Page images
PDF
EPUB

miles annually. We have about 2,000,000 square miles that needs mapping badly now.

Mr. SCRUGHAM. Does that include Alaska?

Dr. MENDENHALL. No; it does not include Alaska.

Mr. SCRUGHAM. That is in continental United States alone? Dr. MENDENHALL. Yes, sir; so that, at the rate at which we are progressing on this work, which we are besought from all sides to do with greater expedition, the rate at which we are progressing means that it will take over 100 years to map this 2,000,000 miles that needs mapping now.

Senator Hayden has felt some of the pressure that we have felt to expedite this work. He introduced a resolution last winter asking the Secretary of the Interior to submit a plan for accelerating topographic mapping. Senate Document No. 14, to which you refer Mr. Fitzpatrick, is the answer of the Secretary of the Interior to the Senate's request.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. Yes; I have it right here.

Dr. MENDENHALL. The Secretary says, if the Congress desires to meet the needs of the citizens of the United States that are being so emphatically expressed, to provide a program for accelerating this work, here is a simple program for that acceleration. It is a moderate program, because the demands on us for maps all the time can only gradually be met under it.

Mr. LEVY. This item of topographic surveys is about the largest single item in your budget, is it not?

Dr. MENDENHALL. The water resources item submitted in the Budget is $800,000, and this item is $650,000.

TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY EXPENDITURES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Mr. FITZPATRICK. Your estimate for gauging streams is $800,000, but in the District of Columbia, on the topographic survey you estimate an expenditure of $250,000. Why is it necessary to spend that much money in the District?

Mr. LEAVY. That is what I wanted to ask you, if there is an increase of personnel over last year?

Dr. MENDENHALL. The Budget estimate for 1938 is the same as the appropriation for 1937, and the limitation on services in the District of Columbia is the same as for 1937. The $650,000, of course, is augmented by cooperative work that we do in partnership with the States. This year the States are putting up over $280,000 to augment the sum appropriated by the Congress. We are also doing about $75,000 worth of mapping for the Tennessee Valley Authority. We also have some allotments from the Public Works Administration and other Federal sources, so that instead of doing $650,000 worth of work this year, we are proposing to do nearly $1,500,000 worth. The $250,000 from the direct appropriation of $650,000, augmented by a small part of the State cooperative funds and of the Federal transferred funds, together represent the costs of all the clerical work and of all the administrative work, and of that part of the year that is spent in the Washington office by the engi neers who are doing this $1,500,000 worth of mapping.

TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY EXPENDITURES FOR COOPERATION WITH STATES AND MUNICIPALITIES

Mr. LEAVY. Doctor, you are proposing to spend $227,750 in the field, not to exceed that sum?

Dr. MENDENHALL. $227,750 is the amount of money set up for cooperation with the States and municipalities in 1938.

Mr. LEAVY. To be spent in cooperation with States and municipalities?

Dr. MENDENHALL. Yes.

Mr. LEAVY. Of course, none of that is spent unless the State or municipality matches that on some basis with you; is that not right? Dr. MENDENHALL. Yes.

Mr. LEAVY. What basis of matching do you have?

Dr. MENDENHALL. It is nearly always dollar for dollar. There are, however, a few instances where the States or counties want maps made on larger scales than we think the Federal Government is justified in making for its purposes. We say in effect, "If you want this more expensive map, costing beyond what the Federal Government should expend for its needs, we will make it for you, but you will have to pay more than half because of the greater cost of that larger scale over the cost of the normal scale. We had cooperation of this sort in Los Angeles County, Calif., for example, and the county paid $8 to our $5.

Mr. LEAVY. In all cases they will have to put up at least $1 to your dollar?

Dr. MENDENHALL. Always.

Mr. LEAVY. They have to match you at least?

Dr. MENDENHALL. Yes; they always have to match us.

Mr. LEAVY. There is $227,000 for that purpose out of your proposed estimate of $650,000, and $250,000 to be spent in the District of Columbia?

Dr. MENDENHALL. Yes. There is $250,000 out of the $650,000 that may be spent in the District of Columbia for the administration, the editing of maps, and other work that must be done in the headquarters office after the field surveys are completed.

Mr. LEAVY. Yes; I understand that. Your total sum is $650,000, and, breaking it down, $250,000 is to be spent here in the District of Columbia, and not to exceed $227,750 in the field on a cooperative basis with States and municipalities?

Dr. MENDENHALL. Subtract $250,000 from the $650,000, and it leaves $400,000 of the appropriated sum that will be spent in the field.

Mr. LEAVY. Where is this item that would constitute the difference between $227,750, and the $400,000, if my figures are right, which would be $183,000? Do I make myself clear to you? I can restate my question. You are asking for $650,000 in this item?

Dr. MENDENHALL. Yes, sir.

Mr. LEAVY. $250,000 of which may be expended for personnel services in the District of Columbia?

[graphic]

Mr. LEAVY. And $227,750 of which shall be available for cooperative purposes in the field, with States and municipalities?

Mr. LEAVY. The total of those two items makes $477,000.

Dr. MENDENHALL. Pardon me. Those sums should not be added together; $227,750 is the amount estimated as required to match the amounts that, presumably, the States will contribute to the mapping program. Whatever they contribute will be added to the $650,000; $227,750 is that part of the $650,000 which can be expended only to match equal amounts of funds that are contributed by the States.

Mr. LEAVY. I know, but the contributions of the States and municipalities in no way become a factor in this $650,000 that we are asked to appropriate.

Dr. MENDENHALL. They are added to the amount that you may appropriate. The $227,750 is that part of the $650,000 that can be used only to match funds offered by the States.

Mr. LEAVY. If that is spent it is going to be matched, at least, if not better?

Dr. MENDENHALL. Yes.

Mr. LEAVY. But still, the matching has nothing to do with that $650,000 appropriation item that you are asking for.

Dr. MENDENHALL. Except that the $227,750 which we use to match equal amounts from the States is a part of the $650,000.

Mr. LEAVY. Certainly; but you testified that the amount you spend in the District here for personal services is likewise a part of it. Dr. MENDENHALL. Yes.

Mr. LEAVY. Now, those two figures together make $477,000, and that sum subtracted from the whole sum of $650,000 leaves a balance of $183,000. Now, where is that spent, and how? Do I make myself clear to you?

Mr. FITZPATRICK. That is spent in the field, as I understand it. Mr. LEAVY. That $227,000; yes.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. Yes; but you indicate there that out of the $650,000, $250,000 is spent here in the District, and only one hundred thousand-and-some-odd dollars is spent in the field. Is that not

correct?

Dr. MENDENHALL. No, sir.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. Add the $250,000 and the $227,000, and subtract it from the $650,000, and you get $183,000. Now, where is the $183,000 spent?

Dr. MENDENHALL. The appropriation we have to spend is $650,000; of that total $250,000 is available if needed for expenditure in the District of Columbia.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. May I ask you this, Doctor: You say that the States give you $227,000?

Dr. MENDENHALL. Yes; that much or more.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. Then you take $227,000 out of the large appropriation to match the State funds, is that not true?

Dr. MENDENHALL. We do not take it away from the $650,000. It is available for expenditure if the States set up an equal amount. If they do, we have available for mapping all of the $650,000 plus the $227,500 or more that the States contribute.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. Now, your $227,000 comes out of the $650,000? Dr. MENDENHALL. It is a part of the $650.000.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. Your $250,000 comes out of it?

Dr. MENDENHALL. The $250,000 is that part of the appropriation that is available for work in the District of Columbia.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. It comes out of it, or whatever way you want to put it; but adding those two sums together and subtracting the total from the $650,000, you will have $183,000 left. What we are trying to find out is where the $183,000 goes.

Mr. SEARS. Perhaps I can explain in this way. The total appropriation is $650,000. Of that amount, $227,750 is available only for cooperative work. The remainder, $422,250, is left available for Federal (noncooperative) work or for additional cooperative work. Now, the cooperative work is done partly in the field and partly in the office; and so is the Federal work. Therefore, a part of the $227,750 is spent in the District of Columbia, and a part of the $422,250 is spent in the District of Columbia; but the sum of these two District of Columbia parts may not exceed $250,000. That leaves $400,000 of our appropriation for work in the field, both cooperative and Federal work. In addition, field work is done with the money contributed by States and other Federal agencies.

Mr. LEAVY. This $650,000 includes your expenditures for maintaining your personnel here in Washington; it includes the expenditures you make in the field, that are matched by the States and the municipalities in your surveys there, and then, in addition to that, it includes your expenses that you incur in traveling to and from the Capital?

Dr. MENDENHALL. It includes all field expenses.

EXPLANATION OF ITEMS OF INCREASES AND DECREASES

Mr. LEAVY. I notice in this itemization that there are substantial decreases in three instances. You have transportation of persons, travel expenses, where last year you spent $89,000, and this year there is a $7,000 reduction in that item.

Dr. MENDENHALL. That is our estimate; yes.

Mr. LEAVY. And on transportation of things, you have a reduction in that item of $5,000?

Dr. MENDENHALL. Yes.

Mr. LEAVY. And on printing you have a reduction of $7,000.
Dr. MENDENHALL. Yes.

Mr. LEAVY. Or a total reduction of $19,000, in round numbers.
Dr. MENDENHALL. Yes; on those items.

Mr. LEAVY. Now, what use do you make of that reduction? You do not cut down your estimate or your request for funds?

Dr. MENDENHALL. The total expense of mapping includes, of course, the pay of the men and the purchase of their instruments, the purchase of their automobiles, generally little Ford automobiles or Chevrolet trucks, and whatever railroad travel they may have throughout the year, and the employment of something like 250 temporary assistants. All of those things are part of the expense in making these maps, and from year to year the elements in that expense will vary. You will have a little more transportation one year and more assistants perhaps the next year.

Mr. LEAVY. Have you increased some activities somewhere else that absorb or offset this? You have apparently made these so as to

[graphic]

offset it, as you are asking for the same sum of
year ago.

Dr. MENDENHALL. Yes; just the same sum.
Mr. FITZPATRICK. The increase is $10,750.

Dr. MENDENHALL. No.

[blocks in formation]

Mr. FITZPATRICK. The increase over 1937 on topographic surveys is $10.750.

Dr. MENDENHALL. That is not an increase of appropriation, but merely an increase of the part of the $650,000 that may be expended only to meet cooperation with the States.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. Yes; I understand, but where you have taken it out in this place you have put it back in another to bring up the total. You must have increased it, since you have reduced one item; and still the total amount is greater than last year. Therefore, you must have increased some other item in the bill.

Dr. MENDENHALL. By virtue of the fact that the bill proposes to set aside $10,750 more in 1938 for cooperation with the States. That means that we will receive $10,000 more from the States, and, therefore, our overall available money, considering these items only, should be $10,000 more in 1938 than it was this

year.

DISPOSITION OF FUNDS MATCHED BY STATES

Mr. FITZPATRICK. Right there, Doctor, what happens to that $227,750 that you receive from the States? Where does that go? Dr. MENDENHALL. That fund, generally speaking, is turned over to us, to put into the Treasury as part of the mapping fund, added to the $650,000 that is appropriated and then expended to make

maps.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. Besides the $650,000, you have $227,750 from the States?

Dr. MENDENHALL. Yes; or more.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. So the fact is you have $800,000-and-some-odd. Dr. MENDENHALL. Yes; from those two sources. Now, we also receive some from the Tennessee Valley Authority to do mapping in the valley, and some from other sources to do mapping elsewhere; but just considering those items alone we expect to have at least $877,000. The total we are spending this year for mapping is nearly one and a half million dollars from all sources. That is, there was about $525,000 beyond the amount you have appropriated plus that contributed by the States. It came chiefly from the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the Public Administration Works.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. Then this appropriation you request would not include the amount you spend?

Dr. MENDENHALL. The total amount that we spend, no.
Mr. LEAVY. Doctor, are you staying within your budget?
Dr. MENDENHALL. Oh, yes.

Mr. LEAVY. You have no deficiency?

Dr. MENDENHALL. We are not asking for any in this item. Mr. LEAVY. Are you going to have any unexpended balance? Dr. MENDEHALL. There is always a little unexpended balance, because we cannot create a deficiency. Our expenditures must be within the appropriations.

« PreviousContinue »