THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1937.

TRAINING, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE, NAVY

NAVAL WAR COLLEGE

Mr. UMSTEAD. Gentlemen, the first item we shall consider this morning relates to the Naval War College. For the present fiscal year the sum of $123.200 was appropriated, and I believe that the estimate for the next fiscal year $125,000, which is an increase of $1,800.

Captain WILKINSON. Yes, sir.

Mr. UMSTEAD. You may proceed, Captain, with any statement you have to make on this item.

PURPOSE OF THE APPROPRIATION

Captain WILKINSON. The purpose of the Naval War College is "to further an understanding of the fundamental considerations involved in the successful conduct of war in order that officers may be prepared for higher command."

The Naval War College provides a course for each of four classes as follows:

Correspondence courses: Averaging 600 students.

Junior course: For lieutenant commanders and lieutenants who have completed at least 6 years of commissioned service.

Senior course: For officers of the line of the Navy above rank of lieutenant commander and of such Army officers, Marine officers, and Navy staff officers as may be ordered.

Advanced course: For flag officers, captains, and commanders of the line of the Navy and such Army officers, Marine officers, and Navy staff officers as may be detailed from those who have completed the senior course.

ATTENDANCE BY FISCAL YEAR

The following shows the average attendance at the War College for the past 10 fiscal years and the fiscal year 1937:

The estimate for 1939 and the allocation of the appropriation for 1938 are based upon actual expenditures in 1936 and 1937.

There are 75 officers now at the college. The table does not show the actual number now.

Mr. PLUMLEY. Are these correspondence courses compulsory? Captain WILKINSON. No, sir. They are entirely voluntary. There are some courses on strategy and tactics, some courses in international law, and some courses for Reserve officers, likewise.

Deduct nonrecurring items or other items not required in 1939: Decreased requirements for material__--

Base for 1939

Increases requested for 1939

(a) Recurring items: 1. Repairs to buildings (project No. 5. p. 10) ___

(b) Nonrecurring items:

2. Renovating painting (project No. 5. p. 10).

3. Survey roof, Pringle Hall (project No. 5, p. 10).

Total nonrecurring items..

Total increases

Total estimate for 1939.

REPAIRS TO BUILDINGS

123,200

200

123,000

1.000

500

500

1.000

2.000

125,000

There are three items of increase from the base for last year, totaling $2,000. The first item is repairs to buildings, an increase of $1,000, which is necessitated by the increasing age of the main building at the War College. It was built in 1894. The estimate also covers minor repairs in connection with two additions that were built in 1904 and 1934.

Mr. UMSTEAD. Have you made any effort to obtain W. P. A. funds for the repair of buildings?

Captain WILKINSON. We have W. P. A. funds in that neighborhood, sir, and we have used them extensively; but I think that those repairs will be more in the nature of materials than in the actual labor involved.

Mr. UMSTEAD. I believe that for the present fiscal year the sum of $3.502 was appropriated for repairs to the buildings at the War College.

Captain WILKINSON. Yes, sir.

Mr. UMSTEAD. The point I am making, Captain, is that if the appropriation had been used for the purchase of materials, and if W. P. A. labor was available to the Naval Establishment at that point, it would have gone and should have gone much farther than to expend it for material and labor, and I am wondering if you utilized such W. P. A. labor as was available in the handling of that project.

Captain WILKINSON. There has been a limited amount of W. P. A. labor available up there for the entire Newport area. The torpedo station had some. I can give those figures in a moment. I do not believe any was specifically available for the War College, and I am not aware whether a specific effort was made to utilize the labor in this case. I feel that they would have used it if they had had an opportunity. I do not think they neglected a chance there.

Mr. UMSTEAD. I suppose that the work has not yet been done.
Captain WILKINSON. No, sir.

Mr. UMSTEAD. But will be done during this fiscal year.

Captain WILKINSON. It is underway now, because half of the year is over.

Mr. UMSTEAD. I suggest to you that you look into the matter, and to whatever extent it is possible to do so, you use the W. P. A. labor, which will make more of that appropriation available for the purchase of material.

Captain WILKINSON. I will do so, sir.

I have an item from our Bureau of Yards and Docks which gets central reports with respect to the utilization of W. P. A. labor. They have an item that they expect to carry out this year at the training station and the War College, with respect to the library extension and the steam-heating extension, of $8,600. So very evidently they are using W. P. A. labor wherever they can.

Telegraphic advices received from the War College on this point state: "Estimates of 1938 and 1939 for repairs to buildings do not embrace Works Progress Administration labor due to scarcity of dependable skilled Works Progress Administration labor in this locality. Repairs are made by local public works forces with cost averaging three-fourths for labor and one-fourth for material. No reductions possible without resultant deterioration of buildings. Unskilled Works Progress Administration labor is utilized at all opportunities."

RENOVATING PAINTINGS

The second item is renovating paintings, $500. It is a new item, not an increase of any other.

There are six paintings there of considerable historical value, and by reason of the climate and their age and general wear and tear they need extensive renovation to preserve them. It was estimated some time ago that the cost would be $500 each, but I think that stimate is somewhat high, and we are asking for $500 now to start in on the renovation and go as far as we can with it.

Mr. UMSTEAD. I believe you stated that the estimate is for the beginning of the renovation of the paintings.

Captain WILKINSON. Yes, sir. It may be sufficient to complete them; it may be only a small part of it. We cannot tell at the moment just how far it will go.

REPAIRS TO ROOF OF PRINGLE HALL

Mr. UMSTEAD. Captain, the next item, for which $500 is requested, is, as you say in your justification, for exploring and locating the cause of leaks, and the justification refers to the plastering in room

161.

Captain WILKINSON. Yes, sir.

Mr. UMSTEAD. Does the Department feel that it will require $500 just to find out where the leaks are and what is causing them?

Captain WILKINSON. It looks as though we would have to go in there and practically tear the building apart. They have been unable by an ordinary superficial examination to find the leaks, and it will take considerable money to tear the construction out and replace it. It is an unfortunate circumstance. The building is fairly new, but I think it has gone beyond the contractor-guaranty stage.

Mr. UMSTEAD. I suggest that you look into that and be quite certain that it has before you go ahead.

Captain WILKINSON. I will inquire into that.

The War College advises that the contract did not include any warranties or guaranties. The work was completed April 21, 1934.

DECREASE IN ESTIMATE FOR HEAT, LIGHT, POWER, AND WATER

Mr. UMSTEAD. Captain, I notice that there is a decrease in the item for heat, light, power, and water, of $1,786. I am interested to know how that saving will be effected.

Admiral ANDREWS. In general I may answer that, sir. This heat, light, water, and power is received from the training station at Newport. As you know, the War College is situated on the training station. I think this is simply a difference in bookkeeping, where we found that we used less heat, light, and so on, in the War College buildings. That is about the way that was arrived at. You see, they charge us at the War College for so much heat, light, and so on, from the central plant, and that central plant furnishes heat, light, power, water, and so on, to the whole station, which is very

extensive.

Captain WILKINSON. The returns have come in for 1937 and 1936, and as the result of those two returns, the initial allocation, which was $7,900, was changed to be $6,114, a saving of $1,786.

Mr. THOм. Was there any reduction in the cost of production? Captain WILKINSON. No; it was a clear overestimate last year, sir. The expenditures for 1936 and 1937 were $5,000 apiece, and they are now allowing $6,000, which will be a sufficient margin.

NAVAL TRAINING STATION, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

Mr. UMSTEAD. The next item is the "Naval training station at San Diego."

Captain WILKINSON. The purpose of this appropriation is to provide funds for the maintenance and repair of buildings and grounds of the Naval Training Station, San Diego, Calif., and for the opera