scale runs from $7 to $9 a call. So, based upon a conservative estimate it would be about $10,000 or $12,000. Mr. Bow. How much less have your contracts been for outside repairs in the last fiscal year than they were the prior fiscal year? Mr. ROBERTS. This takes care of almost all repairs. Mr. Bow. I want to know what the reduction was and the amount of contracting you have had with outside people in the last fiscal year as against the prior fiscal year. You may have more equipment and all that, but I asked a very simple question and I want a very simple answer. amount? What is the Mr. ROBERTS. We do not have it in front of us, Mr. Bow. Mr. Bow. You mean no one has the figure as to what your repair bill was in the fiscal year prior to the present fiscal year? Mr. ROBERTS. We will find that. We have that information. During the calendar year 1958. Note. $20,884.99 was expended on repairs for electrical and mechanical equipment. Mr. Bow. This is on the basis of calendar years and not fiscal years; is that right? Mr. ROBERTS. Yes, sir; $20,884.99 was expended on maintenance for electrical and mechanical equipment and of this sum $15,000 was used in the maintenance of electric typewriters and $5,610 was spent on other types of equipment. Mr. Bow. Are these all contracts on the outside? Mr. ROBERTS. There are no contracts for individual service. Mr. Bow. Individual service by others than those employed by the Clerk? Mr. ROBERTS. Yes, sir. Mr. Bow. This is calendar year 1958. year 1957? Mr. HARPER. I do not have that, sir. What was your calendar Mr. ROBERTS. I think that was in the hearing last year. Mr. HARPER. I do not have the figures for last year. Mr. Bow. Well, submit it for the record at this point, your 1957 figures, and your 1958 figures. Mr. ROBERTS. Yes, sir. (The information requested follows:) For calendar 1957, $20,386.72 was expended for repair to electrical and mechanical equipment. Mr. Bow. Where was the bookkeeper to which you referred employed? Mr. ROBERTS. In the same office: the Electrical Equipment Division. Mr. Bow. Were all of these employed in the Electrical Equipment Division including the bookkeeper at a basic salary of $2,100 per annum? Mr. ROBERTS. Yes, sir. Mr. Bow. As well as the messenger-laborers? Mr. ROBERTS. Yes, sir. Mr. Bow. And the two messenger-laborers were all in the Electrical Equipment Division? Mr. ROBERTS. Yes, sir. Mr. Bow. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. NORRELL. What is your next resolution, Mr. Clerk? Mr. ROBERTS. House Resolution 623. Mr. NORRELL. All right; just briefly tell us what it provides for. Mr. ROBERTS. It provides for a small increase in salary for the female attendants in the ladies' retiring rooms, which comes under the Office of the Doorkeeper of the House. Compensation is fixed at $1,800 per annum. Mr. NORRELL. Are there any questions? If not, what is the next resolution, Mr. Roberts? Mr. ROBERTS. House Resolution 36. Mr. NORRELL. What did it do? Mr. ROBERTS. It provides authority for the chairman of the House delegation of the United States group of the North Atlantic Treaty Parliamentarians' Conference, until otherwise provided by law, to employ a clerk to be paid from the contingent fund of the House of Representatives at a rate of basic compensation not to exceed $6,000 per annum. Mr. NORRELL. Are there any questions? Mr. HORAN. Just what is this for? Mr. ROBERTS. The resolution passed the House on February 2 of this year. It provides expenses necessary for the purchase, maintenance, operation, and driving of an automobile for the use of any Member of the House who has served as Speaker of the House. Passed January 12, 1959. Mr. NORRELL. Are there any questions? If not, proceed to the next one. Mr. ROBERTS. House Resolution 89 provided for any Member of the House who has served as Speaker of the House an additional $5.000 basic allowance per annum as clerk hire, and in addition an administrative assistant at the basic rate of $8,800 per annum. Mr. NORRELL. Are there any questions? If not, proceed to the next one. Mr. ROBERTS. House Resolution 158 provided for the employment of an additional laborer in the Office of the Postmaster, at a basic annual salary of $1,650. Mr. NORRELL. Are there any questions? Mr. ROBERTS. The next item is House Resolution 197 which provides that the basic compensation of the eight expert transcribers, office of the official committee reporters, and the seven expert transcribers, Office of the Official Reporters of Debates, shall be at the basic per annum rate of $3,450 each, effective March 1, 1959. Mr. NORRELL. Give us the difference. Mr. ROBERTS. It was fixed at a basic rate of $2,500. The resolution raised it to a basic rate of $3,450. Mr. NORRELL. Any questions? OFFICE OF THE SPEAKER Now, I believe we come to the Office of the Speaker. Is it the same as this year? Mr. ROBERTS. No change, Mr. Chairman. Mr. NORRELL. Just give us that information. Mr. ROBERTS. For the Office of the Speaker, $58,510, the same as appropriated for the current fiscal year. No change. OFFICE OF THE PARLIAMENTARIAN Mr. NORRELL. Have you covered the Office of the Parliamentarian? Mr. ROBERTS. It is the same. OFFICE OF THE CHAPLAIN Mr. Chairman, the office of the Chaplain is the same. change there. OFFICE OF THE CLERK Next is the Office of the Clerk. Mr. NORRELL. Any questions? There is no Mr. ROBERTS. This refers back to some of those resolutions you were talking about in the Office of the Clerk. For the Office of the Clerk; $1,065,220, compared with $1,030,655 appropriated for 1959, or an increase of $34,565. This increase is due to the following: House Resolution No. 428, adopted June 25, 1958, provided for employment of a stock and inventory clerk at a basic annual salary of $3,000. House Resolution No. 567, adopted June 25, 1958, provides for the employment of one repair technician at a basic annual rate of $3,600; one assistant repair technician at a basic rate of $2,000; one bookkeeper at a basic rate of $2,100 per annum; one messenger-laborer at a basic rate of $1,920, and one messenger-laborer at a basic rate of $1,695 per annum, and one messenger-laborer at a basic rate of $1,580 per annum. RECORDING STUDIO Mr. NORRELL. Why do you propose to drop the language in the bill on the recording facility? Mr. ROBERTS. Well, it has been the law for 3 or 4 years now, and I thought it should be treated the same as any other department in the clerk's office. It would give us a little more flexibility. Mr. NORRELL. Does the studio operate from a revolving fund? Mr. NORRELL. What is the financial status of the fund? Is it breaking even or accumulating a surplus, or what is the situation now? Mr. ROBERTS. Well, that is what I wanted to say. Mr. NORRELL. You may proceed. Mr. ROBERTS. For several years prior to October 1956, there was a Joint Senate and House Recording Facility; however, it was dissolved, and the present facility was created by section 105, Legislative Appropriation Act, 1957 (70 Stat. 370). The mission of the House Recording Studios is to assist Members of the House in making disk, film, and tape recordings for broadcast purposes. Personnel of the studios give technical advice only in connection with the production of the programs and have no control whatsoever over the content. I might say here that the type of program is limited almost exclusively to programs which are relatively simple to produce, such as the 15-minute report and interview-type program. No "Hollywood production" type programs are undertaken. As you know, there is a special committee of the House to supervise the operation of the facility; however, I am sure you will be interested to know that from a financial standpoint, it is operated in much the same fashion as the stationery room. It is felt by many that this is a service required in order for a Member to properly serve his district. The scale of charges is based upon that concept. The salaries of employees are from annual appropriations contained in the legislative appropriation act for the Clerk of the House. In past years a specific amount has been earmarked, but I hope that this committee will this year favorably consider including it in the lump sum appropriation for the Clerk so as to permit as much flexibility as possible. I may say also that any adjustment in salaries must be approved by the Clerk and the special committee appointed to supervise the activities of the recording studios. The amounts charged Members for the use of the studio and for materials used is paid into a revolving fund and that is used primarily for the purchase of materials and equipment. Some is expended for the repair of equipment. In fact, all equipment now in use has been purchased in that manner. No appropriated funds have been used for the purchase of equipment. It is pointed out that the funds of the studio are regularly audited by the General Accounting Office at my request, and have always been found to be in order. I require detailed reports from the studio directors each month and can supply more detailed information if it is desired by the committee. Mr. NORRELL. What is the profit or loss as of last year, if you know, and what was it for the year before? Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. Chairman, there is now in the revolving fund $136,714.56. Mr. NORRELL. That is not the profit? Mr. ROBERTS. No, sir. This is the present balance in the fund. Mr. NORRELL. Will you please insert that information in the record? Mr. HARPER. Yes, sir; we have it here, Mr. Chairman. (The matter referred to follows:) Profit from July 1, 1957, to July 1, 1958, was $14,094; from July 1, 1952, to March 30, 1959, the profit was $9,112.20. Mr. NORRELL. I believe you stated that your funds have been audited by the General Accounting Office? Mr. ROBERTS. Yes, sir. RETIREMENT EMPLOYEES Mr. NORRELL. On page 8 of the committee print there are two jobs listed as regards work on retirement. One is a job for the employees, and the other is a position for the Members. Mr. ROBERTS. Yes, sir. Mr. NORRELL. The employee for Members; is that the man who works in the Office of the Sergeant at Arms? Mr. ROBERTS. Yes, sir. Mr. NORRELL. Why should he be listed on your payroll? Mr. ROBERTS. Well, Mr. Chairman, the history of that goes back 5 or 6 years. Mr. NORRELL. Who handled it during that period of time? Did you handle it? Mr. ROBERTS. Yes, sir. Mr. NORRELL. And that is the reason Mr. ROBERTS. I appointed an administrative assistant, and assigned him the duty of looking after the Members' retirement. Mr. NORRELL. Is he pretty well busy all the time? Mr. ROBERTS. He is my employee, but at the direction and the request of the membership, I let him work out of the Sergeant at Arms' office, because they keep the records there, and it is a little more convenient for the Members to get in contact with him. I think he is busy all the time. LUMP-SUM FOR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS Mr. NORRELL. On page 8 under your lump-sum item of $79,860 you list several jobs, seven, I believe, all told. At one time you had more, but I think you have about seven now, and for the last year or so. Do you think you can continue to get along with that assistance? Mr. ROBERTS. Well, Mr. Chairman, you remember the Reorganization Act of 1945 imposed numerous functions upon the Clerk which had not previously been in existence. Section 244 of that act recognized the additional burden and contained authorization for the Clerk to obtain such appropriations as are necessary to hire sufficient administrative assistants to carry out those added functions. Even since the passage of the Reorganization Act, the work of Congress has increased so tremendously that the duties of the Clerk have multiplied manyfold. The operation is now so large and complicated that it requires competent personnel in several different specialized fields to provide adequately the services demanded by the House. The request for the lump sum administrative assistants has been held to the minimum. It will be observed that the amount placed at the disposal of the Clerk of the House is less than that provided for the same purpose in the Senate while the functions on the House side are far greater. The lump sum for the Clerk is less than that provided for any committee of the House. The Clerk's duties encompass many activities in 17 offices widely scattered throughout the Capitol and House Office Buildings. The Daily Digest alone requires the services of three of the administrative assistants, and one is assigned to the property custodian's office. The responsibilities of the clerk are so varied that I have found it necessary to add to my personal staff so as to have someone assisting me who concerns himself to limited areas of the clerk's functions. The three administrative assistants in my office under the lump-sum appropriation, as well as the statutory assistant, aid me in supervising and processing matters relating to specific offices in their area of responsibility as well as assisting in the general conduct of the overall office. Since the duties of the administrative assistants are specialized in nature their responsibilities are heavy; and in many instances interpret for others my directives and policies-I endeavor to exercise great care in their selection. |