HOSPITAL AT GUAM Mr. NORRELL. Let us turn to the item for the hospital at Guam. Admiral JELLEY. Yes, sir. Mr. NORRELL. That is on page 1, I believe. I notice you have 42 million dollars for construction at Guam. Admiral JELLEY. That is what we are asking for in this supplemental. Mr. NORRELL. Is that right? Admiral JELLEY. Yes, sir. Mr. NORRELL. You say you have an authorization of $25,000,000? Admiral JELLEY. Yes, sir. Mr. NORRELL. Do I understand that you already have available two amounts from a couple of years totaling $10,000,000? Admiral JELLEY. We have $5,000,000 that was appropriated last year, and we have $5,000,000 that is included in the regular 1951 appropriation bill which has not come out yet. Mr. NORRELL. Have you started the hospital yet? Admiral JELLEY. No, sir. We are working on the plans and specifications. Mr. NORRELL. Has any money therefor been expended? Admiral JELLEY. There has been some expenditure for preparation of plans and specifications. Mr. NORRELL. Do you estimate the cost to be $25,000,000? Mr. NORRELL. Is that going to. be the last item that you will ask for for the hospital? Admiral JELLEY. It will unless they increase the size over the present planned capacity. If it becomes necessary to build a larger one we will have to ask for more money. Mr. NORRELL. What has become of the general hospital that we located in Hawaii for the entire Pacific area? Mr. MAHON. You are speaking of Tripler Hospital. Mr. NORRELL. I understood at the time I was on the committee that that hospital was to be a large one of about 1,000 beds. Admiral JELLEY. I have never seen it. It is a large hospital, though. Mr. NORRELL. It is a beautiful hospital. You ought to see it. I understood when it was constructed that it would be the general hospital for the entire armed services personnel in all the areas of the Pacific. You did not understand that? Admiral JELLEY. I did not understand that. As a matter of fact, it is more than 4,000 miles from Guam. I do not see how a hospital 4,000 miles away would serve the purpose of Guam. Mr. NORRELL. You think you need one on Guam? Mr. NORRELL. Do you ask for it exclusively and solely as an armedservices hospital for Guam? Admiral JELLEY. The 275 beds were computed from a study of the planned assignment of Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel to Guam. Mr. NORRELL. To get down to the core of this, are you not trying to build a hospital for the civilian personnel on Guam and the other islands in that chain? Is that not the ambition of the Navy? Admiral JELLEY. Do you refer to the various natives? Mr. NORRELL. Yes. Admiral JELLEY. No, sir. They have to provide their own hospital. Now, in this hospital they will do some training of native nurses and attendants who will work in the various native villages. But they will not take care of the natives in this hospital. That is to be in a hospital that the Department of Interior will have to provide. Mr. NORRELL. You say in your explanation that this is for the support of that Pacific area throughout, and also to provide instruc tion in medicine for the natives of that area. Admiral JELLEY. That is to instruct nurses. I do not think that they can train native doctors, but they can train attendants. They will also have to take care of the civil-service employees coming out from the mainland. Mr. NORRELL. I happen to be on another subcommittee, and I am of the opinion that the Department of the Interior would like to build a hospital on Guam. Do you know what the native civilian population of Guam is? Admiral JELLEY. The civilian population is in the neighborhood of 22,000 to 24,000 on the Island of Guam itself. Mr. NORRELL. About 22,000 or 24,000 and that is all? Mr. NORRELL. Yet you want to build a 275-bed hospital, and you will have a 500-bed chassis? Admiral JELLEY. Yes, sir. Mr. NORRELL. Actually, in normal times you do not have enough armed services personnel to get sick to occupy a hospital of that size, do you? Admiral JELLEY. I think the feeling has been that 275 is a little light. At present there are over 20,000 Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel on Guam. Mr. NORRELL. You say here you have 49 officers. Mr. NORRELL. And 86 civilians. That is a total of 277. What is your naval personnel in normal times? Admiral JELLEY. In the last few years the naval personnel has averaged between 10,000 and 20,000. This hospital is for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The Army, Navy, and Air Force has been in the neighborhood of between 25,000 and 30,000. Mr. NORRELL. That is in wartime? Admiral JELLEY. No, that was in the last few years. In wartime we had nearly 180,000. Mr. NORRELL. I have been to Guam several times. In normal times how many Air Force personnel do you have there? Admiral JELLEY. I do not have the individual figures. The total was between 25,000 and 30,000 for all three services. As I recall it, it was several thousand for the Air Force. Mr. NORRELL. I would like to have you check on that. Admiral JELLEY. I would be glad to furnish those figures for the record. Mr. NORRELL. Give me the armed services personnel in normal times, such as we had prior to World War II. Admiral JELLEY. I cannot give you that offhand. Mr. NORRELL. It has been abnormal in the Pacific ever since. Admiral JELLEY. I do not think they had more than 500 men on Guam prior to World War II. Mr. NORRELL. It is abnormal if you get away from that. (The following information was submitted for the record:) The military personnel, dependents, and civilian employees on Guam prior to World War II were approximately 1,000 Navy and none for Army and Air Force. Mr. NORRELL. I have one or two more questions. Let us go to the last page in your explanations. TEMPORARY BUILDING Skipping on down, I notice you have a temporary building costing $600,000. What is that? Admiral JELLEY. That is for temporary wards for the difference between the 275 beds and the 500 beds, or 225 beds. As a result of this Korean business or some further development we may have to put in temporary beds. Mr. NORRELL. Now, we want to move on as quickly as we can. SITE DEVELOPMENT The next item you have is $1,000,000 for site development, roads, grading, services, and utilities. As Mr. Taber says, it looks to me like that is kind of high. Admiral JELLEY. No, sir. If we take a piece of unimproved ground, by the time you grade it and put in the roads and walks and put in the water and power and other utilities $1,000,000 out of $14,500,000 is about the right proportion. Mr. NORRELL. In conclusion, you say that you do not know anything about the hospital in Hawaii and that you think you need this large institution solely and exclusively for the armed services personnel in Guam? Admiral JELLEY. Exactly, sir. I may say that this is the first time I have heard it said that the Tripler Hospital was supposed to provide for the whole Pacific area. Admiral Thurber may be able to comment on that. Mr. NORRELL. That may be wrong, but that is the impression I received. Admiral JELLEY. I know the Navy shut down Aiea Hospital and Tripler Hospital is taking care of the Navy patients in Hawaii. Mr. SIKES. Guam is about 3,000 miles from Hawaii, is it not? Captain PERRY. Three thousand three hundred and eighteen. Mr. SIKES. Three thousand three hundred and eighteen? Captain PERRY. Yes, sir. NEED FOR CAREFUL DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS Mr. MAHON. Are there any other further questions with respect to this public-works program? If not, gentlemen, let me caution you that we do not want any construction that is not essential. There is going to be plenty of it that is essential. We hope that you will constantly screen these projects, and if you find that any of them can be eliminated we hope that you will convey that information to us and that you will save all the money you can in this program. There seems to be no end for our fiscal requirements. We just want to do the best job we can to conserve the taxpayers' dollars. At the same time we have to have a National Defense Establishment for the defense of the Nation. Admiral JELLEY. I might say that this list represents a screened process and it is no more than the top 10 percent. Admiral THURBER. May I say something off the record? (Discussion off the record.) LANGUAGE CHANGES FACILITIES Mr. MAHON. Before we adjourn, there are several questions which I would like to ask Admiral Hopwood. Admiral Hopwood, will you give us an explanation of the need for the language entitled "Facilities' which is shown in the President's message (H. Doc. 677) under the Department of the Navy? What do you need that for? Suppose we insert the language included in the President's message at this point: FACILITIES For expenses necessary for acquisition, construction, and installation of production facilities and equipment, and test facilities and equipment (other than those for research and development), including the land necessary therefor, without regard to sections 355 and 3734, Revised Statutes, such amounts as may be determined by the Secretary of the Navy, and approved by the Secretary of Defense and the Bureau of the Budget, and said amounts shall be derived by transfer from any appropriations available to the Department of the Navy, during the fiscal year 1951, for procurement of equipment for installation or use in private plants. Admiral HOPWOOD. This provision is urgently required by the Bureau of Ordnance, the Bureau of Aeronautics, and the Bureau of Ships to permit use of their funds to expand, procure, or construct facilities necessary to expedite the emergency procurement program, particularly with reference to ship conversions and armament production. The increased emphasis on rockets, for example, will require expansion of loading and handling facilities. You will note we are asking not for additional funds, but for flexibility within existing funds. The appropriations made available by this language are "Ordnance for new construction," "Ordnance and facilities," "Construction of ships," "Ships and facilities," and "Aircraft and facilities." Similar authority was available to the Navy throughout World War II in the affected appropriations. The need for this authority is identical with the need of the Army in connection with their appropriation, "Expediting production," herein authorized. Mr. MAHON. Admiral, I think we should add a limitation to the amount you can use for such purposes. Would you suggest an amount? Admiral HoPWOOD. I think it would be better if no limitation were imposed. This is mainly because of the fact that the need for this language cannot be anticipated but will be dependent upon the extent of the emergency. However, if it is the consensus of the com mittee that a limitation should be imposed, I would suggest that this limitation be not less than $100,000,000. Mr. MAHON. Will you provide us with the language to be added to establish a limitation if we so desire? Admiral HopwOOD. I suggest changing the period at the end of the language to a colon and add "Provided, That the total amount so transferred shall not exceed $100,000,000." PURCHASE OF PASSENGER MOTOR VEHICLES Mr. MAHON. Now, Admiral, I understand the general provision shown on the next page of House Document No. 677 is inserted at the Navy's request. Will you please explain your need for that? First, let us insert the language contained in the document. SEC. -. Funds appropriated under the head "Civil engineering" in this, or any other act, for the fiscal year 1951 shall be available for the purchase of passenger motor vehicles for additional, as well as for replacement, requirements. Admiral HoPWOOD. This section will amend the appropriation, "Civil engineering," as contained in the General Appropriation Act so as to permit the purchase of passenger motor vehicles for additional, as well as for replacement, requirements. The necessary funds have been provided herein for such additional purchases. The appropriation language for the Army and Air Force permits such procurement. We have proceeded beyond the purely replacement phase of automotive procurement. This supplemental provides for additional procurement to meet the expanded operational vehicular requirements. INCREASE IN MILITARY PERSONNEL OF THE MARINE CORPS Mr. MAHON. Do I understand that the Navy Department is planning an increase in the numbers of military personnel in the Marine Corps? Admiral HopWOOD. Plans are being prepared in the Navy Department to increase the strength of the Marine Corps but these plans are not yet firm. The plans include increasing the two divisions of the Marine Corps to war strength and adding two additional Marine aircraft squadrons. The planned increase will provide an end strength of Marine Corps personnel in the neighborhood of 170,000-an increase of 32,000 above the numbers currently contained in the supplemental estimates now before the committee. Mr. MAHON. Do you have an estimate of cost of this increased Marine Corps strength? Admiral HOPWOOD. An accurate costing must await the finalizing and approval of plans. From the information available to us, it is estimated that the additional costs incident to increasing the Marine Corps strength will be in the neighborhood of $775,000,000. Once these additional forces have been built up and supplied, the additional cost in succeeding years will be in the neighborhood of $370,000,000. PROJECTED BUDGETING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NAVY, 1952-54 Mr. MAHON. Do you have an estimate of the cost in 1952, 1953, and 1954 of the Navy on the assumption of projecting the forces you will have at the end of this year? |