Mr. STEED. The next item is "Salaries and expenses, Botanic Garden." It appears at page 84 of the committee print and page 189 of the justifications. We will insert pages 189 through 191 in the record.

(The pages follow:)

Wage-rare mereases anthorized by Public Law 763, 83d Cong... Ender the provisions of Pubice Law 763. 83d Cong., 46 Laborers and mechanics on the Botanic Garien roll are compensated on a wige hoard, prevailing-rate basis. Public Law TRR penwides that the compensation of such employees shall be fixed and adjusted from time to time as nearly as is consistent with the pubile interest in accordance with prevailing rates.

An increase of $4.800 is requested for 1963 to meet on a fullyear hasis the cost of increased wage rates established for these wage hoard positions as a result of a general survey of Government and industrial employees' wages in the Washington metropolitan area, conducted during the past year. The new rates went into effect Dec. 10. 1961. in accordance with the provisions of Public Law 85-872, 85th Cong. This increase is necessary in order that the Botanic Garden wage board employees may be compensated on a full-year basis in the fiscal year 1963 in accordance with present prevailing rates.

An increase fo $2.932 is requested for 1963 to meet the cost of within-grade promotions falling due in that year, authorized by Public Law 763 under the wage board system, for employees compensated under that act.

Within-grade promotions authorized by the Classification Act of 1949, as amended, for employees compensated under that act.... Overtime and holiday pay increased by $2,000 to meet increased pay costs under that allotment resulting from base pay increases under Public Law 763 and the Classification Act______

$7,732

695

plant material and topsoil for the nursery, of which $8,000 is for plant material and $22,000 for topsoil-leaving an unexpended balance of $62,000.

Upon further study, with the present manpower available at the gardens, it is found necessary to spread the rehabilitation program over a 3-year period, instead of a 1-year period as originally planned. Accordingly, it is requested that the unexpended balance of $62,000 provided for this purpose in 1962 be continued available until June 30, 1964.

Mr. STEED. Give us a brief résumé of the items requested here, Mr. Stewart.

Mr. STEWART. We are asking for a net decrease of $33,000 resulting from additions totaling $62,900 offset by deductions totaling $95,900 due to the dropping of nonrecurring allotments allowed for 1962. We had $489,000 for 1962 and are asking for $456,000 for 1963.

INCREASES REQUESTED

The additions are made up as follows:

Wage-rate increases authorized by Public Law 763, 83d Congress, for 46 laborers and mechanics on the Botanic Garden roll, $7,732. Within-grade promotions authorized by the Classification Act of 1949, as amended, for employees compensated under that act, $695. Overtime and holiday pay to meet increased pay costs under that allotment resulting from base pay increases under Public Law 763 and the Classification Act, $2,000.

One additional position, W-4 laborer-gardener, $3,973. During the past year, eight additional greenhouses, a boiler plant, and office structure have been erected and placed in service at Poplar Point nursery. The services of an additional laborer are required to keep the office structure clean, sweep and wash floors, clean toilets; also, sweep and keep clean the concrete floors of the greenhouses; wash windows; and assist the gardeners in the outside maintenance work.

REPLACEMENT OF OLD BOILERS

Replacement of boilers at Poplar Point Nursery, $48,500. There are eight old greenhouses at Poplar Point Nursery, in which plant material for the Botanic Garden and its functions have been grown for many years, which are dependent for their heat supply upon three old coal-burner boilers installed in 1929. The normal dependable life of such boilers is 30 years, and these boilers have already exceeded that period by 3 years. They are now obsolescent and deteriorated and repair parts for replacements are no longer commercially available. Their continued use is hazardous. Under the funds requested for 1963, it is proposed to replace these three boilers with three new boilers, either gas-fired or oil-burning type, together with necessary piping and other accessory equipment.

LANGUAGE CHANGE-REAPPROPRIATION

The committee is requested to add the following language to the text shown in the 1963 budget and committee print:

Provided, That not to exceed $62,000 of the amount made available under this head for the fiscal year 1962 is hereby continued available until June 30, 1964.

The 1962 appropriation includes an allotment of $20,000 for plant material and $72,000 for topsoil for rehabilitation of Poplar Point Nursery for the propagation and growing of shrubbery and trees at the nursery for use at the gardens and in landscaping the Capitol and other grounds in the legislative branch. Obligations, totaling $30,000, are being incurred in the fiscal year 1962 for plant material and topsoil for the nursery, of which $8,000 is for plant material and $22,000 for topsoil-leaving an unexpended balance of $62,000.

Upon further study, with the present manpower available at the gardens, it is found necessary to spread the rehabilitation program over a 3-year period, instead of a 1-year period as originally planned. Accordingly, it is requested that the unexpended balance of $62,000 provided for this purpose in 1962 be continued available until June 30, 1964.

Mr. STEED. What is the condition of the greenhouses at Poplar Point? You give us a pretty good picture of the boiler situation. Is the rest of the plant in good shape?

Mr. STEWART. The old greenhouses are in good shape, practically speaking. Of course they pale in significance with the new ones sitting beside them, but they are far better than the ones we had down here near the main conservatory and I would say they will last for a long while from now.

Mr. STEED. Does this new boiler program give you sufficient standby?

Mr. STEWART. Yes, and not only that, it will give us assurance that in the middle of the night something will not happen and cause us to lose some of our plants in the cold weather.

VISITORS TO CONSERVATORY

Mr. STEED. Do you have any idea how many people visit the main conservatory near the Capitol Grounds?

Mr. STEWART. I have that information broken down on page 200. In 1947 there were 189,000 visitors, in 1948 there were 214,000, in 1960 there were 298,000, in 1961 there were 269,000, and from July 1, 1961, to February 28 of this year there have been 154,893 visitors to the conservatory.

Mr. STEED. Are the greenhouses open for public inspection or do you have any visitor problem there?

Mr. STEWART. No, sir. The primary attraction in the greenhouses was the orchid collection. In recent weeks we have arranged a section in the conservatory for display of the orchids while in bloom. We do have some visitors to the greenhouses. They are primarily students of botany or floriculture.

Mr. STEED. Does that create any problems?

Mr. STEWART. No, sir. We welcome them because we think we have the most modern and most up-to-date group of greenhouses that have been built in this area.

REMOVAL OF OLD GREENHOUSES

Mr. STEED. The destruction of the old greenhouses at the bottom the Hill-is that well underway?

Mr. STEWART. It is well underway, except for one building. Under the direction of the Joint Committee on the Library, I was ordered to tear everything down and landscape the square as a park area, but there is one little building down there that is a beautiful building architecturally and should be restored and preserved. We would like to put that building in shape, and we have the money to do so. The contractor took the contract with the understanding that for a certain amount he would tear it down and if we do not tear it down we have that money to put it in shape. I am in hopes I can do the landscaping in that square, at least the preliminary landscaping, with our own men.

Mr. STEED. How about using the area cleaned out as a parking area in the meantime?

Mr. STEWART. There has been no effort made to do this.

Mr. STEED. Can you convert it to a temporary parking lot?

Mr. STEWART. If you can get people to walk that far. My experience has been that people on the Hill want to park closer to the building.

Mr. STEED. That is true of those that can get a good parking space, but what about the others?

Mr. STEWART. Mr. Chairman, I had an experience a few years ago. Mr. Rayburn asked me to investigate the possibility of some areas in the Southwest development that had been torn down with the idea of land leasing for a short period of time the area and paving it and providing bus service from there to the top of the Hill. I picked out 50 persons that I thought was a good cross section and only one said yes. So I quit right there.

Mr. STEED. There is a lot in the fact everybody wants the best parking space around here, but parking still continues to be a problem. Mr. STEWART. That is true.

Mr. STEED. And I am sure it will continue to be a problem until at least the new building is completed and some relief is to be had there. Mr. STEWART. May I go off the record?

Mr. STEED. Yes.

(Discussion off the record.)

Mr. STEWART. The Joint Committee on the Library has jurisdiction over the Botanic Garden, and they ordered me to tear down all structures and landscape the square, and Public Law 1005, 84th Congress, approved August 6, 1956, confirmed their directive. So to retain the one structure now left standing requires approval, first by the joint committee, and then by the Congress through amendatory legislation.

Mr. STEED. Mr. Horan, any questions?

Mr. HORAN. Will Poplar Point provide all the landscaping materials for the new buildings?

Mr. STEWART. In part. There will be some items we will have to buy, but I would say a good percentage of the materials will be obtained from the nursery.

Mr. STEED. What is the desirable age of the trees that you put on the grounds?

Mr. STEWART. It depends on the variety of the tree for one thing. If it is a hardwood usually we do not like to put them out much before they are 7 to 8 years old. Take willows or soft wood, you could put them out when 3 to 4 years of age.