from all places are prepared in a uniform manner and are readily comparable. The budgets from all places are assembled, compared. and analyzed at the Bureau and the amounts to be allotted determined. By this system the Bureau is able to distribute the limited funds available to the best advantage. Requests for funds for needed work are approved wholly or in part, up to the limit of available funds, but many requests are necessarily denied. Requests submitted to the Bureau generally do not cover all desirable wors but only the most urgent items up to a total which the respective field agencies hope to have favorably considered. Lists of items for 1937 and the first quarter of 1938 will be submitted to the committer The break-down presented in the justification is based primary upon expenditures during the preceding completed fiscal year and the estimated amounts for 1939 worked out by percentages, modified by any available information indicating that any amount so determined appears to be at variance with probable actual requirements. The funds under this appropriation are allotted to 71 field activities. which include 13 naval districts, 19 navy yards and stations, 11 fleets and vessels, 12 offices of naval attachés, and 16 activities pertaining to other bureaus. The requirements of these activities are more or less varying it purpose and amount. It is not possible to determine in advarer what variations in the requirements will arise or the nature at extent of repair work that will be performed. Hundreds of minor individual jobs are involved. The routine maintenance and upkeep work under this appropriation is practically wholly decentralized and the Bureau does not have available the necessary data to analyze and classify each job to the extent that comparisons could be made at the Bureau in detail although the necessary data are available in the field. ITEMIZED STATEMENT OF ESTIMATE Mr. UMSTEAD. Will you insert the statement commencing on page 13 of the justifications, entitled "Itemized statement of estimate"? Admiral MOREELL. Very well, sir. (The statement referred to is as follows:) Itemized statement of estimate Regular appropriation, 1938 act Deduct nonrecurring and other items not required in 1939: (e) Norfolk: Modernize fire-alarm system. (5) Norfolk: Replace boiler plant of floating crane. (g) Norfolk: Overhaul cold-storage building. (A) Norfolk: Modernize elevators, supply depot. (1) Philadelphia: Replace steel sash, shop building 57. (2) Puget Sound: Replace electric cables.. 1939 base.. Increases requested for 1939: 1. New York: Conversion of electric motors. 3. Navy yards and stations: Rolling stock and weight-han- 4. Navy yards and stations: Modernize elevators, including safety appliances.. 5. Philadelphia: Electric power circuits in machine shops.. 6. General increase for various projects and functions.. Total. 4739 t — 00 00 00 $7,875, 958 300,000 7,575, 958 INCREASES REQUESTED FOR 1939 Mr. UMSTEAD. Admiral, will you proceed now with an explanation of the increases requested for 1939? Admiral MOREELL. Very well, sir. CONVERSION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, NEW YORK NAVY YARD The tools and appliances in Buildings Nos. 28, 29, 30, and 128, Navy Yard. New York, are driven by 2-phase 25-cycle, 3-phase 60-cycle, and direct-current motors. The original installation consisted of 25-cycle motors operated from the former steam engineering power plant prior to the consolidation of power plants in 1906. The 60-cycle and direct current motors were subsequently obtained by transfer from other shops and by purchase. The 25-cycle motors are 30 years old, and the maintenance and repair for keeping these motors in operation are increasing year by year. The central power plant current for driving these motors is converted in a substation in the courtyard of of Building No. 128 from 60 to 25 cycles and from 3 to 2 phase involving a conversion loss of over 25 percent. Twenty-five cycle electric current is no longer standard. The project contemplates rewinding or replacing, where necessary, the 2-phase motors, replacing the present 2-phase circuits with 3-phase circuits, and the installation of additional switching equipment and transformers. A direct saving of approximately $5,000 a year will result. It is impossible to obtain new tooling with 2-phase 25-cycle motors except on special design entailing inordinate expense and delay; and the conversion of the existing motors will greatly facilitate, avoid delays, and cheapen the installation of new tools. IMPROVEMENTS OF FLOATING DERRICK, PHILADELPHIA This project contemplates the widening of the pontoon of floating derrick No. 30 at the Navy Yard, Philadelphia, and the installation of feedwater and bilge pumps together with the necessary piping. Th derrick is the only floating derrick assigned to this yard and consist of a revolving steam-engine-driven jib crane mounted on a steel pontoon 110 feet long and 34 feet wide. The existing pontoon is fitted with ballast logs to increase transverse stability. Past experience has demonstrated the necessity of increasing the transverse stability by increasing the pontoon width so that loads can be handled over the sides of the derrick as well as over the end. It is necessary at times to send this derrick into the lower Delaware River and Delaware Bay on sal vage work and experience has demonstrated that additional transver stability without makeshift arrangement is necessary for the safety of the derrick when working in exposed locations. The project also cotemplates the installation of feedwater and bilge pumps, improvement of the pontoon by enlarging deck openings, the provision of scuttle. chocks, fenders, and guard rails, and the improvement of ventilation and accessibility. Mr. UMSTEAD. Admiral, is this the same item we considered last year under "Public works?" Admiral MOREELL. Yes, sir. REPLACEMENT OF ROLLING STOCK AND WEIGHT HANDLING EQUIPMENT AT NAVY YARDS AS STATIONS This project contemplates the replacement of worn out weighthandling and transportation equipment in the various yards and the purchase of new equipment to augment the existing facilities. 0: account of increasing shipbuilding activities additional transportation facilities are necessary and additional weight-handling and specal equipment is required to meet the time limits on ship con:struction. The estimated costs of the individual items included urder this heading are as follows: Navy Yard, Mare Island, 13 flat cars. Navy Yard, New York, 1 snow loader___ $31.00 Naval fuel depot, San Diego, one 5-ton gasoline crane__ Navy Yard, Pearl Harbor, six 60-ton flat cars. Naval Academy, Annapolis, one 20-ton boat crane.. Navy Yard, Boston, 1 snow loader____ Submarine Base, Coco Solo, one 2-ton crawler crane. Navy Yard, Puget Sound, eleven 50-ton flat cars and four 50-ton box cars. Navy Yard, Mare Island, one 221⁄2-ton locomotive crane. Navy Yard, Philadelphia, one 40-ton dry-dock crane. Total EQUIPMENT, MARE ISLAND NAVY YARD Mr. UMSTEAD. Admiral, with reference to the item at Mare Island involving 13 flat cars, will you give us a justification for that, please? Admiral MOREELL. The Navy Yard, Mare Island, now has 71 flat cars of ages from two to thirty years. This item would provide for the replacement of 13 cars which are in the worst condition. These 13 cars are now beyond economical repair. The Navy Yard at Mare Island is, as you know, one of our busiest yards. EQUIPMENT, PEARL HARBOR NAVY YARD Mr. UMSTEAD. The next large item is at Pearl Harbor, six 60-ton flat cars. Admiral MOREELL. The Navy Yard at Pearl Harbor now has 22 flat cars. This would provide for the replacement of 12 of the smaller cars which are now about 25 years old and beyond economical repair. By increasing the capacity, we can substitute one new car for two old ones. EQUIPMENT, NAVAL ACADEMY, ANNAPOLIS That next item, Mr. Chairman, is the 20-ton boat crane at the Naval Academy. Annapolis. The situation with respect to the handling of boats at Annapolis has changed since this item was submitted to the Bureau of the Budget. Since that time we have equipped the Naval Academy with a floating derrick which will make the prospective use of this boat crane very small. It has been reported to us that it is not now needed. Mr. UMSTEAD. So that may be eliminated from the total of these items? Admiral MOREELL. Yes, sir. EQUIPMENT, PUGET SOUND NAVY YARD Mr. UMSTEAD. What about the flat cars and box cars for the Puget Sound Navy Yard? Admiral MOREELL. The navy yard at Puget Sound now has 60 flat cars, the oldest of which is 30 years of age. This item provides for the replacement of 11 of those flat cars. The navy yard has 16 box cars, which is not sufficient. This item provides for four additional box cars. Mr. THOM. What is supposed to be the life of a box car? Admiral MOREELL. For use around a navy yard I would say 30 years is an absolute maximum. However, the economical life is probably closer to 15 years. Mr. TнOм. And what is the life of a flat car? Admiral MOREELL. The economical life is from 20 to 25 years. Mr. UMSTEAD. Admiral, take, as they come, the next three items and give us such explanation as you have regarding each. Admiral MOREELL. Navy Yard, Mare Island, one 221-ton locomotive crane, $25,000. The navy yard at Mare Island has now 19 locomotive cranes, all of which are fully needed. We purchased two locomotive cranes for this yard 2 years ago. Those were additions. This item provides for the replacement of a crane which is now 21 years old. Mr. UMSTEAD. You are replacing a crane which is how old? Admiral MOREELL. Twenty-one years old. Mr. UMSTEAD. Admiral, what is the average useful life of a locomotive crane as used in the navy yards? Admiral MOREELL. As used in the navy yard, Mr. Chairman, it is probably in the neighborhood of 20 years. But that is not an economical life for locomotive cranes. The expenditures for maintenance and repairs mount up so rapidly as the crane gets old that, as an economical procedure, it would be better to scrap it and buy a new one when it reaches the age of about 15 years. CRANE, NAVY YARD, BOSTON Navy Yard, Boston, one 50-ton crane for pier No. 1, $150,000. The Navy Yard, Boston, has now only one drydock crane. It has a capacity of 40 tons. There are two drydocks to be served. Our practice is to provide at least one drydock crane for each dock. We have recently rebuilt pier No. 1 and provided wide-gage crane trackage on that pier, so that we can utilize a drydock crane there. It is the only pier in the navy yard that has the wide-gage trackage. This 50-ton crane will be an addition to existing equipment at the Navy Yard, Boston. Mr. UMSTEAD. Is it needed? Admiral MOREELL. It is very much needed. The work at the yard is impeded by the fact that only one heavy crane is available. Mr. THOм. Are we building any new ships at Boston? Admiral MOREELL. Yes, sir. There are two destroyers being built in drydock No. 2, two other destroyers are at the piers, being fitted out, and two are just being started in the shops, making six in all. DRYDOCK CRANE, PHILADELPHIA NAVY YARD Navy Yard, Philadelphia, crane for drydock No. 2, $100,000. This will replace a 40-ton crane which is now 37 years old. The Navy Yard, Philadelphia, now has four drydock cranes with capacities of 20, 40, 50, and 50 tons. We have only three drydocks at Philadelphia but crane service is provided on two of the piers. Our survey of conditions at Philadelphia indicates that we need four heavy traveling cranes. This crane will be particularly valuable for use in connection with the construction of the battleship which has just started at Philadelphia. MODERNIZATION OF ELEVATORS Mr. UMSTEAD. Proceed with your next item, Admiral. Admiral MOREELL. The next item is "Modernization of elevators, $150,000." The majority of the elevators in service at the various yards and stations were installed prior to the adoption in 1931 of the American Standard Safety Code for Elevators. This code includes numerous new features of construction, especially those relating to safety, not previously required in elevator installations. |