The expansion of the hospital will require the adjustment of certain facilities there, at an estimated cost of $145,000. A farm dormitory for civilian employees, $150,000. For electric utilities, $495,000; heating utilities, $587,000; water supply, $195,000; sanitary sewers, $145,000; storm sewers, $70,000, and site adjustment, $288,000, making a grand total of $10,076,000. EFFECT OF REDUCTION OF TRUST FUND Mr. ENGEL. Would you have adequate revenues to operate the home on the new basis if the trust fund were reduced from $23,000,000 down to approximately $13,000,000? General LOUGHRY. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. Of course, you are getting increased revenue annually because of the increased size of the Army, is that right? General LOUGHRY. That is right. As to what that increased revenue will be in the future is uncertain, depending on the size of the Regular Army. ANNUAL INCOME TO TRUST FUND Mr. ENGEL. How much do you get a month out of the Regular Army; it is so much a soldier, is it not? General LOUGHRY. We are getting about $7,000,000 a year from all sources. Mr. ENGEL. Yes, a year, but it is 10 cents a month for each soldier, is that right? General LOUGHRY. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. That amounts to $7,000,000 a year? General LOUGHRY. The anticipated receipts from withheld pay for the fiscal year 1948 is estimated to be about $1,000,000. It is estimated that receipts from all sources will be about $7,000,000. Mr. ENGEL. Just insert a copy of that in the record at this point and then comment on it. (The matter referred to is as follows:) Estimated credits to the permanent fund, U. S. Soldiers' Home, fiscal year 1948 Estimated balance in permanent fund June 30, 1948Estimated net increase during fiscal year 1948... 70546-48- -9 $5, 000, 000. 00 320, 000. 00 16, 000. 00 400. 00 4, 400. 00 989, 520. 00 7, 000. 00 23, 000. 00 62, 000. 00 750, 000. 00 7, 172, 320. 00 22, 001, 350. 72 7, 172, 320. 00 29, 173, 670. 72 2, 410, 100. 00 26, 763, 570. 72 4, 762, 220. 00 Mr. ENGEL. How does that compare with the amount of income that you received from those same sources in 1939 when the Army was down lower? Can you insert that in the record? General LOUGHRY. Yes, sir. (The matter referred to is as follows:) Credits to the permanent fund, U. S. Soldiers' Home, fiscal year 1939 ADEQUACY OF TRUST FUND TO FINANCE IMPROVEMENTS Mr. ENGEL. If the Congress should appropriate this $10,000,000 for the improvements required to take care of the increased load expected in the next 10 years would you have enough revenues from the present sources to take care of the future requirements of the home, for the various items that you need to operate that home? General LOUGHRY. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. Out of the revenues that come in? General LOUGHRY. Yes sir, out of revenues that would be available to the home. Mr. ENGEL. From courts martial fines and forfeitures and these other things? General LOUGHRY. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. What I am trying to point out is that not one dollar of the cost of the operation of the Soldiers' Home comes out of the taxpayers of America. It is entirely self-sustaining and the construction comes out of trust funds now held by the Soldiers' Home, and if we expand the home to take care of the new load the future revenues will take care of that financial load, is that right? General LOUGHRY. That is correct. Mr. ENGEL. Do you want to ask any questions, Mr. Tibbott? Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Norrell. Mr. NORRELL. I have no questions, except I think they. are doing a marvelous job over there. TUBERCULOSIS HOSPITAL Mr. ENGEL. Now we will take up the first project, "Tuberculosis hospital." The estimated obligations for the fiscal year 1948 are $16,832, and you are asking for $18,985 in 1949, with an increase of $1,960 for travel. Will you justify that increase? General LOUGHRY. If I may compare it with 1947 which is known data, we transported 18 people in 1947, and in the fiscal year 1949 we will transport 12. In 1947 we transported six attendants, and in 1949 we will transport five attendants. The amount expended for travel in the fiscal year 1947 was $2,758, which has been reduced to $1,960 in the current estimate. Mr. ENGEL. Then there is actually no increase over 1947? OTHER CONTRACTUAL SERVICES Mr. ENGEL. What about other contractual services, $17,025? General LOUGHRY. As stated in the justifications that amount is for the support of the members at $3 per day at the Fitzsimons General Hospital in Denver, and the estimates are prepared annually on the average for the three preceding years. Mr. ENGEL. These members of the Soldiers' Home are sent to the Fitzsimons General Hospital at Denver, Colo., for care and treatment and the cost of that care and treatment comes out of this fund? General LOUGHRY. It is paid by the Soldiers' Home. Mr. ENGEL. That is right. Mr. TIBBOTT. Is Fitzsimons General Hospital a Governmentowned hospital? General LOUGHRY. It is an Army hospital for tubercular patients. ST. ELIZABETHS HOSPITAL Mr. ENGEL. The next item is "St. Elizabeths Hospital." The estimate for 1948 is $29,792, and the amount requested for 1949 is $28,470. I do not think you need to comment on that. General LOUGHRY. There is a reduction there. This estimate is based on 20 patients. The 1948 estimate was based on 22 patients. It is an arithmetical calculation. Mr. ENGEL. In other words, you pay a certain amount per day per patient? General LOUGHRY. Yes, sir. OUTDOOR RELIEF Mr. ENGEL. The next item is "Outdoor relief." The estimate for 1948 was $1,736, and the amount requested for 1949 is the same. General LOUGHRY. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. And you have been operating it for some years? General LOUGHRY. That is right. There is no change from 1948. ADMINISTRATION Mr. ENGEL. The next is project 4, "Administration." You had $76,531 in 1948, and you are asking for $78,254 in 1949. General LOUGHRY. Which is an increase of less than $2,000. There is an increase of $915 for one telephone operator. We now have only three operators on duty. In order to provide for a 40-hour week, and to give the operators a reasonable amount of time off we are asking for one additional operator, so we shall have four instead of three. COMMUNICATION SERVICES In component 04, "Communication services," there is an increase of $300 which is largely for telephone calls and telegrams in connection with the acquisition of surplus property. PENALTY MAIL There is an increase of $300 for penalty mail. We have to buy our franked envelopes now instead of getting them free. PRINTING AND BINDING Under 06, "Printing and binding," there is an increase of $175. The increase of $175 in this component is due to the fact that a new cash book will be required in the fiscal year 1949 at a cost of approximately $100, and to the increased cost of printing and binding. OTHER CONTRACTUAL SERVICES There is a decrease under 07, "Other contractual services." SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS Mr. ENGEL. All right; what about 08, "Supplies and materials"? General LOUGHRY. There is an increase there of $100 over 1948. The total of these items is $1,270. Last year for the same project we got $1,170, or $100 less. Mr. ENGEL. The increase, I suppose, is due to the increase in cost? General LOUGHRY. Yes, $100. AMUSEMENTS AND RECREATION Mr. ENGEL. Project 5, "Amusements and recreation". You had $15,469 in 1948, and you are asking for $22,714 in 1949. General LOUGHRY. The amount required for personnel is precisely the same. There is an increase of $612 to provide a movie on Sunday night at the moving picture theater. Mr. ENGEL. You say so that a complete show may be presented in each theater on Sunday. How many theaters do you have out there? General LOUGHRY. We have one theater for the post at large, and one theater at the hospital. Mr. ENGEL. You have two theaters there? General LoUGHRY. Yes. Mr. ENGEL. And this provides for both? General LOUGHRY. Yes. At the present time we are providing for three shows, insofar as the appropriation is concerned, three movies at the general theater, four a week at the hospital, and this $612 will permit us to have a fourth movie at Stanley Hall weekly. OTHER CONTRACTUAL SERVICES Mr. ENGEL. Now take up 07, other contractual services. General LOUGHRY. We are asking for $3,000, for decreasing the acoustical faults that now exist in the moving-picture theater. Mr. ENGEL. Some of these older people cannot hear very well, I presume? General LOUGHRY. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. Do you have any facilities for those people who cannot hear very well, such as hearing aids? I have seen them in various churches at times, little earphones that they can listen through. General LOUGHRY. We have not provided them in the moving picture theatre. Patients at the hospital who are hard of hearing have radio earphones. Mr. ENGEL. That takes care of it? General LOUGHRY. This will improve the situation. Mr. ENGEL. Proceed. EQUIPMENT General LOUGHRY. Under component 09, we have $4,500 for equipment, an increase of $2,750. We propose to install 100 upholstered metal chairs and 50 smoking stands in the card room. The The other items total $1,800. They are for the hobby shop. hobby shop has been established within the past year, and in the fiscal year 1947 you gave us the money to purchase the original equipment. The hobby shop was finally established as a going concern last summer, and it has been doing very well. The results are encouraging. It is surprising the talent that has been discovered in the home for making all kinds of articles, carvings out of wood, painting, and making dolls, and so forth. At the present time the average number of men who work for several hours a day is about 20. We are asking for $1,800 for additional equipment. BAND Mr. ENGEL. Project 6 is for the band. The estimate for 1948 was $28,915, and the amount requested for 1949 is $26,900. General LOUGHRY. There is a decrease from $28,915 in 1948, the current year to $26,900. The reason for the decrease is because we bought uniforms and musical instruments for the band during the fiscal year 1948 and which we shall not do next year. CLOTHING Mr. ENGEL. Project 7, "Clothing": There is a decrease there from $64,293 in 1948 as against $59,202 requested in 1949. General LOUGHRY. The total amount for clothing under component 08 is $47,992, as opposed to $53,843 which we received in 1948, or a reduction of nearly $6,000. The number of articles to be issued, |