Mr. ENGEL. Off the record. (Discussion off the record.)

PROMOTION OF DOCTORS

Mr. ENGEL. During the war, as you will recall, Admiral, we had a great deal of difficulty on the question of promotions. The first men who came in and who volunteered for the service were able men. A good many times they were old practitioners with a lot of experience. They came in the service at a comparatively low rank. Then a little while later some younger men came in with higher ranks, and it left a bad situation.

I know of one doctor down in New Zealand, an outstanding physician down there for 3 years, who went away a captain and came home a captain in the Army. I hope that something is done to avoid that sort of situation in case we do go into any prolonged situation here. Admiral SWANSON. They all have running mates, now, sir. All members of the Naval Reserve have running mates, so they ought to be promoted just like Regulars.

Mr. ENGEL. You think you can avoid that, do you?

Admiral SWANSON. I am sure they are going to be given fair treatment.

Mr. ENGEL. I do not know about the Navy, but I know what the situation was in the Army. You would have a man stationed some place on an island or somewhere else, and though he was a good man according to the tables of organization you could not promote him so long as he held the job.

Admiral SWANSON. That does not obtain in the Navy, sir, because they do have running mates and they all have equal opportunities with the Regulars. In fact, I would estimate, sir, that perhaps 40 percent of our doctors today are Reserve doctors who are not Regular Navy doctors.

Mr. ENGEL. I know we had quite a difficulty with that in the Army. That is all.

Mr. SHEPPARD. Mr. Plumley?

Mr. PLUMLEY. Admiral, I do not want to be critical except insofar as I notice that you went very light footedly in your general remarks with respect to research. Research, so far as your department has been involved over the years, as I know and as you know, has contributed so much. I do not like to have you go over it light footedly. I would like to know what you have to say about that, and what you think.

Every man on this committee knows that had it not been for the Navy and what your Department has done medically for this country we would be in terrifically bad shape. I want you to tell us what we should do to make it possible for you to continue the wonderful things which your Department has done for this country. I remember them, and you do.

I wish in this connection to tell you something, Mr. Chairman, if you will permit me.

I called up the admiral when there was a son of an Army officer dying of erysipelas, two houses above me in Northfield, Vt. The doctors said he had to have a certain type of medicine which only the Navy had. The admiral said to me, "If you can procure an ambulance

and if you can get him to Boston we will administer to him that only which can save his life." Within 5 days that boy was walking up Prospect Street in Northfield, Vt. Necessarily, therefore, I am very much interested in anything which has to do with an appropriation for such research as has made it possible for them to do what they have done.

Mr. SHEPPARD. Off the record.

(Discussion off the record.)

Mr. SHEPPARD. Gentlemen, we thank you very much for your

REAR ADM. J. F. JELLEY, (CEC), USN, CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF YARDS AND DOCKS

Mr. SHEPPARD. We will now take up the item of civil engineering and we will hear Rear Admiral Jelley, Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks.

GENERAL STATEMENT

Mr. SHEPPARD. You may proceed with your general statement. First of all, you are here to present the request of the Department of Civil Engineering in the amount of $70,182,000.

Admiral JELLEY. Yes.

Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, we are here to justify the supplemental estimates for funds to carry out those functions under appropriation "Civil engineering," for which the Bureau of Yards and Docks is responsible. The estimates represent only those funds to meet the minimum requirements presently foreseen, caused by the Pacific operations. The appropriation "Civil engineering" is applied principally to expenses relating to administration, supervision, and inspection of public works and public utilities, and technical planning and implementation of civil engineering and related functions. It provides funds for engineering organizations comprising district public works offices, the maintenance and operation of the Construction Battalion Center and Advance Base Depot, Port Hueneme, Calif., for the maintenance and operation of public works and public utilities comprising consolidated public works centers. It is charged with the procurement, receiving, storing and shipping, including the maintenance thereof, of all material and equipment necessary to rehabilitate or construct overseas bases.

Of the supplemental estimates before you, $24,752,000, or 70 percent, is required for major procurement of materials and equipment. I have a list which I will furnish for the perusal of the committee. In addition, $1,300,000, or 4 percent of the total supplemental estimate, is required for maintenance, testing, repair and rehabilitation of emergency stocks on hand. The remaining increase, amounting to approximately $9,352,000, is for the support of all other activities and functions of the Bureau including increases for maintenance and operations of the Advance Base Depot and Construction Battalion Center, Port Hueneme, Calif., the public works centers at Guam and Norfolk, Va., and for the stepped-up implementation of the technical responsibilities

of this Bureau as carried out through district public works offices. These organizations provide technical support embracing planning, design, specifications, inspection, and contract administration for all public works and public utilities of the Navy ashore. It is anticipated that a considerable increase in workload will result in these offices providing engineering services for the Navy and Marine Corps in repairs and alterations necessary in shore activities to meet the increased tempo demanded by the Pacific operations. The Construction Battalion Center, Port Hueneme, Calif., including the Advance Base Depot, provides a major portion of the operations and service required for export of construction materials and equipment. The committee may be assured that only the minimum funds required for the support of the current Pacific operations, of which you have been previously advised, are being requested.

SUMMARY JUSTIFICATION DATA

Mr. SHEPPARD. We will insert the prepared justification at this point.

(1) An increase of $18,495,000 for Bureau of Yards and Docks material and equipment in support of overseas operations. This material and equipment will be individually justified upon request by the committee.

(2) An increase of $1,750,000 for Ådvanced Base Depot, Port Hueneme, Calif.— The tremendous increased movement of materials and equipment through the Advanced Base Depot, Port Hueneme, Calif., which is the principal Pacific export base of the Bureau of Yards and Docks, will require accelerated operations at an estimated cost of approximately $1,750,000.

(3) An increase of $1,300,000 for maintenance, testing, repair, and rehabilitation of emergency stocks. Quantities of Bureau of Yards and Docks emergency stocks maintained on the east and west coasts. It is estimated that approximately $900,000 will be expended on the west coast and $400,000 on the east coast for adequate servicing and handling of these emergency stocks.

(1) An increase of $2,700,000 for classified employees and A&E contracts.This increase provides funds required for accelerating the presently deferred program of modernizing the engineering plans and specifications for Seabee equipment, standards for advanced base facilities and for premobilization construction requirements, also for the administration of construction contracts charged to other naval appropriations and for the field administration of Bureau of Yards and Docks functions. The engineering studies, planning, design, specifications and contract administration of public works contracts required to effect substantially all purposes of major repair, rehabilitation, conversion and new shore construction are accomplished by the district public works offices operating under management control of the Bureau. The increased requirements of other bureaus therefore impose greatly added responsibilities and duties on these district public works offices.

Public works centers and logistic support:

Senate bill, 1951__

Proposed supplemental.

$12, 105, 000

Revised requirement, 1951_--

PROPOSED INCREASES IN PROGRAM

5, 475, 000 17, 580, 000

(1) An increase of $1,000,000 for increased maintenance and operations of the Construction Battalion Center, Port Hueneme, Calif. The Construction Battalion Center, Port Hueneme, performs the functions of a public-works center in providing for the maintenance, repair, and operation of all public works and public utilities that form the United States Naval Station, Port Hueneme, and its several component activities. This includes such service support as the maintenance and repair of all structures, the maintenance and operation of transportation, construction and weight handling equipment, the maintenance of roads, and the maintenance and operation of all utility distribution systems. The increase in operational activity at Port Hueneme, estimated at over 100 percent, will make necessary an additional $1,000,000 for the effective performance of these functions. This represents an increase of only about 25 percent in the normal operating costs of the Construction Battalion Center.

(2) An increase of $1,395,000 for Public Works Center, Norfolk.-Greatly accelerated activity in the Norfolk area will increase in a comparable manner, the requirements of the Public Works Center for additional funds for the maintenance and operation of the public works and utilities involved. Of the increase of $1,395,000, $495,000 will be used for procurement of additional or replacement equipment required by the increased workload.

(3) An increase of $2,380,000 for the Public Works Center, Guam.-The Public Works Center, Guam, provides services for all naval activities on the island of Guam. Funds are budgeted under this activity for maintenance and operation of all Public Works Center facilities and equipment and for the entire cost of maintenance and repair of all interconnecting roads and utilities. In addition, the activity must absorb the overhead for all services rendered other naval activities for which only direct labor and material costs are charged. Increased activity in this area will require additional funds in thmoe aunt of $2,380,000.

(4) An increase of $200,000 for temporary living facilities at Port Hueneme, Calif.--The additional military personnel assigned to Port Hueneme or for clearance through Port Hueneme will necessitate the purchase of tents, cots, and mattresses costing $200,000.

(5) An increase of $500,000 for procurement of chemical defense material and equipment. Modern warfare requires a minimum stock of items necessary as a defense against atomic, biological, and chemical warfare. The inclusion of the

sum of $500,000 will initiate the procurement of such items as decontamination agent (bleach), gas alarms, collective protectors, vesicant crayon, sprayers, chemical kits, tetrachlorethane, etc.

No additional funds are budgeted for this activity at this time.

Automotive procurement:

Senate bill, 1951.

Proposed supplemental_.

Revised requirement, 1951.

PROPOSED INCREASE IN PROGRAM

4, 669, 000

$328, 000 5, 062, 000

5, 390, 000

(1) An increase of $5,062,000 for automotive procurement.—This budget activity provides funds for procurement of all passenger-carrying vehicles including busses and station wagons for the entire Navy. It also provides funds for the procurement of trucks for activities under the management control of the Bureau of Yards and Docks. The present Navy automotive fleet, due to its reduced size, age (60 percent exceeding 8 years), will not support the expansion required by present planning and directives.

The following table indicates the inventory and proposed procurement for passenger-carrying vehicles (all Navy):

A recent study of the passenger-carrying vehicles indicates that 5,501 units, or 80 percent of the entire fleet, are over-age and cannot, due to their age and condition, be expected to absorb any appreciable degree of the increase in workload. The following table indicates the inventory and proposed procurement of nonpassenger-carrying vehicles:

A recent study of the Navy's automotive fleet reveals that approximately 50 percent of the non-passenger-carrying vehicles are over age and would indicate that 1,098 units under the cognizance of the Bureau of Yards and Docks could not be expected to absorb with any degree of reliability the increased workload.