than one at a time with the herd you have here, I do not see why you need four. General LOUGHRY. I might say the two bulls we have recently purchased-when I say "recently," I mean in the last couple of years are for the purpose of preventing in-breeding. We purchased them from a different herd. Mr. SCRIVNER. Has the man in charge of the herd ever discussed with you the matter of possibly just having a fee service? General LOUGHRY. No. Mr. SCRIVNER. Or, as far as that goes, has he discussed with you the practicability and advisability of artificial insemination? General LOUGHRY. No; that matter has never come up. Mr. SCRIVNER. Well, it might be a good place to talk about it; because in neither one of those cases do you have to maintain the animals themselves, which constantly eat their heads off. And around here, if I am correctly informed, there are any number of very good herds with very fine blooded bulls that are at service. General LOUGHRY. I will look into the matter. I might say we are in contact from time to time with people from the Department of Agriculture; perhaps they can advise us about it. FUNERAL EXPENSES Mr. ENGEL. The next project is "Funeral expenses," where the amount of the estimate is a little below the appropriation last year. General LOUGHRY. There is a decrease of $220 because of the procurement of fewer caskets. Mr. ENGEL. How many deaths have you had at the home during the last year? General LOUGHRY. In fiscal year 1947, we had 85. Mr. ENGEL. How does that compare with former years? Mr. ENGEL. How was the health last year of the members of the home compared to former years? General LOUGHRY. I do not think the situation has changed very much. About the same percentage of total members are in the hospital as heretofore. GUARDS AND POLICE PROTECTION Mr. ENGEL. The next is project 12, "Guards and police protection"; the same amount as you have this year. General LOUGHRY. $14,616; no change. HEAT, LIGHT, AND POWER Mr. ENGEL. Under the next head, "Heat, light, and power," for 1949 you ask for $200,848 compared to $226,095 for 1948. Is that reduction due to nonrecurring items? General LOUGHRY. This project is connected with other projects, and I think I might as well set forth the situation at this time. For the fiscal year 1948 $150,000 was appropriated for the construction of an extension to the laundry. That was based on an estimate prepared over a year ago by the Office of Chief of Engineers. When it came to the actual construction in 1948, we found we needed not $150,000 but $275,000. The amount set up for the extension of the laundry was entirely inadequate. There is in the present power plant, which is in the same building as the laundry, a number of turbogenerators for the production of direct-current electricity. After consultation with the Office of the Chief of Engineers and representatives of the district engineer, we are going to use $50,000 of that $150,000 for the construction of a smaller addition to the present laundry than was anticipated, so as to provide a lunch room and toilet facilities, and so forth. Then we are going to bring in alternating current so that the laundry can use the room now occupied by the turbogenerators. That will cost $25,000. $10,000 will be used for knocking down the dividing wall between the present laundry and the room occupied by the turbogenerators. Part of that $150,000 will be used for the installation of new laundry equipment and part for increased prices of laundry equipment we are going to procure. With that as a general background, there are to be dropped in the fiscal year 1949, because of the elimination of the turbogenerators, one assistant engineer and two other positions-an assistant engineer and a fireman. So the amount requested in personnel under this project is about $2,500 less than last year. The next material change is in item 05. Under item 05, we are asking for $22,000 as against $5,000 in 1948. As set forth in the first paragraph, $1,000 will be used for gas consumption, $6,000 for alternating current that we will purchase from the local power company for machines already installed, and then, for the purchase of alternating current power in connection with the contemplated complete transfer of installations of the home to alternating current, $15,000. In other words, we are going to use alternating current for lighting purposes and will continue to use fuel oil for heating purposes. FUEL OIL General LOUGHRY. The next major change is under item 08, for fuel oil. We have heretofore and for several years past asked for 40,000 barrels each year, and the consumption has run pretty close to that. This year we are asking for only 36,000 barrels as against 40,000 that we got last year, and the price is about the same. So that there is a reduction in the component 08 of $9,000. Mr. ENGEL. You buy your oil wholesale, do you not? General LOUGHRY. We get it through the Procurement Division of the Treasury. Mr. ENGEL. Do you know how much they pay per gallon? General LOUGHRY. This estimate is based, as indicated under item 08, on $2.77 per barrel. Mr. ENGEL. For a 55-gallon barrel? Mr. MARLOW. For a 42-gallon barrel. Mr. ENGEL. How much is that a gallon? Mr. MARLOw. It is 6.6 cents per gallon. Mr. ENGEL. The reason I am asking is I think the increased price of fuel oil for homes in Washington and other places certainly has not been justified. General LOUGHRY. We are asking for 36,000 barrels at an estimated price of $2.77. The price in 1947 was $2.73. Mr. ENGEL. In other words, the only increase this year over last year is 4 cents a barrel? General LOUGHRY. Four cents a barrel over 1947. Mr. ENGEL. That is approximately one-tenth of a cent a gallon for a 42-gallon barrel; is that right? Mr. MARLOW. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. And here they have been increasing the price of fuel oil in the District of Columbia how much per gallon? I think that is a very good illustration of why the high cost of living. HOSPITAL Mr. ENGEL. Take up the next project, No. 14, for the hospital. General LOUGHRY. This is a project that needs a good deal of explanation. In my opening statement, I said in the project for the bospital there was an increase of $107,888 to provide for the increased number of attendants so as to have a 40-hour week and an increase of salaries of attendants in order to bring them more nearly in line with those of the Veterans' Administration employees, and for the increased cost of medical, surgical, and dental supplies. Mr. ENGEL. Are you able to use any members of the home as employees in these hospitals? General LOUGHRY. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. Of course, you pay them for the service they render? General LOUGHRY. Yes, sir. Mr. PUGH. We have 40 members of the home today out of a total of 180. Mr. ENGEL. And that, of course, is on a voluntary basis? Mr. PUGH. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. Forty out of one hundred and eighty employees are members of the home? Mr. PUGH. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. And this amount is for the employees' wages and everything? Mr. PUGH. Yes, sir. General LOUGHRY. I believe you would understand the justifications more definitely if I point out that at the bottom of page 1032 the amount authorized for personal services in 1948, as indicated there, was $195,497, whereas the amount we are asking for personal services in 1949 is $289,732, or an increase of $94,235. We are asking for 34 new positions at the salaries indicated on page 1033. Mr. ENGEL. You have had heretofore only one physician, and you want two? General LOUGHRY. We are increasing the number of positions from 178 to 212-an increase of 34 new positions-as set forth on page 1033. Mr. ENGEL. You have there two physicians. Is that an additional position? General LOUGHRY. The estimates provide for one additional physician. You will notice at the bottom of that page, that one position now authorized is to be dropped. The position was never filled, incidentally. Of the total amount, $48,976 is for new positions. The justification of the new positions and increased salaries is given on page 1035 in the third paragraph, as follows: As a result of the low salaries and long hours, great difficulty is experienced in hiring qualified employees. About 32.75 percent of the employees at this hospital serve less than 3 months. From November 1, 1946, to June 30, 1947, the hospital hired 497 new employees, an average of 2.054 new employees per day. And in the first paragraph on that page is it stated: A survey of the salary situation of employees at this hospital as compared with other hospitals showed a similar size USVA hospital to be most nearly comparable. At the VA home at Bath, N. Y., the average annual salary per employee (not including doctors and nurses) is $2,047.04. The average annual salary at this hospital is $1,267.40. I might say the Bureau of the Budget went into this personnel situation very thoroughly. To repeat, the total amounts asked for 34 new positions and additional salaries are $48,976 and $45,256, respectively-a total of $94,232. Mr. ENGEL. That makes up your difference between the two appropriations? General LOUGHRY. Not altogether. We are asking for an increase for the hospital, as I stated, of $107,000. That accounts for $94,000. There is about $12,000 more requested, and as shown under item 09 on page 1037, that is to provide funds for the furnishing of dentures and spectacles to members of the home. There is an increase there of $1,736. Under item 08, "Supplies and materials," for surgical, medical, and dental supplies, household supplies, office supplies, and repairs to all classes of equipment, there is an increase of $9,000. The total increase in this project is $107,000. The reason for the increase under item 08 is the increased cost of supplies. EQUIPMENT Mr. ENGEL. Under item 09, "Equipment," you have $40,000. General LOUGHRY. The explanation is at the bottom of the page, as follows: On the recommendations of the Inspector General and Surgeon General, United States Army, on their inspections during 1947, a 3-year modernization program was initiated. The first part of this program was provided for in the fiscal year 1948 budget. It has now been determined to apportion the remaining two parts of the original 3-year program over a period of 3 years instead of 2 years. The first part of this program was provided for in 1948, the current fiscal year, when you gave us $42,054. Now we are asking for $40,000 based on what has really become a 4-year program, to provide new and modern equipment in the hospital. The equipment is very badly run down. This program, as stated, has the approval of the Inspector General and Surgeon General of the Army; also representatives of the Bureau of the Budget, who came out there personally and inspected the hospital last year. |