Colonel MARSHALL. One of the difficulties, Mr. Chairman, is that if we came in and requested funds for 50 or 60 additional acres we would be subject to criticism for doing more than taking care of current needs. General LARKIN. And the committee has already suggested that we cut as much as possible. General HORKAN. Not to go too far in advance. PRELIMINARY PLANNING Mr. ENGEL. Let us take up the next item. Colonel MARSHALL. The next item appears on page 68, an item which has been developed for the purpose of providing funds in advance of the fiscal year in which we present the detailed requests for construction, which will allow us to pay the engineers and workmen to make detailed surveys for these cemeteries in order that we may present to this committee an accurate plan based on sight surveys. This is in part similar to that which is in this year's budget as a miscellaneous item. Mr. ENGEL. In other words, you want this $2,344,420 Colonel MARSHALL. No; that is an item listing the funds necessary for the fiscal year, but the amount for planning is $160,413. Mr. ENGEL. I see. Colonel MARSHALL. The $2,029,189 is the program we have outlined for 1950. In that program the total item of miscellaneous contingencies includes preliminary planning in the amount of $160,000, which we are requesting now in order that we may do the planning and complete the detail surveys in the fiscal year 1949 instead of waiting until we get the funds for the actual construction and start the planning then. Mr. ENGEL. In other words, what you want to do is to get this money and go out and make the surveys before you get the funds for construction. Colonel MARSHALL. Yes. Mr. ENGEL. Just like the engineers do before starting a project. Mr. ENGEL. In order to go out and make a survey of the proposed site and complete your study of it in advance of the appropriation requested. General LARKIN. Yes. It will enable us to more accurately present to you a program when we come up next year. Mr. ENGEL. That is, this would be the preliminary planning on projects which aggregate $2,029,189. General LARKIN. That is right. General HORKAN. It will save considerable money. Mr. ENGEL. Where are those projects listed as referred to here? Colonel MARSHALL. That is a misnomer. We do not have a list of the 1950 sites in this budget. Mr. ENGEL. Is there such a list? Colonel MARSHALL. We have it, and we could furnish it. Mr. ENGEL. In other words, this $2,184,007 is the total of the projects that have been discussed up to this point. Colonel MARSHALL. Yes. Mr. ENGEL. And in addition to that you are asking $160,413 for planning for next year. Colonel MARSHALL. Yes. Mr. ENGEL. Which all amounts to how much? General HORKAN. $2,029,189. Mr. NORRELL. Why are you asking for funds in this bill to be expended in 1950; is that not very unusual? Colonel MARHSALL. These funds will be expended in 1949 in order to make preliminary surveys and site surveys for projects which we expect to present in 1950. The difficulty at the present time is that we get the preliminary planning money as of the beginning of the year in which we expect to do the construction, at the same time we get the construction money. Mr. NORRELL. That is, the planning funds would be used in the next fiscal year. Colonel MARSHALL. That is correct. Mr. ENGEL. The difficulty as you have pointed out, is that in years past you have been getting the funds for planning at the same time the other money was being made available. Colonel HORKAN. That is right. Mr. ENGEL. The funds for advance planning requested here will enable you to complete your surveys in advance. You have had to do the planning at the same time the construction money was available. General LARKIN. That is exactly it. Mr. ENGEL. Whereas, if you can get the funds for planning in advance you can present your program based on studies that have been made and you will not be restricted necessarily to a program that has been outlined and adopted at the time the construction funds are made available. Colonel MARSHALL. Under the present system we must prepare the plans in the Office of the Chief Engineer based on certain standards. Mr. ENGEL. And if you should happen to come before the committee and justify that particular project and get the money for that particular project you are restricted to it; whereas under the proposed plan you can point out that over here is a site that has been studied and we think it is out and suggest this or the other site. Colonel MARSHALL. Yes. Mr. ENGEL. And you can do that in advance without confining your activities to any particular site, and you may come back and point difficulties that you might run into suggesting the necessity for changing sites. Colonel MARSHALL. Yes. That is one of the purposes of the expenditure. Mr. NORRELL. Now, Mr. Chairman, I have one other question. We have had national cemeteries for a long, long time in this country. I know that a certain amount of expansion is necessary, but now I am wondering when we may expect this item to be deleted from the bill. General LARKIN. The item of expansion? Mr. NORRELL. The item we are discussing here for advanced planning. Is that a recurring and continuing item from year to year down through the years? 70546-48- -6 Colonel MARSHALL. As long as the cemeteries expand, and as long as our demand for increased burial area is maintained we must continue to develop areas which have not been heretofore developed, and therefore we must plan for them. Mr. NORRELL. You have to have this program which has been already inaugurated for the expansion of cemeteries? Colonel MARSHALL. That is right. Mr. NORRELL. And this means additional surveys for additional expansion? Colonel MARSHALL. No, not necessarily. This $2,000,000 that we have planned for for 1950 is within our long-range program, and this $160,000 would be in the 1950 Budget as part of the miscellaneous items and contingencies, but by doing it this way we make the funds available in 1949 in order to present the committee with what we think to be a more comprehensive set of plans under the long-range program. Mr. NORRELL. I think this is one item, the expansion of national cemeteries, where certainly we ought to be able in the foreseeable future to eliminate it, because we have an adequate military cemetery program in this country. I do not believe you will ever use the space you have already. Nobody wants to object to any legitimate expense in the field of military cemeteries or national cemeteries, but we do want to move with some degree of conservatism and caution and be reasonable with the taxpayers of the country. That is all. UTILITY SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR OF BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS Mr. ENGEL. Now, you have here cemeterial expenses, War Department, utility service and maintenance and repair of buildings and grounds, project 311. You had $737,323 for 1948, and you are asking for $835,000 for 1949, or an increase of about $100,000. Colonel MARSHALL. Yes, sir; that is right. This project involves personal services for part-time employees who are employed in national cemeteries. As noted on page 70 there is temporary labor for maintenance of grounds, totaling 199 man-years. PERSONAL SERVICES Mr. ENGEL. Let us take up first personal services. You have here 284 positions and 269 man-years. Colonel MARSHALL. That is the total. Mr. ENGEL. That does not look like temporary employees when you have practically a man-year for every employee. Colonel MARSHALL. Well, our temporary labor for this year is going to be more or less permanent. Mr. ENGEL. And you have there approximately $2,000 per man, have you not? Colonel MARSHALL. Yes, sir; just about. That is the labor cost per man. Mr. ENGEL. Per man? Colonel MARSHALL. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. What are those, day laborers? Colonel MARSHALL. Yes, sir. Those are the laborers that are in the cemeteries for keeping the grounds up and for doing all the miscel laneous work that is necessary in the maintenance and operation of a cemetery. They are divided into three categories. As you will see on page 71 of the justifications, the first category is labor for maintenance of grounds. The next category is for filling sunken graves, resetting, alining and cleaning headstones, and the third one is for tree surgery, which is for the upkeep of all of the shrubbery and trees, and so forth, in the cemeteries. Mr. ENGEL. Do you have outside tree surgeons come in to do that work? Colonel MARSHALL. We do very little of that type of work. Most of it is done by these people here. Mr. ENGEL. These same people? Colonel MARSHALL. Yes, sir. In certain instances, where we have a blight or something that we cannot handle ourselves we must bring in outside people, but otherwise we do it ourselves. Mr. ENGEL. Your work force does this surgery work? LIGHT, POWER, ELECTRICITY, AND WATER The next item is electric power, light and water service, in the total amount of $15,694. Mr. ENGEL. That is for all of the cemeteries? Colonel MARSHALL. That is for all of the cemeteries, yes, sir. This comprises a break-down of three items: Electric light for cemeteries, $3,152; electric power to run the pumping plants and watering systems and mechanical tools, $6,900; and water rent paid to municipalities amounts to $5,642. Mr. ENGEL. The first item, light, is for 38 of the existing cemeteries? Colonel MARSHALL. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. That is about $100 per year per cemetery, and the second item is for electric power for the operation of cemetery facilities? Colonel MARSHALL. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. For 26 cemeteries? Colonel MARSHALL. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. And the third item is water rent for 51 cemeteries? Colonel MARSHALL. Yes, sir; that is correct. Mr. ENGEL. For sprinkling, and so forth? Colonel MARSHALL. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. Proceed. REPAIR AND ALTERATION OF BUILDINGS, STRUCTURES, ETC. Colonel MARSHALL. The next item is for the repair and alteration of buildings, structures, utilities and equipment and maintenance of grounds under contract in the amount of $274,913. GENERAL REPAIRS That is broken down into the item for buildings, amounting to $60,472. This is for the regular maintenance of existing buildings at an average price of about $193.20 per year per building. Colonel MARSHALL. The next item is for the repair of existing roads in the amount of $53,383, based on the average amount of repair for approximately 62 miles of road at approximately $861 a mile. The next item on page 76 is for the maintenance of water, sewerage, and drainage systems in all of the cemeteries in the amount of $15,617. Mr. ENGEL. Can you insert in the record the amount that has been paid on each of those items for last year? Colonel MARSHALL. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. Will you put that in the record when you revise your remarks? Colonel MARSHALL. Yes, sir; we will put that in the record. (The matter referred to is as follows:) Colonel MARSHALL. The next item is for general repairs to walls, fences, and gates, amounting to $29,880. Mr. ENGEL. In how many cemeteries? Colonel MARSHALL. In all 79 cemeteries, sir. Mr. ENGEL. Seventy-nine cemeteries? Colonel Marshall. Yes, sir. The next item is for the repair of flagstaffs, monuments, and tablets, in the amount of $17,264, which is also in all cemeteries. The next item is for the repair of cemeterial equipment, such as lawn mowers, tree sprayers, air compressors, and like articles, amounting to $15,823 for the year for 79 cemeteries. The total amount in the general repair project is $192,439. Mr. ENGEL. As compared to how much last year; do you have that figure? Colonel MARSHALL. $140,000. MINOR ALTERATIONS AND REPAIRS The next number of items are for minor repairs to buildings and accessories at certain cemeteries, in line with the over-all program of doing so much repair work per year. This is in the total amount of $52,050. The first is for general repairs to lodge and office building at Beverly National Cemetery in New Jersey in the amount of $2,650. The second item is for repairs to the enclosing wall of the Cold Harbor National Cemetery, Va., $3,000. |