on to some of those people. This $60 is based on the estimate I gave the chairman of $5 for the quarters. They get their meals while at work which is practically all the time, and I thought that perhaps by reimbursing them or allowing them commutation for quarters, we would be able to keep more of the people. Mr. MONDELL. Is that a satisfactory policy for the hospital? Do you think you ought to encourage it by giving these people additional sums? Dr. WHITE. I should not say so under normal conditions. I think it is desirable to have emplovees live in the hospital. Mr. MONDELL. If you could get a sufficient number of employees who would live within the institution Dr. WHITE (in erposing). It would be better, without question. Employees who live outside of the hospital and who are out of the con rol of the institution, are liable to stay out until 12 or 1 o'clock in the morning, and will go to work tired out. On the whole, it is undesirable. Mr. BYRNES. What would you propose in order to avoid the payment of this? Dr. WHITE. We do not pay it now. I think that, perhaps, an increase in the pay of the employees Mr. BYRNES (interposing). If you get an increase in the pay of the employees, you will not need this at this time? Dr. WHITE. This was put in as something additional. This matter came up in this way: We discussed it at the last hearing, or last year, in connection with the question of an eight-hour day. We have made a number of estimates at the request of the department trying to cover all of the demands that the employees made, of one sort and another, and we made an estimate for commutation for meals and lodgings, amounting to $5 per meal and $5 for maintenance per month outside of meals. Mr. MONDELL. That is, $5 per meal per month? Dr. WHITE. Yes, sir; per month. That would $20 per month. But it seemed, as we proceeded, that this was not any time to have an eight-hour day, when we could not get anywhere near enough people as it was, and as the institution increases in size, we will have to have more people. Therefore, in place of that, we put in this increase in salary, and also this commutation, because it is very possible that if we are going to increase five or six or seven or eight hundred beds, it may be that we will not be able to get enough help. Mr. MONDELL. How many of your employees live outside of the institution? Dr. WHITE. About half of our employees live in the institution. This applies more particularly to ward employees. I presume there are about 35 of the ward employees living outside. THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 1918. COLUMBIA INSTITUTION FOR THE DEAF. STATEMENT OF DR. PERCIVAL HALL, PRESIDENT. MAINTENANCE, SALARIES, ETC. Mr. BYRNES. For support of your institution, you are asking $82,000? Dr. HALL. Yes, sir. Mr. BYRNES. You had $71,500? Dr. HALL. In 1918, we had $71,500. Mr. BYRNES. And you had a deficiency of $6,000? Dr. HALL. Yes, sir; making $77,500. The sum asked for current expenses for the coming year is $10,500 more than that granted originally for the present year. It is, however, only $4,500 more than the regular appropriation for the current year plus a deficiency of $6,000 agreed upon by your committee to carry our institution through the present year. It was shown your committee that during the present year the cost of approximately 1,000 tons of coal needed for the Columbia Institution for the Deaf for a year's supply would cost about $3,000 more than under the prices prevailing heretofore. It was also shown your committee that while the cost of food has increased some 40 per cent throughout the country, the cost in our institution increased less than 20 per cent, and that $3,000 additional was needed for the present year for the purchase of food supplies. That deficit was taken care of by the $6,000 already appropriated. I do not see any hope of the food cost or the coal cost going down to any appreciable extent. I received notice yesterday from the Wilson people from whom we are getting meat, that we will be lucky if we get it for 25 cents a pound wholesale in the near future. We are now paying 19 cents and were paying 13 and 14 cents at the beginning of the year. I will call to the attention of your committee the fact that not only coal and food, but postage, stationery, books, school supplies, lumber, paint, glass, hardware, medicines, furniture, linen, blankets, tableware, and all supplies of almost every description have increased greatly in cost in the past year. The Columbia Institution for the Deaf, in order to replenish its stock of such material and buy the necessary supplies for repairs, etc., spends approximately $7,500 per An estimate made at this time should really include an additional $2,000 to cover this increased expense for materials and supplies. I will also call your attention to the fact that the employees of the Columbia Institution for the Deaf, under a ruling of the Comptroller of the Treasury, were not allowed to enjoy the 5 per cent and 10 per cent increase provided for in the sundry civil act during the present fiscal year. Many of our employees are underpaid and would be still underpaid with the 5 per cent and 10 per cent increase granted to all strictly Governmental employees for the past year. As an example of wages now paid, I may mention: Head cooks, $35 per month with board; farm hands, $22 to $30 per month with living; lawn hands, $28 to $30 per month with meals; clerks and stenographers, $50 to $60 per month without living; teachers in the primary department, $585 to $1,000 per year without living; day engineer, $65 per month, night engineer, $75 per month, both without living or quarters. All of these rates are from 10 per cent to 50 per cent below reasonable prevailing rates of pay in Governmental positions and in private institutions. I have prepared a list of employees of our institution, with a carefully arranged schedule of increases, which would bring their salaries to what I consider an absolute munimum in fairness to them and the service they render. The increase in cash compensation in a number of cases is not the same. This is partly due to the fact that those who receive living in our institution are receiving the benefit of the increased cost to us of giving them board and lodging. In all cases increases have been made to approach, though I believe hardly to equal, reasonable rates paid elsewhere. As the work and merits of each one of these employees are personally known to me, I shall be glad to explain any recommendations in the list. The total of these increases is somewhat over the $4,500 asked for in excess of the total appropriation which will be used for the present year. It has already been recognized by the gentlemen of your committee that increases granted last year, which our own employees did not enjoy were too small, and arrangements have been made to give to all Federal employces increased compensation of 5 per cent to 30 per cent. Every single argument that can be applied in favor of these increases already granted to Federal employees can be applied to my most urgent request to provide for increases in salaries of the employees of the Columbia Institution for the Deaf. Our institution and others in the same situation are facing a very difficult problem. Either a much poorer quality of food, material, and service must be furnished to the absolute detriment of our work, or substantial increases must be made in the appropriations for support. Faithful and efficient employees under present conditions of living and salary must either sacrifice their own welfare and their hopes of saving for the future, or must leave our employ to obtain reasonable salaries elsewhere. I most urgently request that the needs of our employees be not overlooked for still another year, but that all the sum asked for for the coming year for the support of our institution, including salaries and general expenses, be granted by your committee. We can not do justice to our cnployees, to our students, and to the reputation of our institution without funds with which to work. Mr. MONDELL. Have you a list of the increases? Dr. HALL. Yes, sir. The $10,500 apparent increase shown in this estimate book should be really reduced $6,000 by this year's deficiency, so the difference that we are asking really is only $4,500. We want that $4,500 to pay more reasonable wages in our institution. You gentlemen all know just what the position is. Here are some advertisements that appear in the Star: "A man to grease wagons, $3 per day; colored laborer, $3 per day; colored boy, 17 years of age, $2.75 a day; two hands to work around truck farm, $40 a month with board and room; laborers wanted, $3.33 for 9 hours' work; experienced waitresses, $2 per day, including meals; steno grapher, $25 a week," etc. You gentlemen know what the situation is in this town. Mr. MONDELL. These increases that you are proposing to make, if the increased sum is granted, run from $24 to $225 per annum? DI. HALL. Yes, sir. Mr. MONDELL. However, there are only eight that are above $120 per annum? Dr. HALL. Yes, sir. Mr. MONDELL. Which is the increase provided by the general enactment? Dr. HALL. Yes, sir. If the $120 per annum was made to apply to all of our employees we would be very glad to have that. That would make an increase in our expenses of about $7,000. Mr. MONDELL. What would you prefer, a general increase of $120 per annum or the increase you are asking? Dr. HALL. We would be very glad to have that, only it would have to be specific. I would rather have the $120 all around. That would not mean that everyone would get it, because I think so far as the law has been enacted that no one shall get more than 30 per cent increase. Mr. MONDELL. You have some such cases? Dr. HALL. Yes, sir. The domestics would get very much less than $120. The proper increase in the wages of the domestics would be $3 or $4 a month, as they have recently received increases. The total of increases if the $120 were put in as it is now, provided in other bills would be about $7,000. Mr. BYRNES. Under the proposal that you have submitted you have endeavored to place the increase where you deem it wise that that the increase should be given? Dr. HALL. Yes, sir. Mr. BYRNES. The flat increase of $120 would not do as much Justice as you think this would? Dr. HALL. It would do some good to the people who got it. Mr. BYRNES. But some people who are not entitled to it would get it? Dr. HALL. I dislike to say that. I made out my list because I wanted to show you what we could best do with the $4,500 increase in salaries. Mr. BYRNES. You intended to place the increase where you thought it wise and where it was most deserved? Dr. HALL. Yes, sir. Mr. BYRNES. I notice that you have one professor at $3,000. Dr. HALL. Yes, sir. He was living outside of the institution and was not getting house rent. Those getting $2,400 have house rent. Mr. BYRNES. You have now the professor who is drawing $3,000? Dr. HALL. Yes, sir. He has just moved to the institution, and his salary will be reduced a certain amount so as to bring it down. Mr. BYRNES. To bring it down to an equality with the others. Dr. HALL. No; it will not go down to the others. There is an agreement that board or house rent is worth $300. Mr. BYRNES. If you take off $300, his salary will be $2,700? Dr. HALL. Yes, sir; that is what he will get. That professor I got from an institution that was paying him $2,000 and all living expenses for himself and family of six. That is why he is getting more than the others. Mr. BYRNES. For the housekeeping department you estimate an increase of $6,000? Dr. HALL. $6,000 more for coal, food, etc., which is not more than we are really spending this year. You have already given us $6,000 more as a deficiency item. We are not asking any more for such expenses. We are really asking simply for $4,500 increase for salaries. I should be very much pleased to have the increase made specific, because the Comptroller of the Treasury has already told me informally that otherwise it will not be of help to us. General legislation on supply bills will not do this. Mr. MONDELL. If you were granted the sum, you could make the increases? Dr. HALL. Yes, sir; or if a specific provision was put in saying that a flat raise should apply to our employees. REPAIRS TO BUILDINGS. Mr. BYRNES. "For repairs to buildings of the institution" you are asking $6,000, which is the same amount as last year? Dr. HALL. Yes, sir. Mr. BYRNES. You spend that amount every year? Dr. HALL. Yes, sir. As you realize, that is really not as much from year to year as it used to be, on account of the rise in prices of labor and material. Mr. BYRNES. You are asking for some new legislation, that the number of beneficiaries be increased from 100 to 125. Dr. HALL. I should be glad to see that done. Mr. BYRNES. Why? Dr. HALL. The last increase was made 18 years ago, in 1900, when the number was raised from 60 to 100. The last three or four years there has been a larger number of applicants for these scholarships, and deserving applicants, than the full number. Mr. BYRNES. How many have you this year? Dr. HALL. We filled them up to 100 last fall, but they drop out occasionally during the year. We have 95, I think, on the list right now. Mr. BYRNES. Do you apportion them evenly among the States? Dr. HALL. The law provides that no one shall be granted a free scholarship from a State that has already three on the rolls, when that will exclude anyone from a State having less than three. Mr. MONDELL. What is that provision, what does the scholarship provide? Dr. HALL. Students do not pay anything in the way of tuition, board, lodging, ordinary medical attention, and laundry, but they buy ti eir own cloth irg, pay for car fare, books, and so forth. They receive ordinary medical attention, but not the services of experts or specialists. We have a regular physician. Mr. BYRNES. What is the age limit for these beneficiaries? |