that we have asked you to put it in here for the Department as a whole. I will have the matter gone into thoroughly and will file with the committee a statement covering that point about a limitation. MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Mr. TARVER. The next item in the bill reads: MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE For stationery, blank books, twine, paper, gum, dry goods, soap, brushes, brooms, mats, oils, paints, glass, lumber, hardware, ice, furniture, carpets, and mattings; for freight, express charges, advertising and press clippings, telegraphing, telephoning, postage, washing towels; for the maintenance, repair, and operation of one motorcycle and not to exceed three motor-propelled passenger-carrying vehicles (including one for the Secretary of Agriculture, one for general utility needs of the entire Department, and one for the Forest Service) and purchase and exchange of one motor-propelled passenger-carrying vehicle, at a net cost of not to exceed $1,500, for official purposes only; for official traveling expenses, including examination of estimates for appropriations in the field for any bureau, office, or service of the Department; and for other miscellaneous supplies and expenses not otherwise provided for and necessary for the practical and efficient work of the Department, which are authorized by such officer as the Secretary may designate, $120,748: Provided, That this appropriation shall be available for the payment of salaries of employees engaged in the maintenance, repair, and operation of motor transport vehicles, and that this appropriation shall be reimbursed from the appropriation made for any bureau or office for which such service is performed, in accordance with the provisions of the Act of May 11, 1922 (42 Stat., p. 508): Provided further, That the Secretary of Agriculture, during the fiscal year 1937, may maintain stocks of stationery, supplies, equipment, and miscellaneous materials sufficient to meet, in whole or in part, requirements of the bureaus and offices of the Department in the city of Washington and elsewhere, but not to exceed in the aggregate, $200,000 in value at the close of the fiscal year, and the appropriations of such bureaus, offices, and agencies available for the purchase of stationery, supplies, equipment, and miscellaneous materials shall be available to reimburse the appropriation for miscellaneous expenses current at the time supplies are allotted, assigned, or issued, or when payment is received; for transfer for the purchase of inventory; and for transfer pursuant to the provisions of section 601 of the Act approved June 30, 1932 (47 Stat., pp. 417, 418): Provided further, That the appropriations made hereunder shall be available for the payment of salaries and expenses for purchasing, storing, handling, packing, or shipping supplies and blank forms, and there shall be charged proportionately as a part of the cost of supplies issued an amount to cover such salaries and expenses, and in the case of blank forms and supplies not purchased from this appropriation an amount to cover such salaries and expenses shall be charged proportionately to the proper appropriation: Provided further, That the facilities of the central storehouse of the Department shall to the fullest extent practicable be used to make unnecessary the maintenance of separate bureau storehouse activities in the Department: Provided further, That a separate schedule of expenditures, transfers of funds, or other transactions hereunder shall be included in the annual Budget. Mr. JUMP. The following explanation of this estimate is presented for the record: The increase of $4,300 for 1937 includes: (1) An apparent increase of $17,500, but an actual increase of $1,500, as follows: (a) An apparent increase of $16,000 for moving expenses and window blinds, in connection with the occupancy of additional portions of the new South Building. Due to the failure to complete the structure in accordance with the original schedule of construction, the $16,000 carried in the 1936 act for moving and window blinds will remain unobligated during the fiscal year 1936. Upon completion of the final portions of the South Building during the fiscal year 1937, these funds will be required, as follows: $10,000 for moving the various offices and laboratories into quarters in the new portions of the building which it is expected will be completed during the latter part of 1937 (major portions of wings 2 and 3, and the connecting headhouse on Independence Avenue between wings 2 and 4), and $6,000 for equipping the new portions of the structure with window blinds. (b) An actual increase of $1,500 for travel expenses of investigators in connection with investigations of fiscal, personnel, and other irregularities, and the periodical independent inspection of Department, field stations for the purpose of discovering and preventing mismanagement, irregularities, and waste of public funds. Work of this character requires extensive travel to various parts of the country, and a minimum of $1,500 increase is needed for its successful prosecution. (2) An apparent decrease of $2,800, due to the transfer of that amount to a new appropriation item for "Salaries and expenses, office of the Solicitor." (3) An apparent increase of $6,200, due to the transfer from the appropriation for "Salaries, office of the Secretary" of the amount representing the net cost to the Secretary's office of the salaries of the personnel engaged in reimbursable motor transport operations. The remainder of the salaries of this organization (approximately $18,800) is reimbursed to this appropriation from the funds of other bureaus for which motor trucking service is performed. This transfer is requested with a view to effecting the consolidation in the "Miscellaneous expenses" appropriation of all reimbursable activities of the office of the Secretary, and to facilitate and coordinate bookkeeping and accounting operations. Appropriate amendment to the language of this appropriation item, to provide for the payment of the motor transport salaries, is recommended under the paragraph dealing with "Change in language." (4) An apparent decrease of $16,600, but an actual decrease of $600, as follows: (a) Apparent decrease of $16,000, due to the elimination in 1937 of an unobligated reserve for moving expenses and window blinds, as explained in note 1 (a) above. (b) An actual decrease of $600, representing the amount heretofore provided under this appropriation for the payment of the Department of Agriculture's proportionate share of the expense of the dispatch agent in New York City. The Secretary of State has notified the Secretary of Agriculture that beginning July 1, 1935, funds are available to the Department of State for this purpose and that no further transfer of funds will be requested of the Department of Agriculture. CHANGE IN LANGUAGE Several changes in the language of this item are recommended, as follows: (1) The omission of the following language, relating to the payment of the Department of Agriculture's share of the expense of the dispatch agent in New York, is recommended "for the payment of the Department of Agriculture's proportionate share of the expense of the dispatch agent in New York." The State Department has indicated that no further transfers of funds will be requested from the Department of Agriculture for this purpose. (2) In order to provide authorization for the payment under this appropriation of the salaries of personnel in the reimbursable Motor Transport Service, the insertion of the following new language is recommended: “Provided, That this appropriation shall be available for the payment of salaries of employees engaged in the maintenance, repair, and operation of motor transport vehicles, and that this appropriation shall be reimbursed from the appropriation made for any bureau or office for which such service is performed, in accordance with the provisions of the Act of May 11, 1922 (42 Stat., 508)." (3) Changes are recommended as follows in the language covering operation of the Central Supply Section: "[Provided] Provided further, That the Secretary of Agriculture, during the fiscal year [1936] 1937, may maintain stocks of stationery, supplies, equipment, and miscellaneous materials sufficient to meet, in whole or in part, requirements of the bureaus and offices of the Department in the city of Washington and elsewhere, but not to exceed in the aggregate, $200,000 in value at the close of the fiscal year, and the appropriations [made for] of such bureaus [and], offices , and agencies available for [such stocks] the purchase of stationery, supplies, equipment, and miscellaneous materials shall be available to reimburse the appropriation for miscellaneous expenses current at the time supplies are allotted, assigned, or issued or when payment is received; for transfer for the purchase of inventory; and for transfer pursuant to the provisions of Section 601 of the Act approved June 30, 1932 (47 Stat., pp. 417, 418): Provided, further, That the appropriations made hereunder shall be available for the payment of salaries [of employees engaged] and expenses [in] for purchasing, storing, handling, packing, or shipping [of] supplies and blank forms, and [the amount of such salaries] there shall be charged proprotionately as a part of the cost of supplies isused an amount to cover such salaries and expenses, and in the case of blank forms and supplies not purchased from this appropriation [the] an amount [of] to cover such salaries and expenses shall be charged proportionately to the proper appropriation: Provided further, That the facilities of the central storehouse of the Department shall to the fullest extent practicable be used to make unnecessary the maintenance of separate bureau storehouse activities in the Department: Provided further, That a separate schedule of expenditures, transfers of funds, or other transactions hereunder shall be included in the annual Budget." These changes are requested in order to solve, if possible, without an additional appropriation for the purpose, the problem which has arisen out of the inadequacy of the present Central Stores inventory to meet the tremendously increased demands for supplies, due principally to the establishment in the Department of the Agricultural Adjustment Administration and the Soil Conservation Service. During 1935 the total value of stores issued by the Central Supply Section was $577,013.26, of which the Agricultural Adjustment Administration required $230,353.86. In March 1935, the Soil Conservation Service was transferred to the Department and immediately became one of the largest participants in the centralized service, having drawn stores amounting to $51,396.25 during the 4 months ended August 31, 1935, a monthly average of $12,849. The turnover in the present stock is approximately six times annually. The Central Supply Section was established without any direct appropriation, its capital consisting almost entirely of inventory contributed by the various bureaus and offices whose supply rooms were from time to time consolidated with it and of small sums expended from the appropriation for "Miscellaneous expenses, Department of Agriculture." Since the Agricultural Adjustment Administration and Soil Conservation Service were only recently created they did not make a contribution to the central stock, but their participation therein resulted in an increase of 273 percent in its volume of business with no increase in its resources. This has impaired the supply service to these agencies and to the entire Department and creates a critical situation toward the end of each fiscal year when there are no funds available for placement of orders for maintaining an adequate general stock inasmuch as the reimbursement of the appropriation "Miscellaneous Expenses" is dependent upon repayment from the various bureaus and offices. The outstanding deficiency is the inability of the Department, due to lack of funds and inability to effect reimbursements quickly enough for the purpose, to maintain a large enough stock of general stores in the Supply Section. The principal change proposed in the language is to give the Secretary authority "to transfer for the purchase of inventory." Under this language funds of the several agencies in the Department, available for the purchase of supplies, such as the Agricultural Adjustment Administration and the Soil Conservation Service, could be transferred by the Secretary directly into the appropriation for "Miscellaneous Expenses" for the purchase of sufficient stores to bring the stocks of the Central Supply Section up to a level adequate to meet the increased demand for supplies, caused so largely by these organizations, thus placing them in the same relationship with respect to contribution to the general stores inventory as other bureaus whose stocks were taken over originally or subsequently merged with the Central Stores inventories. This authorization would also enable the Department to augment the inventory, within the $200,000 limitation set by the law, from funds of other bureaus, at such times as the situation demanded such action and as funds were available therefor. Unless such authorization can be given it will be absolutely necessary to provide a direct increase of appropriation for the purchase of inventory. The language in the Appropriation Act for the present fiscal year provides only for reimbursement of the appropriation "Miscellaneous Expenses" current at the time stores are issued. Due to fiscal year limitation, if the supply section can be brought up to a proper inventory basis this might force purchases in June, in order to prevent depletion of the inventory, which could be made more advantageously in July or August. A second change in language is requested, therefore, to provide for reimbursement of the appropriation "Miscellaneous Expenses" either current at the time stores are issued, which is the present case, or current "when payment is received." Thus reimbursement on July 15 for supplies issued on June 28 could go into the appropriation at that time currrent, if needed for replenishing purposes, and if not required to balance the "Miscellaneous Expenses" appropriation of the preceding year. A third change in language authorizing reimbursement at the time supplies are "allotted" or "assigned" is for the purpose of making it entirely clear that reimbursement may be had prior to actual issuance for supplies ordered and paid for from "Miscellaneous Expenses" but which are of such special character or so marked or labeled that they can be used by or issued only to the bureau to be charged. In such cases these supplies are not a part of the general inventory and the Central Stores Section is acting merely as a custodian of stocks that might as well be stored in the bureau concerned insofar as their storage in the central section adds to the general resources thereof for departmental supply purposes. Other changes in the language of this section are minor and of a perfecting character. WORK DONE UNDER THIS APPROPRIATION This appropriation, as indicated by its terms, provides for a great variety of miscellaneous objects necessary in the conduct of the work of the Department including stationery, furniture, and office equipment and supplies, lumber, hardware, glass, paint, laundry, telegraphing and telephoning, ice, postage, travel expenses, maintenance and operation of motor vehicles, freight, express and drayage charges, and miscellaneous supplies and expenses not otherwise provided for and necessary for the practical and efficient work of the Department. It provides, also, for the compensation of the personnel of the Motor Transport Service and of such personnel of the Central Supply Section as may be engaged in the procurement, storage, issue, and shipment of supplies and materials for the several bureaus of the Department, reimbursement being made to this appropriation form the funds of the bureaus for which service is rendered. When I looked at the justification book the other night I was impressed with the fact that the explanation there is hard to understand, and I have prepared one that I think is much simpler. (The statement submitted at this point is as follows:) Miscellaneous expenses, Department of Agriculture Appropriation Act, 1936. Allotment for Solicitor's Office, estimated under that heading Discontinuation of Department of Agriculture share of sal- 1 $116, 448 -2, 800 - 600 Transferred from "Salaries, Office of the Secretary" for motor +6, 200 Increase, for travel expense of investigators inspecting field +1, 500 Budget estimate, 1937---- 1120, 748 Includes $16,000 available 1936 for moving expenses and window blinds for final wings of South Building. "These funds not used 1936 because building will not be completed until 1937. Funds estimated for 1937 because they will be needed during that fiscal year. This revised explanation has the same figures; and, as to the increases and decreases, the first one is a decrease of $2,800, transferred to the Solicitor's office to cover the general expenses of that office; the second is a $600 deduction because in the past we have had to pay the Department of Agriculture's share of the salary of the United States dispatch agent at the port of New York, but at the present time the State Department is undertaking to pay his entire salary in order to reduce the complications of bookkeeping, so that $600 is a direct cut. $6,200 is the amount transferred from the salaries appropriation into this appropriation, in connection with the motor truck pool that I discussed under the heading of salaries. Then there is a real increase of $1,500 here, and that is for the travel of the additional inspector included in the estimates under "Salaries, Office of the Secretary." If that man is provided, he ought to be provided with travel expenses, because we want to keep those men going steadily around in the field. Now, the thing that made this estimate difficult to understand is that on page 9 of the justification, where the project statement appears, there is an item of $16,000, and that $16,000 is carried in the bill this year for window blinds and for moving expenses into the final wings of the South Building on which construction has just started. There is $10,000 for moving, and $6,000 for the window blinds. The Treasury does not buy window blinds for these buildings. The building will not be completed during the fiscal year 1936, and therefore we have reserved that money from expenditure and show it as unobligated for 1936, but it is necessary to get it appropriated for 1937 in order that the money for moving and for window blinds may be available when the building is completed in the fiscal year 1937. There has been a long delay in completing that South Building, due to the fact that they had to tear down the Food and Drug and Chemistry Buildings before they could build the final wings. They are now taking the last debris away from the work of destruction and very shortly, will start final wings. CHANGES IN LANGUAGE We have some changes of language there that are very fully explained in the text. We will The first one relates to the dropping of the language for this part salary of the United States dispatch agent at New York. not need that any longer. It goes out with the $600 reduction. Item no. 2, on page 11 of the justification, provides: That this appropriation shall be available for the payment of salaries of employees engaged in maintenance, repair, and operation of motor transport vehicles, and that this appropriation shall be reimbursed from the appropriation made for any bureau or office for which truck service is performed, in accordance with the provisions of the act of May 11, 1922. That was an act that gave the Department authority to operate mechanical shops and to collect for the work that they had done. We are doing that at the present time, but are moving it under this appropriation where we already have language to collect reimbursements for supply work, and we thought that we ought to restate that we could collect reimbursements for the motor truck bureau also, in order that it might be clear that both were authorized. If we did not collect reimbursements from the bureaus and offices, it would be necessary for us to ask for a considerable direct appropria |