Dr. ASTIN. It is earmarked for transfer to the GSA. Mr. NIELSON. Mr. Chairman, I believe if the committee desires, that before the hearings are over, we could arrange with GSA to have someone come before the committee and discuss this building. Mr. PRESTON. Well, the committee so desires. Mr. NIELSON. We will get in tough with GSA and make arrangements with you to have someone here before the hearings are over. RENTAL PROPERTY PRESENTLY BEING USED Mr. THOMAS. No rental property is involved in the present property that you now occupy? Dr. ASTIN. We have a small area in Alexandria, which we rent for some work we are doing for the Navy, Bureau of Aeronautics. I think that is the only rental property that we have in this area now. All our tract, the 68 or 69 acres that we occupy out on Connecticut Avenue, is Government property. Mr. PRESTON. You have no figures to present to the committee which would indicate any saving from the standpoint of maintenance and upkeep? Dr. ASTIN. That would be difficult. I am sure that our maintenance problem and our upkeep problem and our guard problem will all be simpler in a new facility, but it is difficult to say what savings we might effect. Mr. PRESTON. Simpler but not cheaper. Dr. ASTIN. If it is possible to make it cheaper, the committee knows I want to. Mr. PRESTON. I am sure of that. Dr. ASTIN. As you know, our program is run under a cost accounting procedure where we distribute all our administrative and maintenance costs against the end product or project. We are in business to do scientific work, and anything that we take out for administrative activity reduces the amount of funds available for scientific work and our objective is to keep the administrative costs as low as we can. Mr. PRESTON. Naturally, our first reaction would be we feel it is a matter of national pride in having a splendid scientific laboratory set up for the Bureau of Standards, but at the same time, $50 million is a large sum. Mr. THOMAS. It will probably be 85 to 100 before you get through. Dr. ASTIN. Mr. Chairman, I felt in terms of our responsibility, we should make some long-range plans for our program. We have arrived at this conclusion, and it is our responsibility to present the facts to you. If they are shocking, then we are shocked, too. Mr. PRESTON. Are there any questions? (No questions.) ESTIMATED COST OF REHABILITATION OF PRESENT SITE Dr. ASTIN. I might mention that our estimates of cost for rehabilitating our present site are in excess of $20 million. Mr. PRESTON. That is an important figure. Dr. ASTIN. Several years ago, we had the GSA conduct a site development plan for our present survey, looking to the systematic layout of buildings and the elimination of temporary structures, and so on; and their estimate is that the implementation of this plan was well over $20 million. Mr. PRESTON. Thank you, Doctor, for a very interesting hearing this morning. TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1956. COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY Witnesses WALTER WILLIAMS, UNDER SECRETARY OF COMMERCE ADMIRAL H. ARNOLD KARO, DIRECTOR, COAST AND GEODETIC CAPT. I. E. RITTENBURG, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR ADMINISTRATION, COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY NOTE.-Reimbursements from non-Federal sources are from proceeds from sale of personal property (40 U. S. C. 481 (c)) and furnishing special purpose charts and maps and other related survey data (33 U. S. C. 883 (e)). Mr. PRESTON. The committee will please come to order. The next item to be taken up is the request of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, found at page 52 of the committee print, and at page 400 of the justification. At this point in the record we will insert pages 401 and 402. (The matter referred to follows:) |