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Dr. MADDOX. There was a statement made of excess facilities at Boston. The hospital is not quite full. It has 150 beds and only has 135 patients.

The CHAIRMAN. You have 10 per cent?

Dr. MADDOX. Every hospital should run with a 10 per cent margin. That is the marine hospital, and any accident of any kind on that coast; for instance, if a steam pipe should go there might be 10 or 15 men brought in. A hospital must have an elastic limit.

The CHAIRMAN. You have it here, according to your own figures. Dr. MADDOX. That happened to be so at that particular time. It might be filled to-day. You have got to keep beds for contagious diseases, where you isolate your patients. The hospital may have 10 contagious beds and only have 6 patients to occupy them.

MARINE HOSPITAL NO. 11, LOUISVILLE, KY.

INSTALLATION OF ELEVATOR, FIRE ESCAPES, ETC.

The CHAIRMAN. Let us take up Louisville.

Mr. WETMORE. For installation of elevator, fire escape, etc., $15,000. There is no elevator in this building, which is three stories. An elevator would be very desirable to take patients to the third floor. There is only one way of escape from fire by means of an iron stairway on the rear veranda. Another fire escape is very desirable. That is one of the oldest hospitals we have.

The CHAIRMAN. They do not require elevators on 3 or 4 story buildings?

Dr. MADDOX. This is for the accommodation of patients who should not be made to walk to the third floor.

The CHAIRMAN. No building code requires elevators in a 3-story building.

Dr. MADDOX. Two-story hospitals would usually be equipped with elevators.

The CHAIRMAN. Is this a building purchased by the Government? Mr. WETMORE. No, sir; an old building.

The CHAIRMAN. How long has it been in existence?

Dr. MADDOX. Eighty years.

The CHAIRMAN. The people who have gone there as patients have managed very well?

Dr. MADDOX. It is a more active hospital now.

The CHAIRMAN. The patient is not any more active than the patient who went there 80 years ago, or does it require more facilities than it did 80 years ago?

Dr. MADDOX. I think it requires more facilities. I think that medical treatment has improved very considerably in 80 years.

The CHAIRMAN. That is true, but elevators are not medical treatment?

Dr. MADDOX. There are more surgical cases; in fact, more surgery is being done, people being taken to the operating room-things have changed very much in even the last 10 years.

Mr. BYRNES. If this is an emergency, why was it not asked for in the regular bill?

Dr. MADDOX. This building was first opened in 1852. There are 60 beds in the hospital. One thousand four hundred and forty-seven

patients went through that hospital in a year. It is an old-fashioned block-type hospital. At the present time it looks very nice.

MARINE HOSPITAL NO. 13, MOBILE, ALA.

EXTENSION OF ACCOMMODATION FOR ATTENDANTS.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "Mobile, Ala., marine hospital No. 13: For extension of accommodations for attendants and for storage, $15,000." It just happens that $15,000 has been guessed at in a great many of these cases where they want to do some repairing. I do not know how you reached the figure of $15,000.

Mr. WETMORE. The accommodations for attendants are desired for those who are now living away from the station, and who should be on the place for the efficient operation of the hospital, $10,000; extension of the storage building, for articles now stored in rooms in the basement, $2,500.

The CHAIRMAN. Rooms for the attendants?

Mr. WETMORE. Yes, sir. Contingencies, $2,500.

The CHAIRMAN. How long has the building been in existence?
Dr. MADDOX. Since 1843.

The CHAIRMAN. And the capacity?

Dr. MADDOX. Ninety-nine beds.

MARINE HOSPITAL NO. 16, PORTLAND, ME.

STOREHOUSE.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, " Portland, Me., marine hospital No. 16: For storehouse with accommodations for ambulances and trucks, $3,000,"

Mr. WETMORE. The building now used as a garage is an old stable, unheated. The surgeon in charge states that for about five monthin the year it is difficult for the chauffeur to clean and keep the cars in order, and for three months of that time it is most difficult to keep the cars in running order, as the changes have been made in the stable to fit it for use as a garage.

The CHAIRMAN. How many cars have they?

Dr. MADDOX. The station truck and ambulance.

The CHAIRMAN. I built a brick garage at my home for $750.

Mr. STRATTON. This also provides storage facilities for supplies

in the same building.

Mr. WETMORE. This is a heated garage.

The CHAIRMAN. My garage is heated from the house.

Mr. STRATTON. At present the full capacity is 40 beds.
The CHAIRMAN. When was this organized?

Dr. MADDOX. In 1852. They had horses then.

The CHAIRMAN. How many beds?

Mr. STRATTON. Forty beds. It is only hospital north of Boston in the Government's chain.

Dr. MADDOX. There is an isolation ward of six beds in addition,

MATINE HOSPITAL NO. 18, ST. LOUIS, MO.

ALTERATIONS AND REPAIRS TO WARD PORCHES, ETC.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "St. Louis, Mo., marine hospital No. 18: For repairs and alterations to ward porches, including mechanical equipment and incidental changes to lighting and ventilating of wards, $10,000."

Mr. WETMORE. For repairs and alterations to ward porches, including mechanical equipment and incidental changes to lighting and ventilation of wards, $10,000. The porches are for tubercular patients, and the changes will give about 9,000 square feet additional floor space. The porches are to be glazed and heated.

The CHAIRMAN. When was that organized?

Dr. MADDOX. It was originally built in 1855.

The CHAIRMAN. What is the capacity?

Mr. STRATTON. Normally, 70 beds; they have 77 patients at present. The CHAIRMAN. You do not consider that these are deficiencies, I take it?

Mr. WETMORE. These items that we have just considered?
The CHAIRMAN. Yes, sir.

Mr. WETMORE. No, sir; I consider those supplemental items. They seem to make a distinction between supplemental and deficiency appropriations. I suppose there is a distinction.

RELIEF OF CONTRACTORS.

The CHAIRMAN. On page 112 is the item, "Relief of contractors, $400,000." I thought we had all of those claims settled?

Mr. WETMORE. No; we have not got them all settled. We thought that we had enough money to settle the last time we got $250,000, but they are still coming in.

There is a letter sent to the Secretary of the Treasury under date of January 20, in which this statement is made in regard to that item:

As to the item “Relief of contractors, etc., for public buildings under Treas ury Department," it is estimated that the sum of $400,000 will be required to pay all claims now before the department. At the time of making the estimate of $250,000, recently submitted and appropriated for in the deficiency bill approved December 15, 1921, and even up to the time the hearings were held on said bill the indications were from the data on hand at that time that such sum would be sufficient to liquidate any amounts allowable. It develops, however, that since the hearings a large number of claimants who had failed to supply any sustaining evidence or any additional evidence up to that time, have since complied with the department's request by furnishing data, or indicating their intention to do so in the near future; in other words, the present condition is considerably changed over that existing even a month ago. The public building at Birmingham, Ala., was completed just prior to the time of the hearings on the deficiency bill above mentioned, and it is found that the claims of certain subcontractors on said building will be considerably larger than the amount originally estimated and used in compiling the data for the hearings. This condition is a matter over which the department has no control, and was unable to even anticipate until after the building was finished and the subcontractors had filed their sustaining evidence, as the department had no contractual relaionship with subcontractors.

The original estimate was in amount $2,750,000, as against which there has been appropriated a total of $2,250,000, which, plus the amount above estimated, would make a total appropriation for this purpose of $2,650,000, or still $100,000 less than said original estimate.

The following tabulation shows the financial status of work completed and to be completed from evidence now on hand: Appropriations to date___

Amounts audited and actual payments__ Amounts reserved by court order pending outcome of certain law suits__

Amounts held up to cover certain reservations pending the submission of additional evidence by claimants -

Total amount obligated to date, inclusive_

$2,250,000. 00

$2, 142, 195. 24

64, 768, 27

10, 367. 53

2, 217, 331. 04

Leaving an unencumbered balance on hand of

6 claims are in course of audit, in amount---

That would more than wipe out the balance.

24 claims held up owing to lack of examiners, in amount_

19 claims partially audited, but held up awaiting additional evidence, in amount___

76 claims awaiting evidence, in amount.

Total to be audited

32,668.96 33, 051.29

$116, 394. 21

58,734.30

413, 978. 37

622, 158, 17

Of this amount it is thought that $400.000 (together with the unencumbered balance) will be sufficient to pay such amounts as are allowable.

The CHAIRMAN. What percentage of the claims are allowed, on an average?

Mr. WETMORE. I can not tell you what percentage.

The CHAIRMAN. What is the percentage of the settled claims as compared with the face of the bills?

Mr. WETMORE. I can not tell you. I can only give you the amounts that have been allowed so far. I could go back and find the original amount of the claims.

NOTE.-Approximately 60 to 65 per cent, as nearly as can be stated without a careful examination of figures.

The CHAIRMAN. Of course, the aggregate of all the claims settled and the amount allowed would give us the amount of the allowance on the face of the claims.

Mr. WETMORE. $10,367.53 were suspended; there was not sufficient proof.

The CHAIRMAN. I am talking about those settled.

Mr. WETMORE. There is no question about $64,768.27 simply held to see who it is to be paid to.

The CHAIRMAN. I am asking whether you pay 60 cents on the dollar or 50 cents or 30 cents or 100 cents.

Mr. WETMORE. We have paid claims in full where the loss showed in full. Other claims have been cut.

Mr. BYRNES. Please show the face of the total amount of the claims.

NOTE. Total payments, $2,206,963.51.

Mr. WETMORE. I can supply that and the percentage of allowance.

REPAIRS TO PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE HOSPITALS.

Mr. WETMORE. This $600,000 item is similar in character to the question that we were discussing a moment ago in connection with

the Public Health Service hospitals. When the opinion of the comptroller was rendered we, of course, could not take care of the expenditures from our repair appropriation and so put in an item to take care of that out of the appropriation for the rest of this fiscal year. This item was put in, not knowing what the committee might conclude to do. I understand that when it became apparent that the Public Health Service could not use the money allotted by the Veterans' Bureau to them in this amount of $600,000 for these repairs they reduced their call on the Veterans' Bureau by that amount. They have taken $600,000 less on account of putting in this item here, so that the work may be done and there be no additional cost to the Government. I do not know just how the committee may want to adjust it.

Mr. BYRNES. Has this money gone back into the hands of the Veterans' Bureau?

Mr. WETMORE. Yes, sir.

Mr. BYRNES. We will try to get it out of their hands, and we may be able to do it without legislation.

Mr. WETMORE. I do not believe you can, because the comptroller said that they could not use this appropriation for that purpose, but a word of legislation would do it.

Mr. SISSON. Was it intended originally for that purpose?

Mr. WETMORE. Yes, sir. The Veterans' Bureau in turning it over to the Public Health Service intended, I am informed, to have it used for that purpose.

The CHAIRMAN. We will see how we can do it.

Mr. WETMORE. It is a similar proposition to that which we had before.

Mr. SISSON. Where would you expect to spend this money?
Mr. WETMORE. Here is a memorandum which shows that.
Mr. SISSON. It would not be paid out just that way?
Mr. WETMORE. I mean on the average.

(The memorandum referred to by Mr. Wetmore follows:)

MEMORANDUM SHOWING NECESSITY FOR APPROPRIATION OF $600,000 AS SHOWN ON ATTACHED LIST AND AS TO BE INTRODUCED IN FORTHCOMING DEFICIENCY BILL,

The original appropriation for the fiscal year 1922 for “R. & P." and "M. E.,” to cover marine hospitals and quarantine stations, was $325,000. By agreement between the interested divisions, the Marine Hospital Division was to have from that amount $210,000.

At the time that appropriation was made the properties covered for repairs and mechanical equipment by its provisions consisted of 24 stations with approximately 234 buildings and approximately 2,622 patients' beds. Thus, there was provided by the $210,000 available approximately $893 per building, or approximately $80 per patient bed.

The buildings at the stations are nearly all of permanent construction, although not modern in some instances, and the amounts necessary for repairs not large because of that fact.

Since that appropriation was passed, and because of the Comptroller General's ruling of July 6 and purchase and transfer of additional property, there have been added to the properties, whose repair necessarily is chargeable to that appropriation, 25 stations with approximately 1,500 buildings and approximately 12,800 beds. The $600,000 requested as supplement to that appropriation will provide for the additional property at the rate of approximately $400 per building, or approximately $47 per patient bed, which is very much less than was appropriated for the fiscal year for the permanent buildings originally under the appropriation. These additional properties placed under

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