else is 9 feet square. For example, when we go out at night we have to move our furniture around so the watchman can get to the box for his signals and then move it back again in the morning, and that is practically the condition all through the survey. It is also a question of light as much as space. The building has been added to and added to as our needs have grown, and every time they have added to the building they have simply closed what were a lot of good windows in a very little area space or well, so that in many cases it is more a question of light than it is of space; that is, in some of our largest rooms, where we could put four or five people, there will be just one little window, probably looking out on a well, so that a large proportion of the rooms now have to use artificial light all the time or a good share of the time. What we hoped was that we could get additional room enough to put the topographic branch out of our present building. They are occupying now about 16,000 square feet, and probably 18,000 square feet will take care of any increase there might be for two or three years. At present we have part of them over in the Munsey Building. The item for $2,500 is for rent of additional rooms in the Munsey Building, and that is a rather inconvenient and expensive proposition, and we would like to have them all in one place, because as it is now they have a little wire runway for sending packages and maps back and forth, and the separation interferes a great deal with their work. Mr. JOHNSON. In the event we allowed you $13,000 more than you now have, have you a building in mind you could get for that sum? Mr. ASHLEY. We have two or three. There are two buildings, one on G Street and one on F Street-the Epiphany Building and the Glover Building. The rent of the Epiphany Building is $9,000 and the Glover Building is $6,500. These separately, however, would not give us all the space we would like to have. Mr. JOHNSON. What is the floor space in each of those buildings? Mr. ASHLEY. In the Epiphany Building 15,000 square feet and in the Glover Building 9,000 square feet. Mr. JOHNSON. Have you made any calculation as to what that is per square foot? Mr. ASHLEY. The Epiphany Building would be between 60 and 70 cents and the Glover Building about the same. Mr. JOHNSON. Are those buildings equipped with elevators? Mr. ASHLEY. Both of them include light and elevator. Of course, we get our present building very cheap, but we have to supply heat, light, elevator service, janitor service, and everything. We get our present building at 31 cents a foot, including the basement and the annex, where the engraving and printing is done, and which is the worst congested part of the office. Mr. JOHNSON. How expensive is it for you to move your force and your equipment? Mr. ASHLEY. If we were to move the topographic branch, they are largely a field force, and the cost would not be, I should think, over a few hundred dollars-$500, probably. Mr. JOHNSON. The reason I ask you that question is that the Government owns two or three squares of buildings just north of B Street, and I wondered if we might not use some of those buildings for your purposes. Mr. ASHLEY. Is there space enough there for the whole survey or just for one division? Mr. JOHNSON. I noticed five or six buildings on one short street, between B and C Streets on New Jersey Avenue, all vacant. Mr. ASHLEY. I certainly would be glad to get into anything of that kind, because we are not wedded to the building we are in at all. and I think that will be well worth looking into. Mr. GILLETT. How much additional space do you need? Mr. ASHLEY. We would like to have about 18,000 square feet. Mr. GILLETT. You mean you can use that much additional space now? Mr. ASHLEY. Yes, sir. If we had that we would give up about 2,000 square feet we now have in the Munsey Building. About 15,000 or 16,000 square feet is what we need in addition to what we have. What has been in those vacant buildings you speak of? Mr. JOHNSON. The Government condemned them, and in the course of time we are going to tear them down, but it may be three or four or five years, and in the meantime the people who occupied them have moved out. Mr. ASHLEY. To move the whole survey the proportionate cost would run a good deal more than what I stated, because when you came to move the specimens, and all that sort of thing, it would be very heavy work. Mr. GILLETT. Do your different departments need to be close together? Mr. ASHLEY. Not necessarily; but, of course, it is an advantage. Mr. JOHNSON. It may be you can find all the buildings you want over there, or it may be you can find something that will suit you for this additional space, and if you can, it will be that much saved. Mr. ASHLEY. Yes, sir; that is true. NOVEMBER 25, 1912. MY DEAR MR. COURTS: I inclose herewith for the information of the committee, in connection with the estimates for the Geological Survey, memorandum by the acting director of the survey relative to the property owned by the Government north of the Capitol, and report received a day or two ago from the Bureau of Public Health Service relative to the condition of the buildings now occupied by the survey. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, In connection with the hearing this morning before the Appropriations Subcommittee, it was suggested that as the Geological Survey desired additional space and as the Government owns considerable property north of the Capitol, I investigate the availability of that property before they recommend an increased appropriation for rent near our present quarters. I find most of the property already rented, only two buildings being at all suitable for our purpose. Of these, I learned that the "Senate Annex," on the corner of New Jersey Avenue and B Street, has been condemned by Mr. Wood on account of structural weakness and would not therefore be available. I examined the Washington Inn, 226 North Capitol Street. This building has about 65 rooms, most of them in the form of hotel bedrooms of rather small size. A rough calculation gave a floor area of about 10,000 square feet. Light is abundant, but the building is not wired for electricity, the smokestack will need to be replaced, and I judge that in general the building would require repairs to the extent of two or three thousand dollars, at the very least, to put it in proper condition for the use of the survey. Further, it appeared that there might be question as to the floors being strong enough to bear the weight of maps and other material which would be taken there by the topographic branch, if that branch were moved into those quarters. The building is listed to rent at $2,000 per year. There would be, in addition, the cost of heating, lighting, janitor service, elevator service, watchmen, etc. As the topographic branch now occupies over 15,000 square feet of floor space and needs 18,000, and as its members are in daily consultation with the other members of the survey, considering the very temporary character of the building, its nonfireproof construction and doubtful strength, and its distance from the rest of the survey, I am inclined to recommend that the suggestion of the committee be reported as not feasible and that we return to our first proposition of asking for $50,000 for rent for the Geological Survey. GEO. H. ASHLEY, Acting Director. REPORT ON SANITARY CONDITION OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BUILDINGS. The SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR TREASURY DEPARTMENT, BUREAU OF PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, OFFICE OF THE SURGEON GENERAL, (Through the Secretary of the Treasury). SIR: In accordance with Executive Order No. 1498, of March 15, 1912, I have caused an inspection to be made of the sanitary and hygienic conditions in the buildings occupied by the Geological Survey, the Bureau of Mines, and the Reclamation Service. I have the honor to report that this inspection was made by Passed Asst. Surg. B. S. Warren, who submitted the following report: Geological Survey.-This building is old and not constructed on modern sanitary plans, and in its present overcrowded state it is impossible to keep it in a sanitary condition; the cost of the labor is prohibitive. Overcrowding.-In many parts of the building the overcrowding is extreme, as the following figures will show : The above figures were taken as a sample of conditions as they exist throughout many of the rooms. For several years the director has been trying to obtain suitable quarters, and has reported this overcrowding in his annual report in which he has called attention to the lowering of the efficiency of the men. Fortunately, for part of the year these men are detailed on field duty and live in the open air for from five to seven months. However, a man working for half the year in an air space of over 300 square miles of a sparsely settled country naturally suffers when confined for the winter in 300 cubic feet. Not only do they suffer for lack of air space for themselves, but for room for their books, papers, specimens, etc., to such a degree that loss of efficiency is reported from this cause. Ventilation. It is impossible to properly ventilate the cell-like rooms in which many of the men work. It is true that each small room has a window, but in many instances this opens upon an air well which is not properly ventilated. To change the air in these rooms often enough to supply 1.800 cubic feet per hour would require a change from five to six times per hour, and would create such a draft that no one could be expected to sit in it. In all rooms except the laboratories ventilation depends upon windows and doors, and in many cases these open on spaces which are not properly ventilated. In some rooms the window space is not sufficient. The laboratories are equipped with hoods supplied with an exhaust to carry off fumes through a flue opening in the roof. However, the odor of chemicals was very pronounced. In one laboratory room the odor of illuminating gas was noted, probably due to leaking from old gas pipes and fixtures. The latter odor was usually present, according to one employee working in one of the laboratories. Lighting.—In many rooms the natural and artificial lighting are both insufficient. The window space is not sufficient in some of these rooms; in others they open on poorly lighted air wells. In one room an adding machine could not be used except on bright days on account of poor lighting. In many rooms the character of artificial lighting is bad. It consists of low candlepower individual desk lights so shaded that the balance of the room is very dark. Heating system. This is by direct method from steam radiators. plaint was made of insufficient heating. No com Plumbing, toilets, sinks, etc.-There are only two toilet rooms, one for men and one for women. They are located on the third floor. Workmen were just going over the woodwork with white enamel paint. The floor and fixtures are modern and well kept. Except for the inconvenience of location for many of the employees, the toilets are probably sufficient. Dirty roller towels were noted in toilet rooms. Many sinks that are old and poorly kept were noted throughout the building. Water suppy.-City water is supplied in sanitary coolers with only few exceptions, and requisitions were to be made to replace those of insanitary type. No common drinking cups were noted on any of the coolers; on some coolers a circular letter order abolishing the common drinking cup was posted. Cleanliness.-The cost of labor required for the proper cleaning of this building is prohibitive. Cases, desks, books, papers, specimens, field equipment, material collected from the field, etc., fill all the space to overflowing; the halls have been taken for cases and little of this space is left. In a few of the rooms the occupants themselves keep everything neat and in. order so that the cleaners could clean readily; consequently these particular rooms were clean. This is a personal question, but it is believed that the increased efficiency of a man working in a room properly kept would probably compensate for the time spent to keep it so. It is true that it is economy to employ cheap labor for cleaning, but no laborer, nor anyone else except the geologists themselves, can clean parts of these rooms; others would disarrange things to such extent that the geologists would object. It was stated that in the case of some it would only take two or three weeks for a room properly cleaned to drop back to present conditions. As stated above, the overcrowding is extreme, and this adds much to the difficulties of cleaning-in fact, makes proper cleaning impossible with the present force. The only remedy is more room. The director estimates that 50 per cent more space would be sufficient. This estimate is very modest, and the additional room is needed by the present force. With a few exceptions, the rooms have about the same general appearance. The floors are old and hard to clean, but where they can be conveniently reached they are fairly well kept. The tops of cases, desks, and other furniture are piled up with sundry articles which have overflowed into every nook and corner and so litter the rooms that the present cleaning force is totally inadequate. Consequently dust settles over everything when disturbed by sweeping, and remains on articles not in constant use until the next annual cleaning, which is done just before the men return from field duty. Due to the dusty location on F Street, it is not many days before the dust accumulates again. The annex is a separate building connected by a bridge, and is so bad that no detailed description will be made; it is dark and dirty, and in no way suited for human beings to work in. In detail and as a whole it should be condemned for the purposes for which it is now used. The loft is especially insanitary. The rafters are so low that one must literally crawl through it. It can not be ventilated nor properly cleaned. The heat, odors, and stuffy atmosphere of parts of it are unendurable for any length of time. Only by a visit to it can one have an adequate idea of existing conditions, and apparently there is no remedy in sight; men must continue to work there or the work must be abandoned. In the loft where conditions are worst there are 10 men working. Special conditions noted.-Insanitary spittoons are in use throughout the buildings. The odors from the Ebbitt House kitchen are very disagreeable on the west side of the building. The plan of cutting very large rooms up into very small ones is to be condemned; they can not be properly ventilated, whereas the large space admits of changing air each hour, frequently enough to furnish the fresh air without too great draft. In lodging houses the city laws often prohibit the converting of large rooms into cell-like rooms, or require a space of 1 foot or more between floor and wall on all sides, and that the walls shall not extend to ceiling by several feet. If these men must have rooms for privacy, some such specifications as above described should be followed. As to the noise, it was noted that much noise came in from streets and that there was little in the room outside the small room. The basement of the main building has an old brick floor and is hard to keep clean. Here again crowding of stores, documents, etc., make cleaning impossible. The packing room under the F Street sidewalk has no outside opening and only one door opening into an unventilated room. This space should be abandoned for this use or any use; it is damp and moldy from leaks from sidewalk. Recommendations.-1. Do everything possible to get more room. 2. Abandon the annex building at the earliest possible date. If this can not be done within the next 12 months, the work done here should be discontinued until suitable quarters can be obtained. 3. Issue orders requiring occupants of rooms to keep same in such orderly condition that proper cleaning may be possible. 4. Replace the present spittoons with those of a sanitary pattern as soon as practicable and install a sanitary method of cleaning same. 5. Install dustless methods of cleaning as fast as practicable. 6. Provide linoleum for bad floors as fast as funds will permit. Respectfully, RUPERT BLUE, Surgeon General. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1912. POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT. STATEMENT OF MR. G. G. THOMSON, CHIEF CLERK. POSTMASTER GENERAL'S OFFICE. Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. Thomson, you represent the Postmaster General in this hearing? Mr. THOMSON. Yes, sir; the Postmaster General would be very glad to be here himself this morning, but he is unavoidably out of town. Mr. JOHNSON. You may make any statement you desire in a general way about the Postmaster General's office or any other office of the department. DISBURSING CLERK. Mr. THOMSON. The first change in the item under the office of the Postmaster General is in the office of the disbursing clerk. The Postmaster General has recommended an increase of $250 per year |