Mr. MEGILL. Your suggestion might make a temporary relief in the need for furniture, but as the Clerk pointed out, you would still need the same quantity after the remodeling.

Mr. STEED. Do you think your furniture problem will be with us always?

Mr. MEGILL. Yes, sir.

Mr. HORAN. Mr. Chairman, your point is that maybe we should adjust their furniture item since it covers all of fiscal 1963?

Mr. STEED. I was trying to find out if we are near enough to this other stage to take advantage of it, but only the Architect, I think, could give us that answer.

Mr. HORAN. We should ask him when he is here.

Mr. STEED. Maybe we are just a year ahead on this.

Mr. MEGILL. In the normal operation of the offices, there is tremendous pressure on the Clerk to give additional equipment in the rooms now in existence and that is what is occasioning this shortage in furniture and repairs. The Capitol extension, while it brings in new furniture, moves Members and committees out from the old section and certain spots have to be refurbished by the Clerk and additional furniture will be required. The Clerk could give illustrations of that to the committee.

Mr. STEED. I have not made any investigation as to the validity of it, but I have heard one or two Members make comments about deterioration or worn spots on the rugs inside the House Chamber itself.

Mr. ROBERTS. They patched it last December but I think within another year we will have to replace the entire carpet on the floor. Mr. STEED. Does it seem that replacement of the whole thing is going to be more satisfactory than trying to patch it?

Mr. MEGILL. I think it is beyond repair myself, Mr. Chairman. In observing the repair work already done, it is approaching a rather unsightly condition for the Chamber. It should be completely replaced.

Mr. STEED. I have heard them make comments, not in a serious way but

Mr. MEGILL. The Clerk would have to do that out of this fund, too, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. STEED. As an educated guess, recarpeting the House Chamber would involve how much money?

Mr. ROBERTS. The Architect furnished that carpet the last time and I do not know how much yardage is on the floor.

Mr. MEGILL. We could supply the figure for you, Mr. Chairman. (The information is as follows:)

It would take approximately 1,550 linear yards to replace the carpet on the floor of the House. There are 88 square yards in the American oriental rug in the Speaker's lobby. The cost to install the carpet now on the House floor was $17,582.46. A fair estimate to replace both the carpet on the floor of the House and the rug in the Speaker's lobby would be $20,000.

Mr. ROBERTS. If we had the yardage we could multiply it by $15 and come to an approximate estimate.

I have a figure on furniture, Mr. Chairman. This figure is as of March 22. For furniture and equipment we have, $20,795; in that fund, that is for remainder for this year.

Mr. STEED. Could you give us a breakdown of the categories there and compare it?

Mr. ROBERTS. That is for furniture, supplies, materials, $3,800; carpeting, $5,000; repair to carpets, $275; breakage, $470, and $337 for packing boxes which is overdrawn now. We can reallocate these other items and make out very well for the rest of this year, but next year I think we

Mr. STEED. The one item you are in a bind on is the furniture item itself?

Mr. ROBERTS. That is right.

We have made allocations for supplies and materials and carpeting which we can reallocate and use for furniture, if we have to.

Mr. STEED. As to furniture, is that mostly in desks or is it desks and chairs?

Mr. ROBERTS. Desks and file cabinets. We spend more money for file cabinets than anything else, as well as typists chairs. Those are the three big items.

Mr. STEED. I have had some Members mention the fact they have been needing filing cabinets.

Mr. ROBERTS. We never seem to be able to meet the demand, Mr. Chairman. I do not know how many I bought. There are never enough no matter how much we try to hold it down, we cannot supply enough.

Mr. MEGILL. The clerk means that they are assigned to the offices and many times the Members will just transfer the metal equipment into the storeroom rather than using temporary equipment. That way they use up a great deal of the supply of file cabinets.

Mr. STEED. You think all of the Members have the same problem with the mail and volume of work, do you? It just goes up and up? Mr. ROBERTS. Further, I think we are current on requests for file cabinets. I think we have supplied all of those requests.

Mr. MEGILL. The increase in the number of employees as reflected by this resolution and the action of the House multiplies by 438 each item in this category; you provide a desk for each employee and you provide a typist chair. This absorbs the funds to a larger degree than prior to the authority for making these appointments.

Mr. STEED. Mr. Horan, do you have any questions?

Mr. HORAN. You are not current with this work on furniture supply, are you?

Mr. ROBERTS. Almost. I think I have about 12 or 15 requests for desks but I think we are current on the file cabinets.

Mr. HORAN. I had a request in for a side desk a long while and it finally showed up the other day.

Mr. MEGILL. A typist desk?

Mr. HORAN. Yes. It was a desk that we actually use for filing the congressional quarterly on, where it is handy to all of the folks in my office.

Could I inquire as to these personal services? They are at your discretion?

Mr. ROBERTS. Yes, sir.

Mr. HORAN. That is on page 33 of the committee print.

Mr. HARPER. All of those listed there; yes, sir.

Mr. HORAN. Are they all working at the jobs listed here?
Mr. ROBERTS. Yes, sir.

Mr. HORAN. You have a reserve of $22,295 just for this? What have you used that reserve for?

Mr. ROBERTS. As a matter of fact, Mr. Horan, that should be $5,000 less because I have an administrative assistant paid by voucher each month; it runs about $400 per month. If I continue this employee this item will be reduced by about $5,000.

There are two vacancies that have caused a surplus also.

Mr. HARPER. We have some finisher sprayers and an assistant finisher position vacant.

Mr. HORAN. How do you reduce that $22,295 to $4,000?

Mr. ROBERTS. If he were carried on the rolls for a year it would be a $5,000 job.

Mr. HORAN. Supply for the record that information so it is in the transcript for our use.

Mr. HARPER. It is a $2,000 base rate.

Mr. HORAN. Supply that for the record, if you will.

Give us an explanation of that item.

Mr. HARPER. Yes, sir.

Mr. HORAN. That is all, Mr. Chairman.

(The information requested follows:)

The three vacant positions plus the administrative assistant referred to by the Clerk carry salaries totaling $21,131 annually, which would reduce the surplus to $1,164.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

Mr. STEED. We will now go to the next item, "Miscellaneous items." Mr. ROBERT. It was necessary for the Clerk's Office to set up 30 various allocations, for miscellaneous items covering the appropriation of $2,550,000.

We submit for the record a statement listing these 30 allocations showing the amount of each allocation, the amount expended to February 28, 1962, and the balance remaining as of March 1, 1962. Although, in reality, the expenditures only cover obligations up to the end of January 1962, or even earlier in some cases, as a great many of these monthly bills have not yet been submitted for payment and, accordingly, such payments are not reflected on this statement. These figures that is, the amounts allocated-are more or less arbitrary and, if necessary, must be changed from time to time during the fiscal year as conditions may require. It is impossible to forecast at the beginning or, for that matter, during the fiscal year, the exact amount which may be necessary for each allocation. Mr. STEED. It will be made a part of the record.

(The table follows:)

Miscellaneous items, 1962-July 1, 1961, to Feb. 28, 1962

Mr. ROBERTS. These allocations will be taken up in their order and explained briefly as follows:

(1) Miscellaneous equipment, supplies and materials, such as hand towels, paper towels, paper cups, toilet paper, soap, cleaning powder, cleaning equipment, and any other miscellaneous articles that may be required.

(1A) Photostatic and duplication work, including Members' identification cards.

(1B) Official blank checks for the use of the Clerk's Office and the Office of the Sergeant at Arms.

(1C) Special office equipment, maintenance and repairs.

(1D) News service, judicial books, tax pamphlets, etc.

(2) Newspapers for the Speaker's and Members' Lobby. (3) Standard or manual typewriter machines.

(3A) Typewriter repairs (manual).

(4) Ice.

(5) Laundry service, including hand towels, for the House side of the Capitol, and both House Office Buildings.

(6) Covers gratuities, as authorized by the Legislative Appropriation Act of 1955.

(7) Miscellaneous payrolls by House resolutions, payable out of the contingent fund of the House, until otherwise provided by law. (8) Material for folding, in handling speeches, pamphlets, and other necessary work required of the House folding room.

(9) Payment of premiums on official bonds required for the protection of the offices and personnel of the Sergeant at Arms, the Clerk of the House, and Postmaster.

(10) The House restaurant, for which $60,000 is specifically provided in the appropriation paragraph for payment to the Architect of the Capitol, as authorized by law, toward the upkeep and operation of the House restaurants.

(11) Exchange, operation, and repair of the Clerk's motor vehicles. (12) Exchange, operation, and repairs of the post office motor vehicles.

(13) Exchange, operation, and repairs of the folding room motor truck.

(14) Hire of automobile for the Sergeant at Arms.

(15) Stationery for standing committees, officers, and departments of the House.

(16) Electrical and mechanical office equipment for the Members, including committees, officers, and departments of the House.

(17) Services and repairs to electrical and mechanical office equipment furnished under allocation No. 16.

(18) Rental of office space for Members of Congress in their home districts, as provided in the appropriation paragraph.

(19) Official expenses of Members not to exceed $150 quarterly for office expenses incurred outside the District of Columbia.

(20) Government contribution for Federal employees' group life

insurance.

(21) Government contribution for civil service retirement fund. (22) Contested election cases.

(23) Former Speaker's automobile.

(24) Government contribution for Federal employee's health benefits program.

(25) Nonexpenditure transfer authorizations.

For the fiscal year 1963, we budgeted $2,600,000, compared with $2,550,000 appropriated for 1962, or an increase of $50,000.

Mr. Chairman, before leaving this item I would like to point out that we have only requested an increase in this item of $50,000 since fiscal 1961. During that time many of the items which must be paid out of this fund have greatly increased. As an example, the House has authorized each Member an additional clerk. Additional typewriters have been authorized. The result is that many of the allocations from the 1962 appropriation have been depleted or nearly so as of this date. We will barely have sufficient funds to cover the miscellaneous item expenses for this fiscal year, so that the $2,600,000 requested for fiscal 1963 is a very close figure and should not be cut under any circumstances. As a matter of fact, I strongly recommend that the committee may wish to consider adding an additional $50,000 to prevent the necessity of our going in for a supplemental or deficiency. We have a number of specific examples to justify this position; however, I cite the civil service retirement matching fund carried as item 21 as one instance. We are now required to send to the Civil Service Commission $112,000 each month. Furthermore, it is increasing at the rate of about $1,000 per month.

In the matter of electrical equipment, I allocated from the miscellaneous items fund $198,000. As of this date, that fund has been obligated.

Projecting as best we can, it appears that for fiscal 1963, a minimum of $2,650,000 will be required.