DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY APPROPRIATION BILL FOR 1949 70546 HEARINGS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EIGHTIETH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON THE CIVIL FUNCTIONS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations ROBERT P. WILLIAMS, Administrative Assistant, Editor UNITED STATES WASHINGTON: 1948 COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS JOHN TABER, New York, Chairman RICHARD B. WIGGLESWORTH, Massachusetts CLARENCE CANNON, Missouri CHARLES A. PLUMLEY, Vermont FRANCIS CASE, South Dakota H. CARL ANDERSEN, Minnesota LOWELL STOCKMAN, Oregon JOHN PHILLIPS, California ERRETT P. SCRIVNER, Kansas CHARLES R. ROBERTSON, North Dakota FREDERIC R. COUDERT, JR., New York CLIFF CLEVENGER, Ohio LOUIS LUDLOW, Indiana JOHN H. KERR, North Carolina J61 CIVIL FUNCTIONS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY Аб HEARINGS CONDUCTED BY THE SUBCOMMITTEE, MESSRS. ALBER MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 1948. CEMETERIAL EXPENSES, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY STANDARD CLASSIFICATION SCHEDULE Mr. ENGEL. We will take up this morning hearings on the civil functions bill of the Department of the Army appropriation for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1949. GENERAL STATEMENT General LARKIN. Mr. Chairman, the submission of the estimate to cover the requirements of the civil functions of the Quartermaster General for the fiscal year 1949 is in two sections. The first section represents the funds needed for the operation and maintenance of national cemeteries and includes the estimated cost of the establishment of a national cemetery on the island of Guam. The second section concerns the funds required to continue the work of the evacuation and return of World War II deceased through the fiscal year 1949. OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF NATIONAL CEMETERIES The estimate for the appropriation, "Cemeterial expenses, Department of the Army," for fiscal year 1949 amounts to $7,077,355. This estimate is divided into four major projects as follows: (1) Procurement of headstones, $2,997,888; (2) construction, $2,344,467; (3) utilities, service, and maintenance of buildings and grounds, $835,000; (4) operating expenses, $900,000. Compared to the estimate for fiscal year 1948, the requirements for fiscal year 1949 reflect an increase of $2,886,968. Additional headstone requirements and an increase in price of approximately $3.50 per headstone amount to $1,338,921. ↑ An increase of $180,048 is due to transportation costs of the additional headstones, increased freight rates, and additional travel of headstone inspectors. area. There is an increase of $1,160,027 in the construction project, of which $815,402 is for the establishment of a new cemetery in Guam. The construction of this cemetery is essential in order to provide a final resting place for approximately 9,500 remains from the Pacific A total of approximately 83,000 remains have been recovered in the Pacific area and, at the request of the next of kin, 48,400 are to be returned to the United States and the remainder of 34,600 are to be buried overseas. In order to provide sufficient burial space and to reduce transportation costs, it has been decided that those remaining overseas will be interred at Guam, Hawaii, and in the Philippine Islands. The site selected at Guam has been approved by the Army, Navy, and Air Force authorities. An increase of $344,625 is required for special projects of deferred maintenance which are essential in continuing the long-range programs for the maintenance of various national cemeteries. An increase of $213,461 in utilities, service, maintenance, and operating expenses is due to increases in prevailing wage rates and to increased prices for fuels and utilities. In addition, the increase in size of the majority of cemeteries makes necessary the hire of 22 additional personnel to meet the over-all expansion. Cemetery occupancy has expanded from 386,831 grave sites on June 30, 1940, to 451,989 grave sites occupied on December 31, 1947, with an anticipated occupancy of approximately 500,000 sites by June 30, 1949. Thus, it will be noted that the interments during the 18 months' period subsequent to December 31 amounted to 75 percent of the interments for the 7 years prior to that date. There is no provision in this section of the estimate for the evacuation and return of World War II deceased from overseas. |