Mr. MCMILLAN. What is the prevailing draft of the vessels that have been using this waterway up to this time? Mr. PARK. The available draft has been 25 feet. Mr. MCMILLAN. This is in anticipation of heavier draft vessels using it. Mr. PARK. Yes, sir; deeper draft traffic requiring more protection. Mr. BACON. What is the depth of the water over the shoal? Mr. PARK. We hope to build the structure in about 17 feet of water. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Are there other objects comparable to this at other places along the canal. Mr. PARK. No, sir. The other aids are channel lights and buoys of lesser cost. Mr. BACON. The average draft of vessels using that waterway has been about 15 feet, and if you increased the depth to 32 feet, and have a shoal with 17 feet of water over it, it would be a great danger to boats drawing 30 feet. The tide question is also a very serious menace to navigation. Mr. PARK. Yes, sir. BREAK-DOWN OF COST FOR PROJECT NO. 4 Cleveland Ledge light, fog signal, and radiobeacon station, Buzzards Bay, Mass. Project IV.... $100,000 1. Borings and examination for selection of site. 2. Preparation of site, including dredging and leveling as 2, 000 re 3. Construction reinforced concrete caisson, 750 cubic yards at 4. Cast-iron ice-protection belt, 98,000 pounds at 7 cents. 6. Stone fill, 1,200 cubic yards at $4. 7. Concrete mat and concrete in pier proper, 1,000 cubic yards 8. 7,500 tons riprap protection including stone for boat harbor, 9. Superstructure proper, consisting of 1-story cylindrical build 30, 000 33, 750 10. Fourth-order lantern for tower.. 11. Fog-signal machinery and installation. 12. Lighting apparatus.. 13. Radiobeacon equipment installed, including antenna and storage battery. Required for expenditure in fiscal year 1938 for construction and protection of the pier.. For subsequent expenditure in fiscal year 1939___. 75,000 AIDS TO NAVIGATION FOR INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY APALACHICOLA BAY TO ST. ANDREWS BAY Mr. WOODRUM. The next is project no. 5, $5,100 to provide aids to navigation for the intracoastal waterway in Florida, from Appalachicola Bay to St. Andrews Bay. Mr. PARK. This is in connection with the Florida intracoastal waterway from Apalachicola Bay to St. Andrews Bay. It is purely a matter of marking the new dredged channel as soon as it is completed. Mr. WOODRUM. What kind of marker will you put in at a cost of $5,100? Mr. PARK. This chart shows in a general way the nature of the marking we are using for intracoastal waterways. They are inexpensive structures, with designated colors for the marks. We have adopted this system of marks applying to intracoastal waters from Norfolk down the coast, and west along the Gulf coast. Mr. WOODRUM. Each one of them has a particular meaning. Mr. PARK. Yes, sir. The yellow color is indicative of the Intracoastal Waterway. Very often those waterways join other waterways, and where it is necessary for yachtsmen, who are often not finished navigators, to find their way, they can do that pretty easily in this way along the route they are following. These marks were developed with that thought in mind. The yachtsman must keep in mind that he must follow the yellow markings. Mr. WOODRUM. Will you need this whole amount of $5,100? BREAK-DOWN OF COST FOR PROJECT NO. 5 Intracoastal Waterway, Apalachicola Bay to St. Andrews Bay, Fla. Project V- $5, 100 2. 50 beacons on piles at $45. 1. 8 lights on pile structures to mark the newly dredged channel at 3. 210 reflector button units for use on new and existing beacons and lights at $5 installed_____. 4. Incidentals and contingencies.- 1, 050 523 Total__ 9, 823 Already provided in 1938 appropriations___. 4, 723 5, 100 Balance to be provided and needed for completion of this work RECONDITIONING HEALD BANK LIGHTSHIP, TEXAS Mr. WOODRUM. The next is project no. 6, where you estimate $20,000 for reconditioning Heald Bank Lightship, Texas. Mr. PARK. Project no. 6 is in a different category from the others. This is for completing the reconditioning of Heald Bank Lightship, which is on a station off Galveston, on the Gulf coast. Work on this project was provided for partially by an allotment from some impounded funds that were released about a year ago, but when the work was started, it was found that the repairs required were much more than had been anticipated, and that the cost would be more, due to that fact and due to increased prices. Therefore, this additional amount is required to complete the job which has already been started. The machinery has been purchased, and a considerable part of the work has been done. The total cost of the project is about $102,000, of which $82,000 has been provided. Mr. LUDLOW. This lightship is 32 years old: What is the average age of a lightship? Mr. PARK. We have lightships that are around 40 or 45 years old. By reconditioning this lightship, we estimate its life can be extended about 10 or 15 years. Mr. WOODRUM. In each of these projects, will you put in a breakdown statement showing what funds are to be expended; and, where it is just a partial job, what the ultimate cost is estimated to be? Mr. PARK. I will do so. (Said break-down is as follows:) Project VI.. BREAK-DOWN OF COST FOR PROJECT NO. 6 Heald Bank Lightship, Texas 1. New Diesel propelling engine... 2. Duplicate Diesel engine driven generating units. 4. Miscellaneous machinery. 5. General hull repairs and reconditioning of vessels structurally 6. Pumps, new galley stove, heating boiler, and refrigerating 7. Cleaning and painting underwater body. 8. Renewing hull plating-. 9. Changing type of bilge keels.. 10. Furnishing and installing floor covering on main deck... 11. Changing type of buffalo rails. ! ! ! ~ !!!! $20,000. 00 $17, 754. 00 3, 600. 00 6, 200. 00 2, 488. 92 51, 971. 00 5, 600. 00 448. 54 1, 007. 43 1, 352. 82 331. 36 310. 05 12. Renewing upper deck stringer plate, etc.. 231. 61 13. Furnishing and installing new ventilator_ 108. 14 14. Installing port light in galley, etc... 17. 24 15. Renewing upper deck diagonal tie plates, forward, etc. 284. 53 16. Renewing wood sills, etc., under lamp house, etc. 318. 24 17. Unshipping and replacing rudder, etc.. 48. 36 18. Renewing angle clips for forward grating 4. 48 19. Removing and replacing 4 water tanks in aft hold. 223. 34 20. Renewing studs for cargo port door frames___ 15. 43 21. Furnishing and installing screen doors, etc., pilot house.. 26. Building refrigerator box, etc... 27. Installing refrigerator apparatus_ 28. Providing overboard drains for lavatories, etc.. 29. Renewing cargo port door frames, etc.- 30. Renewing upper deck diagonal tie plates, aft, etc.. 31. Installing fuel oil tank indicators.. 32. Installing fuel oil purifier_-_ 33. Estimated cost of work to be accomplished at unit prices and expected to be found necessary in the course of the general repairs, including renewal of extra frames, shell plating, rivets, etc.-- 34. Renewing water tanks and providing new water tank in forward hold Heald Bank Lightship, Texas-Continued Project VI-Continued. Less funds already provided: By release of impounded funds for vessel work as author- By balance from vessels, L. H. S. $65, 000 17, 800 82, 800. 00 20, 000. 00 Balance required to complete.. NOTE. The machinery has been purchased and delivered and the work of reconditioning is well advanced at the U. S. Engineer boatyard at Pascagoula, Miss. The amount asked for is needed at once in order to carry the project through to completion. TUESDAY, JULY 27, 1937. BUREAU OF AIR COMMERCE STATEMENTS OF H. F. ROUGH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR; J. S. COLLINS, CHIEF, ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION; W. R. BEHN, AND H. R. STUTSMAN, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE TRANSFER OF FUNDS FROM CERTAIN APPROPRIATIONS OF, TO TRAVELING EXPENSES APPROPRIATION DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Mr. WOODRUM. In House Document No. 304, under the Department of Commerce, we have before us a draft of a proposed provision pertaining to existing appropriations, as follows: The amount appropriated in the Department of Commerce Appropriation Act, 1938, for traveling expenses, Department of Commerce, is hereby increased by $360.000, and the amounts appropriated in said act for the Bureau of Air Commerce under the following headings are hereby reduced as follows: "Establishment of air-navigation facilities" by $126,000; “Maintenance of air-navigation facilities", by $160,000; "Aircraft in commerce," by $45,000; and "Safety and planning", by $29,000. I understand that this is a shifting of funds from one appropriation item to another. Mr. ROUGH. That is right. It is simply a transfer of funds from several appropriation items to objects that will permit travel by our group. As for the detailed reasons for the transfer of these funds, and the need for the transfers, I would like to have Mr. Collins answer. Mr. WOODRUM. How much of the $909,000 has been allocated to your Bureau? Mr. COLLINS. $437,813 gross, of which the Department reserved 21⁄2 percent, making a net allotment of $426,870. Mr. WOODRUM. Suppose you explain the item to us. Mr. COLLINS. I think that I might, perhaps, give you as an explanation by submitting to you a tabulation which we prepared based upon the estimated requirements which were, we feel, very conservative. We have first broken it down by offices and divisions, showing the amount required for each. On the left-hand side we show estimated requirements by divisions, sections, or projects, and on the right-hand side, we have shown the suballotments we have had to make based upon a proration of the $426,870 allotment made to the Bureau by the Department. The tabulation is broken down further at the bottom to show our original estimates under the several appropriations as submitted to the Budget Bureau, and all the way through to action upon by the Congress. I want to explain with respect to that item of $111,926 under the head of "Establishment of air navigation facilities", that that was the amount arrived at by the House, and I am not quite certain how it was figured. When our original estimate under "Establishment of air navigation facilities" was prepared, we were only able to figure the estimated cost of the administrative travel. As we did not feel that it was necessary to provide for the whole construction travel, it was impossible to give that figure. We had theretofore shown the necessary charges under the construction costs either under classification 12, repairs and alterations, or under classification 32, for construction. Mr. BACON. As I understand it, this does not require an increased appropriation, but it is a reallocation of traveling expenses for the Bureau. Mr. COLLINS. Yes, sir; that is right. Mr. WOODRUM. You are increasing the travel allowance under the act from $426,870 to $786,870, and you are doing that by drawing amounts from other items, as, for instance, $126,000 from "Air navigation facilities." Mr. COLLINS. Yes, sir. Mr. WOODRUM. Was that $126,000 a budgeted amount for travel? Mr. COLLINS. No, sir. Mr. WOODRUM. What was it supposed to be used for, or what was it appropriated for? Mr. COLLINS. The amount was for travel necessary in making alterations, modernization, and establishment of new air navigational facilities. Mr. WOODRUM. How does it happen that you can take the money out of that item and put it under "Travel?" Mr. COLLINS. In the submission of the estimates, we were unable to estimate the exact amount that would be required for travel of the $7,000,000 appropriation. We did have an item in our original estimate to the Budget which would show the administrative travel expense for the supervisory personnel, and so forth, of the Washington office, but it did not contemplate, and I do not see how it could very well have done so, all the traveling expense that would be required. for the whole construction program. Mr. WOODRUM. We can see the difficulty in estimating the amount necessary for travel, but why are you able to take $126,000 from "Air Navigation Facilities", or what work are you abandoning under that head? Mr. COLLINS. We will really abandon nothing; but that is to care for the travel expense of the men who actually do the work on this construction program. Mr. WOODRUM. We provided certain funds for air navigation facilities. Mr. COLLINS. Yes, sir. Mr. LUDLOw. For the establishment and maintenance of them. Mr. COLLINS. Yes, sir. Mr. WOODRUM. You have taken $126,000 of that fund, and diverted it to something else. |