necessary to expend this amount next year in order to eliminate the excessive grime and dust at present being introduced into the rooms from the air-conditioning ducts, so as properly to protect the walls, ceilings, woodwork, and furnishings in the rooms through out the building. The system has been in operation since 1938, and the accumulation of grime and dust in the ducts is a normal development after 8 years of operation. The cleaning requires physical contact with all inside duct surfaces. This is usually accomplished by wiping the inside of the ducts with rags, toweling, or brushes, wielded by hand or by jointed rods, according to the spaces to be reached. The estimate is based on the cost of similar work done during the past year in the main Library of Congress Building. PAINTING REQUIREMENTS The second new item is $7,800 for painting. We have only been spending on an average of $750 a year for painting for the past 8 years, and when you consider that the pay of painters is $14.20 a day, it can readily be appreciated how little work can be done annually under such a small allotment. The building was last completely painted in 1937, and with the exception of the exterior woodwork, only minor touching up has been done since that time. The walls and ceilings of rooms and corridors have been cleaned and washed for the past several years and should be painted next summer for appearance and preservation of the building. The 1947 estimate provides $6,800 for painting (with 2 coats) 41 rooms, and the corridors, stairways, and lobbies; and $1,000 for painting the exterior woodwork (last completely painted in 1942). The only other items making up the 1947 estimate are the usual annual amounts of $1,800 for general annual repairs, and $700 for the maintenance of the air-conditioning system. Of the appropriation of $2,500 allowed for 1946, all but $121 was expended in the first 6 months of the fiscal year. CARE OF UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT BUILDING AND GROUNDS Mr. RABAUT. The next item we have is care of United States Supreme Court building and grounds and, without objection, we will insert page 1 in the record setting forth a summary of the estimate. (The matter above referred to is as follows:) RECONCILIATION OF ESTIMATE TO CURRENT APPROPRIATION Care of U. S. Supreme Court Building and grounds, 1947 1946 appropriation in annual act Supplemental appropriation for 1946_. Total, appropriations for 1946_ Deductions_. $74, 800 74, 800 None 74, 800 Care of U. S. Supreme Court Building and grounds, 1947—Continued Additions: To restore veterans and other permanent employees to regu lar positions, incidental to the return of employees from Overtime pay, Public Law 106.. New grade rates, Public Law 106. $2, 820 Night-work differential, Public Law 106 11, 300 To cover 1946 within-grade promotions in 1947. 1, 000 1,766 27, 800 Mr. RABAUT. For 1946, you had the sum of $74,800 and the total estimate for 1947 is $102,600. Tell us about this item, Mr. Lynn. INCREASE FOR 1947 Mr. LYNN. The only increase asked under the estimate of $102,600 for 1947 is an increase of $27,800 in the item of personal services, and of that amount, $24,980 is required to meet in 1947 the cost of the Federal Employees Pay Act of 1945 (Public Law 106). As a similar amount is being asked for 1946 in a deficiency appropriation bill, the only increase really being asked for 1947 from a true point of comparison between the two fiscal years-1946 and 1947-is $2,820, which is needed to enable the filling on a full-year basis of all 35 positions authorized under the Architect of the Capitol for this building. RETURN OF PERSONNEL FROM THE ARMED SERVICES Eight employees on this roll were inducted into the military service during the war. Of that number, five have returned to duty during the past 6 months. The other three men are expected to return by the end of the fiscal year 1946, and it is necessary that an additional amount of $2,820 be appropriated for 1947 to carry the full force of 35 men. The services of 35 men, at an annual cost of $88,340, are required to carry on the work of this building properly, and the lack of a full force during the past several years has not only made itcessary to defer many items of routine maintenance work, but has also made it impossible to grant most of the men the amount of leave, annually, to which they are entitled by law, with the result that excess accumulations of leave are continuing to accrue. ANNUAL REPAIRS, PAINTING, ETC. Aside from the personal service item, the remainder of the 1947 estimate is made up of the usual annual amounts of $6,500 for general annual repairs; $2,000 for annual painting; $150 for snow removal; $5,000 for supplies and materials; and $610 for equipment. Mr. RABAUT. $2,820 is the increase over and above what the deficiency allowed? & Mr. HENLOCK. We are asking $88,340 for salaries for 1947, as compared to $60,540 allowed for 1946-an increase of $27,800. However, the 1946 appropriation contains no funds to cover the cost of Public Law 106 in 1946, as Public Law 106 was not enacted until after approval of the 1946 annual appropriation act. As Public Law 106 is expected to cost the same amount in 1946 as in 1947 and as a deficiency appropriation has already been requested to cover such cost in 1946 and is expected to be provided in the next deficiency appropriation bill, the only item of increase occurring in 1947 that is not also occurring in 1946 is an increase of $2,820. The increase of $2,820 is required to allow us to fill all 35 positions authorized by the committee for this building, on a full-year basis and to provide for the return of veterans who have reemployment rights. We have had eight men leave permanent positions on this force to enter the military service and, of those men, five have returned to duty in the first 6 months of the fiscal year 1946. Mr. RABAUT. And you lay some of the others off who are temporary? Mr. HENLOCK. As fast as our permanent employees return from military duty, we let the temporary men go. We have three more men with reemployment rights yet to return and, when they return, we will have our full quota of 35 men and will not be able to take care of them unless the additional amount of $2,820 requested, is allowed. Mr. RABAUT. Is that because the others have accumulated leave, or what is it? Mr. HENLOCK. It is because, during the war, the full amount normally required for personnel for this building was not appropriated, as it was recognized that we could not keep all of the positions authorized and required for this building filled continuously throughout the year so long as eight of our regular men were absent in the military service, not only because of acute manpower shortage in the skilled labor field, but also because of the low wages that we could pay under the Classification Act to laborers and mechanics. It was not only difficult to secure men to fill the military vacancies, but also to hold them for any length of time after we secured them. The only way we were able to keep the job going was because many of our mechanics cooperated by working long hours and by foregoing the use of annual leave to which the law entitled them. As a consequence, most of them have accumulated from 36 to 70 days backlog of leave. Mr. RABAUT. That is what I say; this comes under the head of leave and, when they have leave coming and you put the other fellows on, you are going to be short of money. Mr. HENLOCK. It is not to pay for accumulated leave, as most of the men who have accumulated large balances of leave are permanent employees who have been filling their own positions and not replacing men in the armed forces. I merely cited these facts to illustrate the abnormal conditions, we had to resort to, in order to get along during the war without the full force of 35 men. The three men still in the armed services are expected to be back on their jobs by the close of this fiscal year, and the $2,820 increase is necessary to carry the pay roll after their return. Mr. RABAUT. If there is nothing further, thank you, Mr. Lynn. INDEX Biggs, Hon. J., Jr... LIST OF WITNESSES INDEX 1 i Appeals, Court of, for the District of Columbia, repairs and improvements__ District of the United States for the District of Columbia, repairs and im- Page 10 5, 10 1 10 81 10 10 5 1 85 1 85 10 101 85 97 95 92 91 93 81 99 10 18 18 66 46 20 31 48 27 33 36 40 34 16 46 21 97 43 10, 69 105 |