($285 for burial expenses; and $5,000 for the death of Mrs. Head), which it is believed would constitute a fair and reasonable settlement of his claim.

The fiscal effect of the bill is manifest.

The Bureau of the Budget advises that there is no objection to the submission of this report.

Sincerely yours,

Hon. S. OTIS BLAND,

Member of Congress, House Office Building,

PENOLA, VA., August 30, 1944.

Washington, D. C.

66

'Steve

DEAR MR. BLAND: On August 11, 1944, about 11:15 a. m., my wife was stand. ing at a recognized bus stop on Highway No. 2, U. S. No. 301, in Caroline County, Va., waiting for the bus that was going to Richmond. The highway is a paved road approximately 22 feet wide. She was standing 12 or more feet off the paved portion of the highway, and between her and the Army truck that killed her was a large pine tree thicker than a man's body. The truck that killed her was owned by the United States Government and operated by a sergeant named Reach," who is a member of the bakers' school at Camp A. P. Hill near Bowling Green in Caroline County. This truck was coming from the south and traveling in the direction of Bowling Green. When it got very close to Bowie's store and filling station, it turned from the right side of the road to the left side of the road and off of the pavement to the left shoulder, crashed into this large pine tree, broke it off about 5 feet above the ground, and either carrying or causing the big part of the tree to be carried north some distance with the result that the truck of the tree struck my wife and caused her death. My wife's body was found 5 yards from where the tree was standing, that is where the stump was then standing.

The sergeant told the State police officer, Frank Slater, who is stationed in Bowling Green that he had been going up the road and that the left wheel had some kind of mechanical defect which pulled him over to the left side of the road,

and he struck the tree.

Sergeant Reach was sober at the time and was rather severely injured in the collision, which clearly indicates that the truck would not have been operated as it was unless there was some defect in its mechanism. The only evidence as to speed is the statement of Sergeant Reach that he was traveling about 30 miles

per hour.

The truck was a large G. M. C. six-wheel truck and Capt. William H. Coogan, who represented Sergeant Reach at the preliminary hearing intimated by the questions that he asked on cross-examination that the vehicle weighed five tons and was carrying a load of 3,600 pounds (transcript of the testimony, p. 10); The tree which was broken was 12 feet off the hard-surface road, and Mrs. Head was at least this distance off of the pavement, and was standing where she had a right to stand at the time she was struck.

It seems to me that under the circumstances the United States Government is clearly answerable for this very great injury that has been inflicted upon me, and for

a bill to be passed by Congress.

I am writing to ask you if you would be willing to sponsor a bill providing

compensation for my wife's death. If so, would you have it prepared or you prefer for me to have it prepared?

would

As you know, the Virginia Statute, section 5787 of the code as amended in 1942 (Acts of 1942, p. 337) fixed the maximum recovery for death by wrongful act of a sum not exceeding $15,000. Of course, I realize that the amount of compensation to be allowed in this case rests in the jurisdiction of the Congress, but I would say that my wife was in the prime of her life and that even the maximum amount would not begin to compensate her family for the affliction that has been brought upon us by reason of the Government's permitting the operation on the highway of a truck in such a defective mechanical condition under the control of a driver who can operate a truck no better than this truck was operated. I have lived in Caroline County all of my life. I am a member of the Democratic Party and I have always supported you for Congress. With my best wishes and the assurance of my esteem, I am

Sincerely yours,

79TH CONGRESS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session

REPORT

No. 158

TREASURY AND POST OFFICE DEPARTMENTS
APPROPRIATION BILL, 1946

FEBRUARY 19, 1945.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. LUDLOW, from the Committee on Appropriations, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. R. 2252]

The Committee on Appropriations submits the following report in explanation of the accompanying bill making appropriations for the Treasury and Post Office Departments for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1946.

The bill embraces regular annual appropriations for these Departments, the estimates for which are to be found: For the Treasury Department, on pages 601 to 653, inclusive, of the Budget and in House Document No. 40; and for the Post Office Department, on pages 563 to 580, inclusive, of the Budget.

Inasmuch as various laws providing overtime pay and other additional compensation, on account of wartime conditions for the employees of the two Departments expire on June 30, 1945, neither the estimates nor the bill for the fiscal year 1946 include funds for the payment of such expenses. It is therefore necessary to eliminate the amount provided in 1945 for such purposes in order to arrive at comparable figures as to 1945 appropriations and 1946 Budget estimates

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There follows a comparative summary of annual estimates and current fiscal year appropriations:

If the expiring extra compensation laws should be reenacted for 1946 it will be necessary to provide the necessary funds in supplemental appropriations. Failure to reenact such laws would also require supplemental appropriations in many cases on account of the hour length of the workweek. In all items to which temporary laws are applicable the number of employees provided for in the estimates and in the bill is predicated on a 48-hour workweek while the amount of money appropriated is computed on base-pay rates only, which rates are a 40-hour workweek.

Tables commencing on page 3 for the Treasury Department and on page 10 for the Post Office Department set forth comparisons of 1945 appropriations reduced by the cost of expiring statutes, 1946 estimates, and amounts carried in the bill.

TITLE I-TREASURY DEPARTMENT

The accompanying bill carries a total of $285,763,800 of direct appropriations, together with indefinite appropriations, the estimated obligations under which are in the sum of $1,656,925,000.

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These sums aggregate $1,942,688,800. The Budget has requested a total in direct appropriations of $296,512,100; indefinite approp tions, the total obligations for which are estimated at $1,656,925, or an aggregate of $1,953,437,100. The amount recommended is $10,748,300 below the Budget estimate and this reduction occurs tirely in the items recommended for direct appropriations. The propriations for the fiscal year 1945 include $290,452,297 of direct appropriations; indefinite appropriations, the estimated total ligations under which aggregate $1,100,290,000, or a grand total for 1945 of $1,390,742,297. The aggregate total recommended in the of $1,942,688,800 is therefore $551,946,503 in excess of the approp tions for 1945.

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Permanent appropriations: In addition to the activities appro priated for in the regular bill there exist permanent appropriations ministered by this Department, the estimated obligations for which in 1946 aggregate $6,163,333,073; a sum which is $639,778,626 in excess of the permanent appropriations for 1945. These approp tions cover such items as interest on the public debt, the sinking find, expenses of loans, etc.

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Trust funds: In addition to the foregoing, there exist trust funds administered by this Department. These are funds which do not be long to the Government, do not proceed from appropriations out of the

Federal Treasury, but consist of such items as the Federal old-age and survivors insurance trust fund, the unemployment trust fund, etc. The total disbursements of these trust funds during the fiscal year 1945 are estimated in the sum of $2,934,311,532 as compared with similar disbursements for the fiscal year 1946 of $3,116,647,175. The 1945 amount for the Federal old-age and survivors insurance trust fund is $1,423,043,773, as compared with the 1946 amount for the same item of $1,753,683,112. For the unemployment trust fund, the 1945 disbursements are estimated at $1,511,079,679, as compared with $1,362,878,063 in 1946.

All the foregoing items are set forth in tabular form at the end of this report.

ITEMIZED COMPARISON BETWEEN APPROPRIATIONS, ESTIMATES, AND

RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE BILL

The following table shows comparatively the amount appropriated for 1945 under each appropriation heading for all purposes other than overtime, the amount of the Budget estimate which contemplates a 48-hour workweek but which does not include any fund for payment of service in excess of 40 hours per week, and the amount recommended in the bill which is on the same basis as the Budget estimate. In the text of this report comparisons between appropriations and estimates are based on the figures in this table.

50,

The committee, acting under authority of House Resolution has inquired into the controls exercised by departmental officials Over expenditures for travel and communications. From the facts avail able it appears that the only effective control over such items is the amount of appropriation. The total estimates for these purpose for the Treasury Department for 1946 amount to more than $17,000,000 and represent the best judgment of the officials in the executive branch of the Government who were required to make their decisions 7 months before the ensuing fiscal year begins. The responsibility of the departmental officials does not end with the submission of estimates to Congress. When the appropriations have been approved by Congress and the President, the responsibility for providing necessary service at lowest possible cost shifts to the administrative offices of the Department and it is incumbent on them to maintain such controls as will prevent useless and wasteful expenditures. The fact that there is an appropriation sufficient to cover the cost should not be the governing consideration.