be physically impossible and unwise to attempt to stock every item that a Member might conceivably desire for use in his office. I feel that the items carried in stock, plus the system of special orders, provides adequate sources for stationery items required by Members of the House, officers, and committees.

We have had a few complaints because we will not reinstitute cash sales, but my own experience over a period of years has led me to the conclusion that it would be a serious mistake to take such a step. Since Members of Congress have an allowance placed to their credit, and the stationery room is operated solely for the use of Members, officers, and committees of the House, the use of cash sales is, in my opinion, contrary to the intent of the law. The handling of cash would also present many problems. Cash sales would have a tendency to let abuses creep into the system.

The revolving fund of the stationery room is regularly audited by the General Accounting Office at my request.

I am always glad to have suggestions for improvement of the stationery room.

Mr. NORRELL. What is the surplus that you have in the stationery account as of now?

Mr. ROBERTS. $142,615.84.

Mr. NORRELL. Briefly state what the profits were last year.

Mr. ROBERTS. Since January 1 we have made a profit of $1,202.38;

during March we showed a profit of $189.05.

Mr. NORRELL. What about the past 2 or 3 years, do you have that? Mr. ROBERTS. We went into that last year. I think that we showed

a profit in 1957 of $30,000.

Mr. NORRELL. Has the General Accounting Office audited the stationery accounts?

Mr. ROBERTS. They have.

Mr. NORRELL. What did they find?

Mr. ROBERTS. The accounts were in conformity to generally accepted accounting principles applied on a basis consistent with that of the preceding year and with applicable Federal laws.

Mr. NORRELL. What were your losses from breakage, and so forth,

in the last year, if you can give us that information?

Mr. ROBERTS. I do not have that information.

Mr. NORRELL. Is it practically nil?

Mr. ROBERTS. Practically nil.

Mr. NORRELL. What is the present volume of business, roughly

speaking?

Mr. ROBERTS. In March we did $42,000 worth of business. Total sales in 1958 were $392,563.

Mr. STEED. Was the $189 profit net after you had paid your breakage and losses?

Mr. ROBERTS. No, sir. That was discounts that we took 1 and 2 percent on some vouchers.

Mr. STEED. What would your losses be?

Mr. ROBERTS. I do not think we had any losses.

Mr. MEGILL. At the end of each year, the fiscal year, Mr. Steed, the breakage is brought together and is usually recorded and then, on the approval of the Clerk, turned over to the Salvation Army or some appropriate institution.

40866-50

(The letter referred to is as follows:)

Hon. SAM RAYBURN,

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT,

BUREAU OF FINANCE, Washington, D.C., September 20, 1958.

DEAR MR. SPEAKER: Under the provisions set forth in the Penalty Mail Act approved August 15, 1953 (39 U.S.C. 3210) it is requested that a lump-sum appropriation in the amount of $3,591,000 be made to the Post Office Department for crediting postal revenue for matter sent and received under the franking privilege by Members of Congress and others, and under the penalty privilege for certain matter mailed by the Government Printing Office, during fiscal year 1958.

The sum requested represents the estimated cost of mailings during the fiscal year 1958 plus an amount due the Department for 1956 mailings. It covers an estimated 63,447,000 pieces of franked mail sent by Members of Congress and others specified in section 2 of the law, and 6,187,000 pieces mailed by the Government Printing Office for the Congress. The volume includes 13,100 pieces of registered franked matter. The average cost of handling each piece of ordinary mail in 1958 was 4.583 cents and handling costs for registered matter mailed without prepayment of postage was 74.70 cents per piece.

The 6,187,000 pieces mailed by the Government Printing Office were the Congressional Record, Legations, Federal Register, and Code of Federal Regulations. Each of these was mailed under a penalty label by the Government Printing Office in accordance with acts of Congress. The average cost for handling was 7.419 cents.

The request for $3,591,000 includes the adjustment of $390,000 due the Department for mailings in 1956. In our letter to you dated October 16, 1956, we requested $2,081,000 for 1957, which was appropriated to us by Public Law 85-75, July 1, 1957. The figures forming the basis for that request were an estimate; the actual cost has subsequently been fixed at $2,471,000, leaving a balance of $390,000 due, which has been added to the 1958 estimate above.

Sincerely yours,

HYDE GILLETTE, Assistant Postmaster General.

Mr. NORRELL. Why do we have a request this large?

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. Chairman, at the request of the committee club, members of my staff undertook to ascertain a more complete justification for the amount requested in the letter from the Post Office Department addressed to the Speaker of the House dated September 20, 1958, in which an appropriation of $3,591,000 was requested for handling congressional mail for fiscal year 1958.

It developed that this request was for $1,332,000 more than the amount requested for the previous fiscal year.

The committee club was particularly concerned as to the methods used in arriving at the figure and desired some explanation for the sharp increase.

While time would not permit a full exploration of the matter, certain items were ascertained which I feel the committee should know about. From our brief investigation, it would seem that the committee might wish to look even further into the overall problem involved in this request.

In the first place, there is included an amount of $390,000 for mailing in 1956. Postal officials indicate that they are unable to submit an exact figure each year because they base these charges on actual costs and cannot get all the necessary information together in time to include in the current budget.

Secondly, question was raised by us as to the propriety for the charge for registered mail since registration of mail is not a privilege enjoyed by Members of Congress under the franking-privilege law. The Department representative indicated that an error had been made this year in submitting that item as well as in previous years. It would seem that this amount should be deducted and possibly the amounts included in previous years for registered mail.

It was also ascertained that aside from the Congressional Record and items mailed under Members' frank from the Government Printing Office that other matter such as the Federal Register; Code of Federal Regulations; and the Patent Office Gazette are mailed from the Government Printing Office and charged to this appropriation. It may be that the committee would want to delve into those mailings in more detail.

It was developed that all mail collected from the Capitol post offices is weighed each day and about once a month a sampling is taken in order to properly evaluate the quantity of various classes of

mails.

Four times each year a sampling is taken from representative post offices throughout the country at which time an exact count is made of franked and penalty mail. One time each year only franked mail and penalty mail is counted, so that the Post Office Department feels that the system is fairly accurate. At least a number of management firms have indicated to the Post Office Department that the system used was sound.

The charges are based upon actual costs of handling the franked mail rather than the revenue that might have been derived had postage been affixed. Had the latter amounts been submitted, the amount would be substantially greater.

While it appears that the volume is very high, the Department feels it accurate.

A possible collateral question to the subject of the cost of the congressional frank is the charge made to the printing and binding fund for congressional printing for publication of the Federal Register and special editions of the Register such as the U.S. Government Organizational Manual and the Public Papers of the President of the United States, as well as the supplements to the Code of Federal Regulations. The present method of charging such executive department activities to the congressional printing and binding fund of Congress increases the budget of the legislative branch and decreases the executive budget.

Mr. NORRELL. We appropriated this current year, $2,259,000. Now they are requesting substantially more for the next year than was appropriated in the current year. Prior to that time we gave them about the same amount. In 1957 we appropriated a little better than $2 million. In 1955 we appropriated $1,159,700. I just do not see how the legislative branch has used that much stamp money, penalty mail costs.

Mr. ROBERTS. Off the record.

(Discussion off the record.)

Mr. NORRELL. I think that every agency ought to use its own penalty mail so that the cost can be given out to the agency that has received the service.

Are there any further questions?

Mr. HORAN. Do you have the amounts by years for registered mail? Mr. HARPER. We did not develop that because we just ran into it late Friday afternoon. However, it is in previous letters submitted. Mr. HORAN. Can you supply that information for the record?

Mr. HARPER. Yes, sir; it runs about $10,000 a year.
Mr. HORAN. Supply it for the record, by years.

Mr. HARPER. Very well, sir.

(The information referred to follows:)

Letter dated October 4, 1957, requested $7,420 for registered mail.
Letter dated September 20, 1958, requested $9,786 for registered mail.

STATEMENT OF APPROPRIATIONS

Mr. NORRELL. The last item is the usual statement of appropriations.

Mr. ROBERTS. This paragraph is self-explanatory, and the sum of $8,000, is requested for the fiscal year 1960. No change.

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Under the heading of "General Provisions of the Committee Print" (p. 10) we have inserted the numbers of the eight resolutions, which I have placed in the record, at the beginning of my general statement, so that the provisions of these resolutions may become permanent law. To repeat, these resolutions are: House Resolutions Nos. 428; 567; and 623 of the 85th Congress, and House Resolutions Nos. 36; 88; 89; 158; and 197 of the 86th Congress.

This, Mr. Chairman, concludes our statement covering the various items in the budget estimates, for the operation of the House of Representatives, for the fiscal year 1960.

Mr. NORRELL. Thank you, gentlemen. If there are no further questions, we shall recess until 2 o'clock this afternoon.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 1959.

ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL

WITNESSES

J. GEORGE STEWART, ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL
MARIO E. CAMPIOLO, ASSISTANT ARCHITECT
CHARLES A. HENLOCK, ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
PHILIP L. ROOF, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE ARCHITECT
WALTER L. RUBEL, COORDINATING ENGINEER

THOMAS F. CLANCY, SUPERVISING ENGINEER, CAPITOL BUILDING
A. E. RIDGELL, SUPERINTENDENT, HOUSE OFFICE BUILDINGS

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS REPRESENTATIVES

DR. L. QUINCY MUMFORD, LIBRARIAN

RUTHERFORD D. ROGERS, CHIEF ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN
ROBERT C. GOOCH, KEEPER OF COLLECTIONS

HOUSE RESTAURANTS

PETER ZMAYUSKI, ACTING MANAGER

Mr. NORRELL. The committee will please come to order.

We have with us this afternoon Mr. J. George Stewart, the Architect of the Capitol, and his assistants.

Mr. Stewart, will you please introduce your assistants that are here; and then if you desire to make a statement, you may do so at this time.

GENERAL STATEMENT

Mr. STEWART. Mr. Chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the members of my staff who accompanied me here. This is Mr. Rubel, who is our coordinating engineer, Mr. Henlock, administrative officer, Mr. Mario E. Campioli, Assistant Architect, who has just been appointed; Mr. Ridgell, Superintendent of the House Office Buildings, Mr. Thomas F. Clancy, supervising engineer of the Capitol Building, and Mr. Phil L. Roof, the executive assistant to the

Architect.

Mr. NORRELL. Mr. Stewart, do you have a statement which you

desire to make?

Mr. STEWART. Yes, sir. At this point I would like to present the general statement included in the justification of our appropriation

estimates.

Mr. NORRELL. All right, sir; you may proceed.

Mr. STEWART. For 1959, appropriations totaling $35,594,430 have been provided under the Architect of the Capitol in the regular annual appropriation act, the Supplemental Appropriation Act 1959, and the Second Supplemental Appropriation Act 1959.

For 1960, appropriations totaling $30,587,300 have been requested in the Budget, including budget amendment increases totaling $216,300-a net decrease of $5,007,130 under the total appropriation of $35,594,430 for 1959. The net decrease of $5,007,130 results from decreases totaling $11,340,725, offset by increases totaling $6,333,595. The gross increase of $6,333,595 results from increases of $398,675 in the item of personal services; $146,345 in other annual maintenance items; $788,575 in nonrecurring maintenance items; and $5 million

in construction items.

for 1960, it is to be noted that due to changes in proposed construction However, with respect to the appropriations requested in the budget schedules occurring since submission of the budget, explained under the detailed justification for the expansion of facilities, Capitol Power Plant, it has become necessary to reduce the request for funds for 1960 for that project from the $5,750,000 shown in the budget to $2,500,000 so that, when compared to the appropriation of $750,000 allowed for such purpose for the fiscal be an increase of only $1,750,000 instead of the $5,000,000 shown in year 1959, there will actually the budget This cha for that item will increase the net decrease under the total estimates for 1960 from $5,007,130 to a net decrease of $8,257,130, is for increased pay costs for wage-board employees required by $398,675 increase in the item of "Personal services," $217,243 Public Law 763, 83d Congress; $29,000 for increased pay costs required by Public Law 85-462, 85th Congress; $9,785 for within-grade salary advancements under the Classification Act; $73,900 for overtime and holiday pay increased costs; $16,700 for regular pay above 52 weeks base increasiness leap year; $17,000 for salary adjustments; and $35,047 for 10 additional positions-1 for the Capitol Grounds, 7 for the House Office Buildings, and 2 for the Capitol Power Plant.

Of the