BILL MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 85442 Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY COCUMENTS DIVISION UNITED STATES WASHINGTON: 1943 SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS CARL HAYDEN, Arizona STYLES BRIDGES, New Hampshire C. WAYLAND BROOKS. Illinois EVERARD H. SMITH, Clerk EX OFFICIO MEMBERS FROM MILITARY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE ROBERT R. REYNOLDS, North Carolina WAR DEPARTMENT CIVIL FUNCTIONS APPROPRIATION BILL, 1944 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 1943 UNITED STATES SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:30 a. m., in the Senate Appropriations Committee room, Senator Elmer Thomas, of Oklahoma, chairman of the subcommittee (presiding). Present: Senators Thomas of Oklahoma, Hayden, Overton, O’Mahoney, Maybank, Lodge, Gurney, and Austin. Senator THOMAS. The committee will be in order. This is a subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee of the Senate to consider the War Department Civil Functions appropriation bill. We have before us the bill, the same having passed the House of Representatives. The bill is H. R. 2346. Pursuant to the practice in the Senate, and I think it is likewise true in the House, when a bill comes to the Senate it is sent to the head of the department having jurisdiction of the subject matter and request the head of the department, in this instance the War Department, to consider the provisions of the measure and then to make recommendations to the committee of suggested changes. LETTER FROM SECRETARY OF WAR REQUESTING CERTAIN AMENDMENTS That was done in this case. The letter was sent to the Secretary of War and we have a reply to our communication. The reply is dated April 5, signed by the Secretary of War, so, without objection, I will place in the record at this point the letter, together with the suggested changes, as submitted by the Secretary of War. (The document referred to is as follows:) Hon. ELMER THOMAS, WAR DEPARTMENT, April 5, 1943. Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate. DEAR SENATOR THOMAS: There are transmitted herewith memoranda of changes desired in the War Department civil appropriations bill, 1944, in accordance with the request contained in your letter of March 31, 1943. Representatives of the Department will appear before your committee at such time as you may desire. Sincerely yours, HENRY L. STIMSON, Secretary of War. CEMETERIAL EXPENSES Page 3, line 7: Omit "$605,643" and insert $634,000". Discussion.-It is desired to restore $28,357 eliminated from the Budget estimates by the House Appropriations Committee. Without the restoration of the amount it will be impossible to provide sufficient temporary labor during the fiscal year 1944. RIVERS AND HARBORS Page 6, line 3: Omit the words included in brackets and insert the words in italics: "and I, in addition, $2,000,000] so much of the unobligated balance on June 30, 1943 [] of the appropriation "Maintenance and Improvement of Existing River and Harbor Works" [,] as the Secretary of War determines to be necessary is hereby [reappropriated] made available for the execution of detail investigations and the preparation of plans and specifications for projects heretofore or hereafter authorized." Discussion.-The limitation on the use of only $2,000,000 for the purpose may reasonably be expected to curtail the work that might be necessary to perform in order to facilities the preparation of the backlog of projects. FLOOD CONTROL Page 7, line 17: Omit the words included in brackets and insert the words in italics: "and [, in addition, $2,400,000] so much of the unobligated balance on June 30, 1943 [] of the appropriation "Flood Control, General" [,] as the Secretary of War determines to be necessary is hereby [reappropriated] made available for the preparation of detailed plans and specifications of authorized floodcontrol projects, and for rescue work or the repair or maintenance of any floodcontrol work threatened or destroyed by flood, pursuant to section 5 of the Flood Control Act, approved August 18, 1941." Discussion. The language if left unchanged might be construed to permit the use of only $2,000,000 for plans and specifications and $400,000 for rescue work or the repair or maintenance of any flood-control work, etc., while the House Report on the bill (No. 331) indicates clearly that $4,000,000 and $800,000, respectively, were intended for these purposes. Page 9, line 4: Omit "$14,000,000," from line 4 and insert in line 5 after the word "vehicles", ", $14,000,000". Discussion. To correct an error in composition. Page 9, line 19: Omit "Maintenance and improvement of existing river and harbor works" and insert "Flood control, general". Discussion.-"Flood control, general" has heretofore been used for the Sacramento River project, and it is desirable to avoid the use of maintenance and improvement funds for this purpose. Senator THOMAS. Inasmuch as the House covered these items rather fully, in their hearings, and we have copies of that hearing before us, I suggest that we make the House hearings a part of our hearings, not for the purpose of being reprinted in our hearings, but for the information and convenience of the members. That will make the House hearings a part of our record, and we can refer to the House hearings at our convenience. That procedure will save us going into a great many matters that were covered rather thoroughly by the House of Representatives. CEMETERY EXPENSES. (See p. 29) Senator THOMAS. I think it proper to take up first the recommendations made by the Secretary of War and the first one is on page 3, line 7, relating to cemetery expenses. I think it proper that this item be postponed for the time being, and we will make that item special for a later time in our hearings. |