galleries of the House Chamber, approved by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; $2,188 for emergency repairs to the sewer system serving the Supreme Court Building.

Mr. ANDREWS. You have spent $45,600 as of what date?

Mr. HENLOCK. As of April 1, 1966.

Mr. ANDREWs. Did you not get $15,000

Mr. HENLOCK. $17,000.

Mr. ANDREWS. $17,000 in a supplemental?

Mr. HENLOCK. Yes, sir.

Mr. ANDREWS. So, you had $67,000 in this fund during 1966.

SNOW REMOVAL

Mr. HENLOCK. We did not actually add the $17,000 to the contingent fund. That was added to the "Capitol Grounds" appropriation, where you annually provide us with snow removal funds. Snow removal is never paid under the contingency fund unless there is an overrun of the annual allotment under the "Capitol Grounds" appropriation; and then, only, if there is a sufficient unobligated balance under the "Contingent expense" appropriation.

Mr. ANDREWS. How much did you have for snow removal?

Mr. HENLOCK. $5,000. That has been sufficient for every year for the last 10 years, with the exception of 4 years, which included the blizzard of the past year.

Mr. ANDREWS. You spent the $17,000 in addition to the $5,000? Mr. HENLOCK. Yes, sir.

Mr. ANDREWS. So you spent $22,000 this year for snow removal? Mr. HENLOCK. Yes, sir; which was due mainly to the blizzard in January.

Mr. Roof. The point, Mr. Chairman, is if we had had the $17,000 in the contingent fund, we would not have had to ask for the supplemental. We normally would charge that overrun to the contingent fund, since such a heavy snow is of a contingency item.

Mr. ANDREWS. Who authorizes expenditures from this fund? Mr. HENLOCK. The Speaker of the House, and the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Mr. ANDREWs. It can be used on both sides?

Mr. HENLOCK. That is right.

Mr. ANDREWS. Are there any questions on this item?

Mr. LANGEN. May I ask how that is accomplished. Do you hire some outside private equipment and manpower to come in and do the snow removal?

Mr. HENLOCK. We have a regular contract. We have a competitive bid contract, a standby contract under competitive bid.

Mr. Roof. The contract is on the basis of so much per man per hour, so much for each type of equipment per hour. If we use the services of the contractor, it costs us that much money. If we do not use the contract, it does not cost anything. It is that type of contract. The contract covers the whole winter.

Mr. LANGEN. Does that make it readily available to you so when a snow comes you have the service?

Mr. Roof. Yes. When there is a snow, Mr. Pincus calls the contractor if he needs him. We have certain snow equipment ourselves, but if he needs the outside contractor, if there is a heavy snow, he

simply calls the contractor on the telephone and asks him to report with so much equipment and so many men, and so forth.

ALLOCATION FOR BRONZE RAILINGS

Mr. LANGEN. How do these items come about that are included in the contingency, such as, I notice, drinking water, bronze railings? How come they are not a part of the regular repair or upkeep of the building? What brought on the demand for those that made it necessary to go to the contingent fund for them?

Mr. STEWART. I can answer one in particular, and that is the bronze railings in the galleries of both the House and the Senate. The need for that was discovered after we had our hearings last year. The only fund that was available was the contingent fund which the Speaker authorized for the House and the Rules Committee on the Senate side and Senator Hayden.

Mr. LANGEN. You mean the need was discovered. How was the need discovered? How did that come about all at once when nobody saw it before?

Mr. STEWART. It has been apparent for quite some time that there was some danger with the lack of railings in both the galleries. An incident took place which was not too serious for anybody, which demanded immediate attention.

This fund was available at that time, and we ordered the work to proceed in the interest of safety.

Mr. ANDREWs. What was the incident?

Mr. STEWART. Someone stumbled and nearly fell and about the same time it was reported that the families of several Members were hesitant about stepping down into the galleries without the aid of a handrail. The Speaker felt, under the circumstances, we should proceed at once to remedy conditions.

Mr. LANGEN. I am glad to see they are there. I was just puzzled why the request did not come about in the normal manner.

DRINKING WATER SYSTEM

I look at the drinking water system. It seems to me we had quite some discussion in connection with the regular appropriation, of the improvement of drinking fountains or making drinking water available.

Mr. HENLOCK. We did ask funds last year of the Senate committee for that item. Mr. Stewart, on Mr. Rubel's recommendation, subsequently withdrew the request, hoping that when we took the machine down they might be able to keep the machine in operation through repairs, rather than a complete replacement.

When it was dismantled, we found we could not do so, and the only way we could keep the drinking water system in dependable operation was by replacing it. If we had been fortunate enough to be able to maintain it through normal repairs, it would have been more economical.

Mr. LANGEN. That is all, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Reifel.

UNOBLIGATED BALANCES

Mr. REIFEL. This $50,000 is appropriated each year. It is usually all used up?

Mr. HENLOCK. It varies. For instance, in 1965 we turned back $21,000; in 1964, $26,000; and in 1963, we turned back only $8,000. It depends on what emergencies arise.

Mr. REIFEL. Your record indicates that it is truly a contingency fund?

Mr. HENLOCK. Yes, sir. to the Treasury as much average turnback has run $15,000 or $16,000.

In some years we have even turned back as $36,000-in 1958, for instance. The $3,000, $7,000, $8,000, and so on, up to

Mr. REIFEL. The record indicates it has all the earmarks of a contingency fund.

Mr. HENLOCK. Yes, sir.

Mr. HEIFEL. That is all, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. ANDREWS. Now we shall turn to page 80, Capitol Buildings and Grounds.

For the "Capitol buildings" item, you ask for $1,613,000, a net reduction of $67,000 below the 1966 appropriation.

Mr. STEWART. That is right.

Mr. ANDREWS. We will insert the blue sheets from page 21.

(The sheets follow:)

1966 appropriation in annual act.

Capitol buildings

Pay increase supplementals, Public Law 89-301 and wage board in H. Doc. 405..

Total appropriations, 1966..

Deductions:

Annual painting, decreased by omission of nonrecurring item for painting the ornamental
ceiling, window frames, window linings, doors, jambs, trim and painted surfaces of the
gallery walls in Statuary Hall; allowed for 1966, not required for 1967.
Maintenance, air-conditioning system decreased from $20,800 to $16,000 due to omission of
nonrecurring item for replacement of the air filters which filter the air supplied to the
House and Senate Chambers; allowed for 1966, not required for 1967..
Painting Dome of Capitol and exterior woodwork of windows: Nonrecurring item allowed
for 1966, not required for 1967.

Replacement of fire hose and fog nozzles: Nonrecurring item allowed for 1966, not required
for 1967..

Total deductions..

Base for 1967.

23,000

4,800

67,000

4, 100

-98, 900

1, 581, 100

Capitol buildings-Continued

Additions:
Wage rate increases authorized by Public Law 763, 83d Congress.

Under the provisions of Public Law 763, 83d Congress, 115 laborers and mechanics on
the Capitol Buildings roll are compensated on a wage board, prevailing rate basis.
Public Law 763 provides that the compensation of such employees shall be fixed and
adjusted from time to time as nearly as is consistent with the public interest in accordance
with prevailing rates.

An increase of $7,900 is requested for 1967 to meet on a full-year basis the cost of increased wage rates established for these wage-board positions as a result of a general survey of Government and industrial employees' wages in the Washington metropolitan area, conducted during the past year. The new rates went into effect Dec. 5, 1965, in accordance with the provisions of Public Law 85-872, 85th Congress. This increase is necessary in order that the Capitol buildings wage-board employees may be compensated on a full-year basis in the fiscal year 1967 in accordance with present prevailing rates.

An increase of $2,100 is requested for 1967 to meet the authorized cost of within-grade promotions falling due in that year, authorized by Public Law 763 under the wage board system, for employees compensated under that act.

Contribution to retirement fund, increased from $55,785 to $57,810..

This increase results from increase in basic pay rates and is required to cover the cost of Government contribution to retirement fund authorized by Public Law 854, 84th Congress.

Payment to employees' compensation fund, increased from $19,420 to $33,295..

This item represents an increase of $13,875 over the amount allowed for 1966 and is requested to cover the cost of the Government's payment to employees' compensation fund, required by sec. 209 of Public Law 86-767, which provides that each agency shall include in its annual budget estimates a request for an appropriation in an amount equal to the amount paid from the employees' compensation fund for compensation benefits to employees of the agency during the preceding fiscal year on account of service-connected injury or death.

Annual painting: Annual allotment increased from $32.000 to $36,000.

The annual painting allotment was fixed at $32,000 in 1959 when the wage rate of painters was $3.425 per hour. There has been no increase provided under this allotment since 1959 and in the meantime the wage rate of painters, including fringe benefits, has risen to $4.495 per hour-an increase of 30 percent. In order to partially offset this increase, it is requested that the annual allotment for 1967 be increased from $32,000 to $36,000. This allotment provides for the painting normally required for the proper preservation and appearance of committee rooms, offices, corridors, restaurants, and other spaces in the Capitol.

Supplies and materials, increased from $38,000 to $40,000.

This allotment was fixed at $38,000 in 1963 and the annual allotment has remained
unchanged since that time. In order to meet a gradual increase that has occurred in
the cost of supplies and materials in the interim, it is requested that this allotment be
increased from $38,000 to $40,000 for 1967. The allotment provides carpentry, electri-
cal, plumbing, hardware, cleaning, heating and ventilating, and general miscellaneous
supplies for the care of the Capitol.
Total.....

$10,000

2,025

13, 875

4,000

2,000

+31, 900

Total estimate for 1967.

1,613,000

(CLERK'S NOTE.-For an additional request of $100,000 for continuing the rewiring and improved illumination work on the building, heretofore carried out with funds appropriated some years earlier under "Extension of the Capitol," see p. 547.)

PAINTING THE CAPITOL DOME

Mr. ANDREWS. Have you contracted to paint the dome as yet? Mr. STEWART. No, sir. We have not let this contract.

Mr. ANDREWS. Is a contract under negotiation?

Mr. Roof. It is out for bid.

Mr. STEWART. I have been informed that May 17 is the day of bidding.

Mr. ANDREWS. Will bids be received on May 17?

Mr. STEWART. Yes, sir.

Mr. ANDREWS. How long has it been since you painted the Capitol dome?

Mr. CLANCY. Five years.

Mr. ANDREWS. Is that the regular cycle of painting?

Mr. CLANCY. We normally paint it every 4 years, but it was in such good condition we extended it 1 year, sir.

Mr. ANDREWS. What did it cost last time you painted it?

Mr. CLANCY. I do not have a record of that here.

Mr. CAMPIOLI. It was part of an overall contract for the repairs of the dome.

Mr. STEWART. It was not a separate item at that time.