Page images
PDF
EPUB
[graphic]

Appropriation Bill for 1944

HEARINGS

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE

COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SEVENTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

ON THE

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR-FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY
APPROPRIATION BILL FOR 1944

[blocks in formation]

COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

CLARENCE CANNON, Missouri, Chairman

CLIFTON A. WOODRUM, Virginia

LOUIS LUDLOW, Indiana
MALCOLM C. TARVER, Georgia
JED JOHNSON, Oklahoma

J. BUELL SYNDER, Pennsylvania
EMMET O'NEAL, Kentucky

JAMES M. FITZPATRICK, New York
LOUIS C. RABAUT, Michigan
JOE STARNES, Alabama
JOHN H. KERR, North Carolina
GEORGE H. MAHON, Texas
HARRY R. SHEPPARD, California
BUTLER B. HARE, South Carolina
ALBERT THOMAS, Texas
JOE HENDRICKS, Florida
MICHAEL J. KIRWAN, Ohio

JOHN M. COFFEE, Washington
W. F. NORRELL, Arkansas

ALBERT GORE, Tennessee

ELMER H. WENE, New Jersey

CLINTON P. ANDERSON, New Mexico JAMIE L. WHITTEN, Mississippi THOMAS J. O'BRIEN, Illinois

JAMES M. CURLEY, Massachusetts

JOHN TABER, New York

RICHARD B. WIGGLESWORTH, Massachusetts WILLIAM P. LAMBERTSON, Kansas

D. LANE POWERS, New Jersey

J. WILLIAM DITTER, Pennsylvania
ALBERT E. CARTER, California
CHARLES A. PLUMLEY, Vermont
EVERETT M. DIRKSEN, Illinois
ALBERT J. ENGEL, Michigan
KARL STEFAN, Nebraska
FRANCIS CASE, South Dakota
FRANK B. KEEFE, Wisconsin
NOBLE J. JOHNSON, Indiana
ROBERT F. JONES, Ohio
BEN F. JENSEN, Iowa

H. CARL ANDERSEN, Minnesota
HENRY C. DWORSHAK, Idaho
WALTER C. PLOESER, Missouri

[blocks in formation]

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR-FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY
APPROPRIATION BILL FOR 1944

Massachusetts

ansas

nis

nt

OPRIATIONS

HEARINGS CONDUCTED BY THE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COM-
MITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
IN CHARGE OF THE LABOR DEPARTMENT-FEDERAL SECUR-
ITY AGENCY APPROPRIATION BILL FOR THE FISCAL YEAR
1944, ON THE DAYS FOLLOWING

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 1943.

PROCEDURE ON CONDUCT OF HEARINGS

Mr. HARE. We have met this morning to begin hearings on the Department of Labor-Federal Security Agency appropriation bill for the fiscal year 1944.

I might say, for the benefit of the members of the committee and those who are present to justify appropriation requests, that perhaps the only two criticisms that I received of our hearings last year were to the effect that too much time and attention were paid to outlining in detail the purposes and activities of the various agencies, and that the observations that we, as members of the committee, made on these subjects, were too lengthy; that it proved to be rather expensive to print.

It will be the purpose of the chairman, during the course of these hearings, to expedite them as much as possible.

We have been allotted time nearly 3 weeks less than we had last year for the same scope of hearings.

I hope that members of the committee will endeavor to limit their observations as much as possible, consistent with efficiency, and I hope further that in the justifications that are presented and in our discussion of them, we attempt to withhold our inquiries until after the witness has completed his or her general statement.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Chairman, I agree absolutely that we ought to limit our observations as much as possible. On the other hand, while I agree that we should try to expedite these hearings as much as possible, I do not believe we ought to try to expedite them to the point of depriving any member of the fullest opportunity of cross-examination of a witness on any material point. I do not think that is the chairman's purpose.

Mr. HARE. Certainly not. We are anxious that every opportunity be given to justify any appropriation request, and I am sure the committee will ask for sufficient justification before it acts on any appropriation estimate.

Mr. ENGEL. Of course, the purpose of the hearing is to bring out

all the facts.

1

Mr. HARE. Certainly.

Mr. ENGEL. And nothing should be done to prevent that. Mr. HARE. I agree with you. We will now proceed with the consideration of the estimates for the Department of Labor.

STATEMENT OF HON. FRANCES PERKINS, SECRETARY OF LABOR; ACCOMPANIED BY JAMES E. DODSON, CHIEF CLERK AND BUDGET OFFICER; JOHN R. DEMOREST, CHIEF, DIVISION OF BUDGETS AND ACCOUNTS

GENERAL STATEMENT

Mr. HARE. We have with us this morning the Secretary of Labor. Madam Secretary, we should be very glad to hear from you any statement you would like to make with reference to the activities of your Department during the past year.

Secretary PERKINS. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, I must apologize to you for a matter which is not at all within our control really, in that our budget is not complete. That is because of changes which have been necessary in various activities aimed at the prosecution of the war. We have a number of supplemental budget applications which are still before the Bureau of the Budget. We regret that.

This budget represents only the straight budget of the Department, without any of the supplemental items. These supplemental items add up to considerable amounts. We do not know, of course, the extent to which the Budget Bureau will approve them, but they will probably be before you in their proper form shortly.

Mr. HARE. Do you anticipate that these supplemental estimates will be available to this committee before we complete these hearings? Mr. DODSON. We hope they will be. We expected to have them up here this morning. We thought they would come through last Friday.

Secretary PERKINS. We aimed at having them ready at this time, and that is why I am extremely sorry they are not.

Mr. ENGEL. And it is expected that they will be presented in time for consideration in these hearings?

Secretary PERKINS. Yes; that is the expectation. They are supplemental estimates that have been made necessary by the many and sudden changes which come about in the development of programs for the prosecution of the war.

STRUCTURE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

I am sure most of the members of the committee are quite familiar with the structure of the Department of Labor. I know we have some new members and I am very glad, indeed, to meet them. I want to say to you that we have been very much gratified, in the Department of Labor, by the attention which members of this subcommittee have given throughout the year to the affairs and problems of the Department. We have been happy to see members of the committee in the Department and know that they have been making inquiries and following the work of the various bureaus. I hope that the new members will also feel free to take the opportunity to become familiar with the work of the different bureaus of the Department.

« PreviousContinue »