Statement showing administrative promotions made since June 30, 1935, under authority of sec. 24, Independent Offices Act, 1935-Continued

Statement showing administrative promotions made since June 30, 1935, under
authority of sec. 24, Independent Offices Act, 1935-Continued

STATEMENTS OF RICHARDSON SAUNDERS, ASSISTANT TO THE
SECRETARY, AND SAMUEL J. GOMPERS, CHIEF CLERK

Mr. MCMILLAN. We will take up next the contingent expense

item on page 9.

Mr. GOMPERS. I offer for the record the following justification:

INCREASE IN LIMITATIONS

Due to the increased activities of the Department and the lack of passenger-
carrying vehicles, the amount of $200 allotted for street-car fares was exhausted
shortly after the first half of the year, forcing the officers and employees to pay
their own travel expenses in the District of Columbia, or have it provided by their
superior officers. It is requested that the limitation on street-car fares be raised
from $200 to $400.

DAVIS-BACON ACT

To provide for the activities of the office in charge of the enforcement of the
Davis-Bacon Act, there is an increase requested for furniture, office machines,
communication service, reporting service, advertising, envelopes, and stationery
supplies. The estimate submitted was based upon 1 month's experience of the
needs of the Office of the Solicitor in administering the Davis-Bacon Act. It has
been found, after 3 months operation under this act, that there have been 350
cases submitted for adjudication during that period. Based on this experience,

it is estimated that the cost of advertising for the fiscal year 1937 will approximate $8,000, instead of the $500 previously estimated, and that the cost of stenographic reporting services at hearings will exceed $6,000, instead of the $5,340 previously estimated. The amounts to this act have placed heavy responsibility on the Department, and the material requested is needed to provide for the officials carrying out its provisions. (See justifications under "Personal services".)

RENTAL OF TABULATING MACHINES

The increase in this item is to cover the cost of machines required by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in carrying out its tabulation of retail price data. This is now being performed on equipment provided by the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, but this means will not be available during the fiscal year 1937.

OFFICE MACHINES

Additional computing machines and typewriters and replacement of obsolete machines are necessary so that the work of the Bureau of Labor Statistics shall not be hampered; and additional duplicating machinery and replacements are required in the office of the Secretary to meet the constantly increasing demands of the Department.

STREET-CAR FARES

Mr. MCMILLAN. Mr. Gompers, before taking up the items carried in the bill, I am going to ask you about the provision to strike out the figure $200 and to substitute $400 in lieu of it for street-car fares.

Mr. GOMPERS. Due to the isolated position of the Department, it being distant from the Capitol, the Library, and many other Government establishments, it is necessary to pay the car fare of messengers going on these trips. Some of them have to go two or three times a day. The Senator or Representative may want something from the Department, and want it quickly, and so a messenger is sent with it, and he will use the street cars.

As to the officials, they do not get any of this money; but have to pay taxi fares out of their own pockets. During the last 3 months of last year, we did not have any more money for carfare and it was up to the official, if he sent a messenger to the Capitol or elsewhere, to give him carfare out of his own pocket.

I really feel that $400 would hardly carry us, but want to keep within limits, and I feel that the increase is really necessary if we are going to keep the contacts and supply the services needed.

Mr. SAUNDERS. We have kept track of it for 2 years now, and we have found that it runs over $400, and the difference comes out of the pockets of the employees.

ITEMS OF INCREASE IN ESTIMATE

Mr. MCMILLAN. For the fiscal year 1936, Mr. Gompers, there was appropriated $95,000, and then later a supplemental appropriation of $5,500 was given to you. For the fiscal year 1937, there is recommended $120,000. This is an increase of $19,500 over the current appropriation, and I shall ask you to give me a break-down of these increases, and the justification for them.

Mr. GOMPERS. If you will note the combination of the 3 years as it appears, I think, on the next page of your copy of the bill, you will note that the increase for this year in general items is comparatively small. For instance, for envelopes we have to double the appropria

tion. That is caused by a large increase in activities. The various bureaus are extending their activities in carrying out the work, and that requires correspondence, which in turn requires envelopes, and we find that while we have here $1,200 for 1936, that is not going to be nearly enough.

Mr. MCMILLAN. Do you keep a daily check of all incoming and outgoing mail?

Mr. GOMPERS. Each bureau does, but in the office of the Secretary we do not keep that check, for the reason that a great deal of the mail received in this office is distributed to the bureaus for attention and these bureaus check it as their mail.

Mr. MCMILLAN. We find that in some of the other departments a daily check is kept of every piece of incoming and outgoing mail, and the increase of business is very conclusively reflected by that check of the correspondence.

Mr. GOMPERS. The Department keeps a close check on all of the mail, express, and freight shipped therefrom, the resulting figures showing a decided increase by years for the past 3 years. This, of course, reflects the increased activities of the Department.

Mr. SAUNDERS. May I state, in connection with that increase of $19,500 that has been referred to, that a substantial part, $13,940 is needed in order to carry out the provisions of the Bacon-Davis Act. The requests are coming in at the rate of 150 to 200 a month for predetermination of wages under the amended act, and that is one of the items that takes up most of the requested increase.

Our statement also shows an increase for the use of tabulating machines, to do the work that was formerly paid for by the Agricultural Adjustment Administration. This organization paid us approximately $5,500 a year for certain statistical work, and we had to have the machines for it. The actual increase in our request is $2,500, other than the increases made necessary by new legislation. This is due to the fact that the allotment authorized for carrying on the work required by the amendment to the Bacon-Davis Act provided $16,940 for items of this character during the fiscal year 1936. These items for the fiscal year 1937 must be paid from the general departmental appropriation for contingent expenses.

In other words, we are really asking for no increase in our contingent funds except those increases brought about through new legislation.

DISTRIBUTION OF ESTIMATE SHOWING INCREASES REQUESTED

Mr. MCMILLAN. And those increases are shown by this break-down of the items?

Mr. SAUNDERS. Correct. They are all included in those items. Mr. MCMILLAN. In view of your statement, it would be well to insert a table showing these items.

Mr. SAUNDERS. All right, sir; we will be pleased to do that.

54088-36-2

2

The break-down of the requirements of the Department of Labor payable from the appropriation for contingent expenses for the fiscal year 1937 as compared with 1936, is as follows:

The distribution of the contingent fund by bureaus and offices is as follows:

The following statement gives a break-down of the increases requested by each bureau or service, together with the reasons therefor:

Office of the Secretary. The increase over 1936, $5,800, is for reporting service, advertising, and the furnishing of furniture and general stationery supplies for the