Brief description of work: Fort Devens, Mass., Jan. 23, 1941-Continued ESSENTIAL WORK, ADDITIONAL TO THAT LISTED IN ABOVE GROUP [Original estimate was low in quantities of materials as well as in other costs] Materials: Original estimate (32,555,690 feet board measure, at $36 Estimate final actual requirement and cost (47,434,304 Increase (average 15 percent) in cost of other materials (lum- Labor: Overtime, estimated cost (includes only excess paid above 40 percent loss of labor efficiency due to high-speed construction, Other items, including equipment repairs, police and fire protection Increased cost, total.. $1, 172, 004 1, 987, 497 815, 493 1, 591, 121 355, 330 5, 037, 788 2, 645, 387 10, 445, 119 Clearing, 500 acres; grading, 1,500,000 cubic yards; excess over original estimate____ Parking areas, nine regimental; surface draining, widening, and resurfacing roads... Arterial highways--. Sewer system: $320, 000 272, 000 400, 000 ENGINEERING SURVEYS Mr. WOODRUM. We understand from what General Marshall said and from what you have said that the reason for this deficiency is that you were suddenly called upon in an emergency to bring estimates in here and ask Congress to make appropriations when you did not have plans laid out, and you could not have had them laid out because you did not know what job Congress was going to give you to do. It was an emergency situation, changing rapidly, and under those conditions, you had to make the best estimate you could, basing it on an estimated number of men. You made the estimate in that way, and it was too low. Colonel SOMERVELL. Yes, sir. Mr. WOODRUM. And to avoid such a contingency in the future, the War Department is recommending that they be given a fund for engineering surveys, in order that you may take time by the forelock in your projects in the future, whatever may happen, so you will be able to come to Congress, if this emergency should expand so we may have to expand the national-defense program beyond what we see now, with better estimates. If you come here with additional estimates, you will have something tangible to base them on, and will not be led into this same sort of situation. Colonel SOMERVELL. Yes, sir; that is true. Mr. WOODRUM. And you deem it vital to have such engineering surveys made? Colonel SOMERVELL. Yes, sir; I think they are highly essential. Mr. WOODRUM. How much rock bottom would you need? Colonel SOMERVELL. I would say about 11⁄2 percent of the total estimate, and, assuming we will have to increase them as we have now, it would be about $15,000,000. Mr. WOODRUM. From now to the 1st of July, how much would you need? Colonel SOMERVELL. I would hope to have the job finished by the 1st of July, or shortly thereafter, and it takes about 5 or 6 months to do it. Mr. WOODRUM. To make the engineering survey? Colonel SOMERVELL. Yes, sir. Actually we already have people in the field making preliminary investigations. Mr. WOODRUM. Your best estimate of the amount required for that purpose would be $15,000,000? Colonel SOMERVELL. Yes, sir. Mr. WOODRUM. You base that on a percentage of what the next program may call for? Colonel SOMERVELL. Yes, sir. That is the usual percentage of the cost of engineering on that amount of work. Mr. WOODRUM. If you had $10,000,000, you could do a great deal of that? Colonel SOMERVELL. Yes, sir; if it is with the understanding that it may not be sufficient to finish it. Mr. TABER. What do you propose to do with it? Would you make a survey of what you might have to do if the program was enlarged? Colonel SOMERVELL. Yes, sir. Mr. O'NEAL. Could you do some of this construction work by using troops and, possibly, C. C. C. enrollees? They have built a lot of good roads. Colonel SOMERVELL. No, sir; for this work we need the best people in the business. We have all those people in the surrounding territory on this work now, and you can see how difficult it would be. Mr. O'NEAL. It seems to me that the roads could be built by the troops and C. C. C. people. Colonel SOMERVELL. You could build roads with them; yes, sir, but if you have anything to do where it is a question of speed, you must certainly have the best talent in the business to do the work. This is a tremendous undertaking. It requires top-notch men to do this job, and I would not want to undertake it with some organization that was just thrown together. Mr. WOODRUM. You made a statement awhile ago that will be quoted from the record, and I wonder if you would like to elaborate on it. You stated that if you had had plans and specifications and engineering surveys at the start you might have saved $100,000,000. Colonel SOMERVELL. Yes, sir. Mr. WOODRUM. Would you like to elaborate on that? Why did you not have it? Colonel SOMERVELL. They have never been able to get anything in the appropriation so far for planning. Mr. WOODRUM. Has it been requested? Colonel SOMERVELL. I understand so; yes, sir. Mr. POWERS. But never of the Appropriations Committee? Mr. SNYDER. It has not been requested of the Appropriations Committee during the last 5 years. Mr. WOODRUM. I think you had better elaborate a little bit on that statement that a saving of $100,000,000 could have been made if engineering surveys had been made. Colonel SOMERVELL. What I mean by that is this: If we could have had complete plans drawn up for the cantonments, with careful engineering surveys and estimates, the work would have started last September, and we would have gained at least 2 months by so doing. The CHAIRMAN. Why did you not ask money for that purpose? The CHAIRMAN. Should there not be some verification of that? Colonel SOMERVELL. I do not think it would be within my province to do that, but I think it would be within my province to state to you the need for planning. I want to say, as an engineer, that if proper and complete plans had been provided, we would have saved $100,000,000. The CHAIRMAN. This committee has to present this matter to 435 Members of the House of Representatives, and we can justify our action only on what the record shows here. Colonel SOMERVELL. I will be perfectly happy to give you every detail. Mr. WOODRUM. If we had had the plans and engineering surveys, the cost of the work we are now appropriating for would have been $100,000,000 less than the cost will be? Colonel SOMERVELL. Yes, sir. Mr. WOODRUM. Of course that "if" is a pretty big "if." If we had known 4 or 5 years ago that the situation would be as it is now, we would have had a two-ocean navy and a well-equipped army. Its does not mean that anybody has been derelict or to blame. This thing crashed in on this country just as it crashed in on other countries. It suddenly loomed up overnight, and you had to do the best you could. If you did not have plans, it does not necessarily mean that anybody was derelict in his duty, but now that we know the need, when the danger has come a certain ways and may come further, would not all of us be derelict in our duty if we were caught unprepared in the future? Colonel SOMERVELL. Yes, sir. Mr. POWERS. Did you ask the Budget for any money for engineering surveys? Colonel SOMERVELL. Yes, sir; it is before the Budget now. Mr. WOODRUM. Will you furnish the committee within the next day or two the necessary language to go into this estimate covering the $15,000,000, with a breakdown of how you would use the amount? Colonel SOMERVELL. Yes, sir. Break-down of proposed engineering survey funds Site selection and planning (including investigation of sites and site planning in each site)... Aerial photography- Field surveys and preparation of field maps (including the field survey necessary for engineering investigations and acquisitions of real estate, basis for engineering studies, etc., of 40 camps involving a total area of approximately 1,500,000 acres). Travel... Supplies (including office equipment, blueprints, photostats, survey instruments, stationery, etc.). Field offices (including construction of small field offices, rentals, etc.)_ Sewers and sewage-disposal investigations. Transportation-facilities investigations (including investigations and Preparation of working plans and specifications (engineers and archi- Total.. $1,500, 000 50,000 4, 000, 000 450, 000 500, 000 100,000 1, 000, 000 400, 000 300, 000 500, 000 200, 000 6, 000, 000 15, 000, 000 Mr. POWERS. If you should get this money, would you need money in a contingent fund, too? Colonel SOMERVELL. Yes, sir. Mr. POWERS. Do you not think that this deficiency you are asking for will cover almost every conceivable contingency, and then something? Colonel SOMERVELL. What happened on that was this: We sent out and asked for estimates from our engineers in the field, or those engineering firms that had been employed, and told them that the estimates must cover the cost of completing the work that was then authorized. We got these figures back. These estimates were submitted right at the time following the heavy rains, snow, and so forth. It was a cost of about $2,500,000 a day for every day it rained, and our office thought that we ought to have about $25,000,000 to cover |