Additions Continued Personnel benefits-Continued It is also expected that electrical energy will be required during the latter half of the fiscal year 1964 for preliminary operation and testing of the air-conditioning and lighting systems and other equipment in the Rayburn House Office Building; also, for heating, air conditioning and ventilating improvements in progress at the main Library of Congress Building, and for a gradual increase in requirements of the other buildings under the Architect. Total estimate for 1964_ +$178, 000 2, 230, 000 Mr. STEED. We go now to page 83 of the committee print and page 163 of the justifications. This is an item for the Capitol Power Plant of $2,230,000 as compared to $2,052,000 for 1963. This involves an increase of $178,000. I note that aside from the mandatory item there is a request for two additional jobs and in the area of your instrument mechanics you now have four and are asking for one additional and also a welder's helper. How long have you had these four men? ADDITIONAL POSITIONS REQUESTED Mr. STEWART. If I may, Mr. Chairman, I will call on Mr. Rubel, our coordinating engineer who is directly responsible for that work and can give you all the answers; also on Mr. Henlock. Mr. HENLOCK. We have four for the last 5 years. Prior to 1959, we had three. Mr. STEED. Would you give us some evidence as to how essential the welder's helper is? Mr. RUBEL. The one welder's helper we have had for a few years and he has been very busily occupied on much repair work not only at the Capitol Power Plant but in other buildings, particularly in connection with the chilled water system and the steam distribution systems. There is also a certain amount of that kind of work that has to be done and most frequently it has to be done on short notice. With the expansion of the Capitol Power Plant facilities running from the Rayburn Building and other recent new construction, that kind of work is bound to increase. It already has increased and it is bound to increase more. The present welder has been more than fully occupied. We can see good reason that a minimum force of two would be the very minimum we could get along with. PURCHASE OF GAS Mr. STEED. You have an item of $10,300 additional for the purchase of gas. We had already increased that item once before. If you are needing this amount of additional money, how are you meeting your bills? Mr. HENLOCK. We have to pay for it from savings under our lump sum appropriation. There was some saving in the electrical and coal funds last year by which we were able to meet the cost of gas purchased. We were allowed $2,000 under the "Botanic Garden" appropriation. We originally asked for money on a part-year basis. The full year's cost is $10,300 and we are now asking for that full amount under the Capitol Power Plant appropriation. The $2,000 was not deducted from the "Botanic Garden" appropriation through inadvertence. UNOBLIGATED BALANCE Mr. STEED. You turned back, I believe, $71,000 out of this item in 1962. What is the situation this year? Mr. HENLOCK. We cannot really predict it. The coal and electric bills are usually slow in coming in, Mr. Chairman. The reason we asked for these full amounts is that those are the two services we have no control over, as you can appreciate. It is impossible to know from year to year exactly what the coal bill will be, depending on the severity of the weather. It also is impossible to know the exact electrical consumption. The length of sessions of Congress, particularly when the Senate stays in night sessions, affects the cost. These are the best estimates we can arrive at and feel that we can insure service to you. Mr. STEED. The surpluses that have resulted indicate that your estimates have been on the plus side. Mr. HENLOCK. The conservative side in the past year. Mr. STEED. Mr. Horan, have you any questions? Mr. HORAN. How near are we to completion of the Capitol Power Plant? Mr. HENLOCK. We have completed the modernization program that you allowed us some years ago under appropriations totaling $17,176,000, which was for remodeling the steam plant and modernizing and improving the steam and electrical distribution systems and for converting all the electrical systems from 25-cycle and direct current to 60-cycle alternating current. We are now in the midst of the program for providing expanded services for the Rayburn House Office Building. That is the only powerplant expansion program now underway. Mr. HORAN. At the time that was projected and based upon the use of direct current at the time and its cost, you figured we would save $500,000 a year. Mr. HENLOCK. We did save fully that. Mr. HORAN. With the expanded demand, how is that formula coming along? Mr. HENLOCK. Naturally, the expanded demand has offset the savings in part, if not altogether, that occurred under a different require ment. For instance, we have cut coal consumption alone from around 80,000 tons to 36,000 tons and that saving still obtains. That is where a good part of the savings came in. We did reduce our force at the time, from 109 down to about 74 employees. Mr. HORAN. That is because of more efficient new equipment? Mr. HENLOCK. Yes, sir; and also because we discontinued the generation of electrical energy. That did away with the substation forces, the switchboard operation and personnel of that character. You will recall, back at that time Congress authorized the discontinuation of the generation of electrical energy at the Capitol Power Plant and the purchase of electrical energy from the focal public utility based on a study which at that time indicated it would be the more economical procedure to purchase our energy. Since then, our annual appropriations have contained specifically language authorizing the purchase of electrical energy. Actually, what we supply from the plant now, even though it still has the name "Capitol Power Plant", is refrigeration from a central plant and steam for heating all our buildings, the city post office, the Government Printing Office and several other places. But the name of the plant has not actually been changed. It still has the same name it had back in 1904. Mr. HORAN. That is all, Mr. Chairman. Replacement of message tube systems servicing Lighting improvements, Copyright Section in annex, Replacement of city water distribution system and Installation of heating and cooling system, main Replacement of book conveyors, north and south Clean and restore ceiling decorations, main building.. Improved lighting, bookstack, main building. Restore and repair decorated plaster ceilings, 2d floor, Cleaning exterior stonework, main building.. Birdproofing upper areas of main building, including Expansion of cafeteria, main building. Adjustable loading dock, receiving unit, main build- 26 Supplies and materials.. 31 Equipment: Fire extinguishers and fog nozzles for fire hoses, both Additional booster pump for city water supply, main Dust collector for carpenter shop, main building. 32 Lands and structures: Care of grounds. 20 20 18 Installation of 3 fire hydrants, grounds, main building. main building.. 12 main building.. Installation of underground sprinkler system, grounds, Cleaning granite walls and other stonework, grounds, Total obligations.... Installation of floor tile, both buildings: air-conditioning compressor room, west Clean and restore ceiling decorations, west entrance vestibule, 1st floor, main Elevator modernization and improvements, annex: nonrecurring item to convert Improved lighting, Coolidge Auditorium: nonrecurring item allowed for 1963, dropped for 1964-. Improved lighting, bookstack, main building: nonrecurring item allowed for Installation of safety guardrails, driveway, west basement entrance, main build- Wage-rate increases authorized by Public Law 763, 83d Cong-- Under the provisions of Public Law 763, 83d Cong., 57 laborers and mechanics on the Library buildings and grounds 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 $7,884 is requested for 1964 to meet on a full-year basis the cost of increased wage rates established for Government and industrial employees' wages in the Washington metropolitan area, conducted during the past year. The new rates went into effect Dec. 9, 1962, in accordance with the provisions of Public Law 85-872, 85th Cong. This increase is necessary in order that the Library buildings and grounds wage-board employees may be compensated on a full-year basis in the fiscal year 1964 in accordance with present prevailing rates. An increase of $2,121 is requested for 1964 to meet the 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. 3,500 20, 000 10,000 10,000 105, 000 3,500 15, 000 4, 500 8, 500 - 180, 000 664, 500 10, 005 |