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Senator YOUNG. The meeting will come to order. Senator Know land, chairman of the subcommittee, regrets very much that he unable to be here when the hearings open this morning. But he being detained at a White House Conference and has requested m to preside, until he arrives.

General Hastings, you have the honor of being the first witness the 1955 Civil Functions Appropriation. We will be very happy hear anything you want to say.

General HASTINGS. Mr. Chairman and members of the committed The Army is charged by statute with responsibility for the procur ment and distribution of headstones for various categories of aut orized personnel who are interred in private, national or post cem teries. The Army similarly is charged with responsibility for th maintenance and operation at the present time of 82 national cem teries in the United States; three national cemeteries in overse possessions; 24 soldiers' lots; 7 Confederate cemeteries or plots: national monuments and 1 memorial park. The appropriation now be considered covers funds for the procurement and distribution headstones as well as for expenses incident to the maintenance a operation of the indicated cemeterial facilities.

BUDGET ESTIMATE

The estimate for the fiscal year 1955 amounts to $5,635,000 as cor pared with $5,107,000 appropriated for fiscal year 1954, represent in an increase of $528,000. However, this increase will only provi for essential services and it will still not be possible to reach t

ard of care and maintenance of our national cemeteries that is

There is a constant expansion necessary in the activities covered by propriation in order to keep pace with the steadily increasing requirements of our veteran population. An increasing numof interments must be handled, and enlarged burial areas mained. In addition, there is a greater requirement for headstones.

MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION

Stator HAYDEN. Might I inquire, General; you state it is not posto reach the standard and care of maintenance of our national - that is desired. How much money did you submit to the for this purpose?

Abel MARTZ. Sir, on the item of "Maintenance and operation,"

itted a request for $718,000, which was cut by $63,000 to a 4. of $655,000 for the item of maintenance. The overall amounts ested orginally were $6,264,340, which was reduced by $629,340 present request of $5,635,000.

ator HAYDEN. You did get a little increase?

el MARTZ. It is approximately a 10 percent decrease, sir. Stator HAYDEN. Over last year?

1-1 MARTZ. Our request is an increase over last year.
ator HAYDEN. That is what I thought.

el MARTZ. But our request now is 10 percent less, approxiay, than what we had originally asked the Bureau of the Bugdet

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State HAYDEN. At that your original request was modest to really that ought to be done?

2. MARTZ Yes, sir; our original request was what we honestly was essary to do the job. In the present era of economy, we resi to save something from what we originally felt was required the job.

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eral HASTINGS. The amount of funds required for the procuref head-tones is estimated to be $2,124,000 as compared with ...timated to be obligated in the fiscal year 1954. The anstein amber of applications to be received in the fiscal year 1955 4 which is 4,095 more than the number estimated for 1954. Eser, a decrease in the carryover of unfilled applications into 1955 - a small reduction in funds requested for this item.

ator HAYDEN. Which costs the most, a marble headstone or the zate!

el METZ. The bronze markers are the more expensive, sir. ~ HAYDEN. I cannot understand that, because they are so They ought to be easily made. Is it because of the engraving → bronze or inserting the name?

MARTZ. There are two basic reasons, sir. One is that in the few years the cost of copper and tin has gone up tremendously on market, which has increased the cost to our contractors. ther items, of course, is that a considerable amount of handwork

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Senator YOUNG. The meeting will come to order. Senator Knowland, chairman of the subcommittee, regrets very much that he is unable to be here when the hearings open this morning. But he is being detained at a White House Conference and has requested me to preside, until he arrives.

General Hastings, you have the honor of being the first witness in the 1955 Civil Functions Appropriation. We will be very happy to hear anything you want to say.

General HASTINGS. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee: The Army is charged by statute with responsibility for the procurement and distribution of headstones for various categories of authorized personnel who are interred in private, national or post cemeteries. The Army similarly is charged with responsibility for the maintenance and operation at the present time of 82 national cemeteries in the United States; three national cemeteries in overseas possessions; 24 soldiers' lots; 7 Confederate cemeteries or plots; 4 national monuments and 1 memorial park. The appropriation now to be considered covers funds for the procurement and distribution of headstones as well as for expenses incident to the maintenance and operation of the indicated cemeterial facilities.

BUDGET ESTIMATE

The estimate for the fiscal year 1955 amounts to $5,635,000 as compared with $5,107,000 appropriated for fiscal year 1954, representing an increase of $528,000. However, this increase will only provide for essential services and it will still not be possible to reach the

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standard of care and maintenance of our national cemeteries that is desired.

There is a constant expansion necessary in the activities covered by this appropriation in order to keep pace with the steadily increasing burial requirements of our veteran population. An increasing number of interments must be handled, and enlarged burial areas maintained. In addition, there is a greater requirement for headstones.

MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION

Senator HAYDEN. Might I inquire, General; you state it is not possible to reach the standard and care of maintenance of our national cemeteries that is desired. How much money did you submit to the budget for this purpose?

Colonel MARTZ. Sir, on the item of "Maintenance and operation," we submitted a request for $718,000, which was cut by $63,000 to a total of $655,000 for the item of maintenance. The overall amounts requested originally were $6,264,340, which was reduced by $629,340 to our present request of $5,635,000.

Senator HAYDEN. You did get a little increase?

Colonel MARTZ. It is approximately a 10 percent decrease, sir.
Senator HAYDEN. Over last year?

Colonel MARTZ. Our request is an increase over last year.
Senator HAYDEN. That is what I thought.

Colonel MARTZ. But our request now is 10 percent less, approximately, than what we had originally asked the Bureau of the Bugdet for this year.

Senator HAYDEN. At that your original request was modest to really do the job that ought to be done?

Colonel MARTZ. Yes, sir; our original request was what we honestly felt was necessary to do the job. In the present era of economy, we have tried to save something from what we originally felt was required to do the job.

Senator HAYDEN. Thank you.

PROCUREMENT OF HEADSTONES

General HASTINGS. The amount of funds required for the procurement of headstones is estimated to be $2,124,000 as compared with $2,127,000 estimated to be obligated in the fiscal year 1954. The anticipated number of applications to be received in the fiscal year 1955 is 87,340 which is 4,095 more than the number estimated for 1954. However, a decrease in the carryover of unfilled applications into 1955 permits a small reduction in funds requested for this item.

Senator HAYDEN. Which costs the most, a marble headstone or the bronze plate?

Colonel MARTZ. The bronze markers are the more expensive, sir. Senator HAYDEN. I cannot understand that, because they are so small. They ought to be easily made. Is it because of the engraving on the bronze or inserting the name?

Colonel MARTZ. There are two basic reasons, sir. One is that in the last few years the cost of copper and tin has gone up tremendously on the open market, which has increased the cost to our contractors. The other items, of course, is that a considerable amount of handwork

is required in making the molds because the lettering has to be different for every single marker. This does increase the cost of labor.

Senator HAYDEN. And it must be accurate.

Colonel MARTZ. It must be exactly right.

Senator HAYDEN. On the other hand, of course, somebody has to carve that same information on the stone, and that costs money, too. Colonel MARTZ. The accuracy is required in both cases. There is no question about that.

Senator HAYDEN. What type of stone do you use mostly, marble or granite?

Colonel MARTZ. We use more granite, I believe, in recent years. The percentage has been going from marble, which was more popular in former years, to granite.

Senator HAYDEN. All of the markers that I saw in Europe were Carrara marble.

EUROPEAN CEMETERIES

Colonel MARTZ. Yes, sir. I might explain, sir, the markers in the cemeteries in Europe are not represented in this budget. They are provided by the American Battle Monuments Commission, which operates the overseas United States military cemeteries and is not part of the request which we are presenting this morning.

COST OF MARKERS

Senator YOUNG. Before you proceed, would you give us any new figures that you have on the cost of bronze markers as compared to others? Has not the cost of bronze markers gone down in the last year?

Colonel MARTZ. Yes, sir. Our bronze markers dropped from a price of $23.21 last year to a price of $21.82 this year.

Senator YOUNG. How does that compare with others?

Colonel MARTZ. The others have varied slightly. Most of them have increased slightly in the past year.

Senator YOUNG. What is the cost of them now?

Colonel MARTZ. The general type upright marble marker, which was the original type used and probably the most popular originally, went up from $16.38 to $18.65. The most popular type which we are now using, as far as orders are concerned, is the flat granite type used primarily in civilian cemeteries. That price has gone up from $14.09 to $15.95.

Senator YOUNG. Is that a delivered price?

Colonel MARTZ. This is a price without transportation; the price at the contractor's plant.

Senator YOUNG. Where are you shipping them from now, mostly?

CONTRACTORS

Colonel MARTZ. We are shipping, sir, from a number of locations. We have eight different contractors. Most of our marble and granite is coming from 2 localities, the New England States, both Vermont and Massachusetts, and from 1 large contractor in Columbus, Miss. Most of our bronze markers are furnished by 3 contractors, 1 from Cleveland, Ohio, 1 from Maple, Ill., and another from San Francisco.

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