APPROPRIATION BILL FOR 1939 HEARINGS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEVENTY-FIFTH CONGRESS J61 At 75th V.10 COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS EDWARD T. TAYLOR, Colorado, Chairman CLARENCE CANNON, Missouri THOMAS S. MCMILLAN, South Carolina J. BUELL SNYDER, Pennsylvania JOHN F. DOCKWEILER, California GEORGE W. JOHNSON, West Virginia JOACHIM O. FERNANDEZ, Louisiana J. BURRWOOD DALY, Pennsylvania ROSS A. COLLINS, Mississippi JOHN TABER, New York ROBERT L. BACON, New York WILLIAM P. LAMBERTSON, Kansas J. WILLIAM DITTER, Pennsylvania INDEPENDENT OFFICES APPROPRIATION BILL, 1939 HEARINGS CONDUCTED BY THE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, IN CHARGE OF THE INDEPENDENT OFFICES APPROPRIATION BILL FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 1939, NAMELY: CLIFTON A. WOODRUM (CHAIRMAN), JED JOHNSON, JAMES M. FITZPATRICK GEORGE W. JOHNSON, JOHN M. HOUSTON, RICHARD B. WIGGLESWORTH, AND EVERETT M. DIRKSEN, ON THE DAYS FOLLOWING: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1937. VETERANS' ADMINISTRATION STATEMENTS OF BRIG. GEN. FRANK T. HINES, ADMINISTRATOR OF VETERANS' AFFAIRS; SAMUEL M. MOORE, JR., BUDGET OFFICER; AND AUSTIN J. NAYLOR, ASSISTANT BUDGET OFFICER GENERAL STATEMENT Mr. WOODRUM. Gentlemen, we will take up this morning the items of appropriation for the Veterans' Administration. We have present with us General Hines who always presents a very complete and very interesting statement. General, we will proceed and we shall be glad to have from you any general statement you wish to make at this point. General HINES. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, in appearing before this committee for the purpose of discussing those items entering into the appropriations requested for the Veterans” Administration for the fiscal year 1939, I am relying upon a privilege which has been accorded me in previous years and desire, therefore, to make a general statement covering the several items of appropriations included in the estimate. I believe this general statement will enable you to visualize the extent of the work of the Veterans Administration currently and will indicate to you the trend of the work for the fiscal year 1939. At the conclusion of my general statement I shall be glad to answer such questions as the committee may care to ask with regard to the details of the estimates. Each member of the committee has been furnished a book similar to the one before me, containing analytical charts and statements under the various appropriation headings bearing upon the main features of the appropriations involved. Also there is before you a copy of this general statement I am about to make, which will enable you to follow my presentation and make notes on any matters that you may desire to question later. M144412 1 DISTRIBUTION OF ESTIMATES FOR 1939 For the fiscal year 1939 the amount requested for the Veterans' Administration, exclusive of the Government life insurance trust fund; personal funds of patients; and the general post fund, which are selfsustaining, is $543,417,500. Compared with actual appropriations for similar purposes for 1938, this is a decrease of $42,414,500. A division of the total sum requested is shown by appropriation headings on chart No. 3 under the general title in the justification and with your permission I will insert in the record at this point a copy of that chart. The increases and decreases under the various appropriation headings will be discussed in detail as I take up for analyzation each item involved in the total appropriation estimate for 1939. 1 The estimate under this title was deleted from the Veterans' Administration appropriation, and if approved by the Bureau of the Budget, it is to be inserted as a part of the general Public Works program and included in the Budget under that chapter. 2 Continuing appropriation balance from fiscal year 1936. Before proceeding with the analysis I believe that some mention of the scope of activities of the Veterans' Administration will be of benefit to the committee in producing a complete and comprehensive record. To this end attention is invited to charts numbered 1 and 2 under the general title in the books before you showing, respectively, total disbursements for all purposes for veterans' benefits and the summary of the activities of the Veterans' Administration as of October 31, 1937. ARMY AND NAVY PENSIONS The following tabulation shows the number of veterans and dependents of deceased veterans receiving pension or compensation benefits as of October 31, 1937: |