did not cover it. They said what they wanted to have done with each amount of money that was allotted. They did not say, "Plan it and provide for what you think is necessary."

The CHAIRMAN. They are to blame for this situation, and they should not be permitted to come here for a deficiency.

Mr. SISSON. If they had the plans and specifications prepared by the Supervising Architect's Office, as they were authorized to do, and the Supervising Architect carries them out, then they are to blame for the failure to have the plant connected up with the new buildings.

The CHAIRMAN. Did the board that made this allotment of $800,000 for the construction make this estimate?

Mr. WETMORE. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Who made it?

Mr. WETMORE. Our office made this estimate on the request of the Public Health Service. We sent a man down there to look into the situation and to see what was absolutely necessary. We find that it is necessary to improve the dairy barn and to make some improvements in the farm buildings there. That item amounts to $1,500, and there is an item of $15,000 for a new water main for fire protection.

The CHAIRMAN. Why were not all these things figured on when they started to build?

Mr. WETMORE. I do not know.

The CHAIRMAN. Why did you not make the calculation when you were spending the $800,000?

Dr. MADDOX. We are not spending that.

The CHAIRMAN. Who is spending it?

Dr. MADDOX. The White committee. We have not had anything to say about it.

The CHAIRMAN. What have you to say about this now? This board is still in control, is it not?

Dr. MADDOX. They are still in control of the $18,600,000.

The CHAIRMAN. Then why do they not come here and tell us why they did not do certain things? Why should you come here and take the stand and let them escape the odium of their iniquities?

Dr. MADDOX. We are obliged to operate the hospitals, which are full of sick people. We must operate the very best we know how. The CHAIRMAN. If one board can take one phase of a thing and another board another phase of it, then as soon as one board makes a mistake in not doing the things for which they got the money they can simply send in another board to fill up the gap.

Mr. WETMORE. This appropriation of $18,600,000 does not require them to do any particular things in any particular way, but it is to furnish additional hospital facilities. In putting in the additional building here I do not presume they felt that they should put in a new electrical plant to take care of these 300 buildings, or that they should put in a new fire-alarm system and fire-protection system to take care of everything there. They put up a building which is com

plete in all its interior arrangements, so far as lighting, radiation, and things of that kind are concerned.

The CHAIRMAN. What would happen if those things were not provided in any other way; would they not have to provide them? Mr. WETMORE. Yes, sir.

Mr. SISSON. They should not come here and say, "We will construct a building for so much," because how do we know that the building will be in shape for use when they use the money? In other words, if an allotment or appropriation is made to them of $800,000 to construct a building, what assurance have we that when they spend the money an additional $100,000 will not be required to make the building usable?

Mr. WETMORE. It is very likely that there will be estimates made for keeping up the property, because it is a large institution and an old one. It is an expensive institution to keep up. These expenditures proposed here will put the property in such shape that the lives of the patients and other persons there will not be put in jeopardy so far as water for fire protection and fire alarm protection are concerned. There is also an item of $25,000 for a new septic tank.

The CHAIRMAN. How have you been getting along with that up until now?

Mr. THOMPSON. There is a septic tank there now, but it is not large enough.

The CHAIRMAN. How many patients are there?

Mr. STRATTON. The capacity at the present time is 1,120.

The CHAIRMAN. It is the reckless negligence displayed in the provision of these facilities that disturbs me. I do not know how they could be adequately censured for this neglect. They have not the first conception of what it means to spend a dollar. They ought to be given the right to write prescriptions, but somebody else should spend the money, or somebody who knows how to do it.'

Mr. WETMORE. They have proceeded entirely upon the theory that they have no right to make repairs, and everything has been new. They have given us no money with which to do anything in the way of providing facilities of this kind. They go into an Army camp as they did at Fort McKenzie, and out of a large number of buildings they pick out a few to be handled.

Mr. GALLIVAN. If you have any doubt as to whether these things come under that board, why should we bother with them?

The CHAIRMAN. Of course, we ought to hear what we can and get the testimony.

Mr. WETMORE. I have no doubt that Dr. White would be glad to appear before the committee. He is a Pittsburgh physician; he is not here in Washington, except as he comes on this business, but undoubtedly he would come on call.

The CHAIRMAN. We have no time to wait for Dr. White.
Dr. MADDOX. He will be here Monday.

HOSPITAL-FORT MACKENZIE, WYO.

REPAIRS AND ALTERATIONS TO BUILDINGS.

The CHAIRMAN. Let us take up the item for Fort Mackenzie, Wyo., "for repairs and alterations of existing buildings, mechanical