Mr. HARE. How many additional employees will you need to take up the additional amount of work that you were required to perform under the 48-hour week law? Mr. BURBRIDGE. We will need the 49 employees. Mr. HARE. How many do you have now? Mr. BURBRIDGE. We have an authorization for 345 employees. That is the position figure. The man-year figure is 325.2. Those are classified employees which, of course, do not represent all of the employees in the institution as we have student nurses and interns and residents that come under the unclassified category. However, we are not requesting any additional interns or residents or student nurses; therefore we have confined our computations to what we call in the green sheet as the total permanent personnel. As I said, the man-year figure is 325.2 and the position figure is 345. We wanted to add 49 additional positions which, for fiscal year 1946, would represent 11 or 12 man-years, which would be one-quarter of the total amount. Mr. HARE. Then in your regular estimate you would want these 48 additional employees for this next year? Mr. BURBRIDGE. Yes. Dr. HALL. That 48.2 man-years, sir, would of course be at a less expenditure than the number that we are carrying up to the beginning of the year because the additional employees would be on the 40-hour week plus all of the other employees. That would enable us to convert completely to the 40-hour week. With regard to the laundry employees and people of that sort, we attempted earlier to convert those people to the 40-hour week. We found from experience that we had to call them back, even at our first attempt, in order to maintain the services that we had to run. That is the reason why we are obliged to request those additional custodial and dietary employees. Mr. HARE. You spoke of different areas of operation. What do you mean by "areas"? Mr. BURBRIDGE. Most of the positions-let us say in the administrative offices-we found that we could convert to the 40-hour week and not employ additional personnel. Mr. HARE. All of your services are here in Washington? POSSIBILITY OF ABSORBING DEFICIENCY REQUEST Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. As I understand, when you get what is coming to you under Public Law 106, you would be just short $1,050,000 for the year. Can you not absorb this little item of $20,500 somewhere? Dr. HALL. We have tried every way possible we could to keep from having to come up for this deficiency. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. There are no other funds that you have available that we could transfer to cover this purpose? Mr. BURBRIDGE. No, sir. We are trying to avert a deficiency in our miscellaneous expenses now because subsistence costs have gone up and are out of balance with ration and subsistence costs estimated at the beginning of the period and the basis upon which the current ap propriation was made. We are trying to avert a deficiency but do not know at this point whether we will or not. Concerning the request for additional personnel to convert to a 40-hour week, we know that we will need these people. It is a matter of having to get additional people to work a 5-day week where before they worked a 6-day week. We just cannot spread the same number of people over the 5-day week and cover 24 hours a day for 7 days a week. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1946. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE STATEMENT OF DR. S. W. KRATZ, SENIOR SURGEON AND M. A. STEPHENS, BUDGET OFFICER, FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY FOREIGN QUARANTINE SERVICE Mr. LUDLOW. Dr. Kratz, we have before us an estimate for an additional amount of $225,000, for the Foreign Quarantine Service for the fiscal year 1946. There was previously appropriated $1,574,000. There is pending on account of Public Law 106 $232,700, making a total for 1946 of $2,031,700. REESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF QUARANTINE SERVICE IN CONNECTION WITH PHILIPPINE ISLANDS GOVERNMENT The 1947 budget calls for a somewhat lesser amount, $2,014,000. The purpose of this appropriation is to reestablish and operate quarantine service in connection with the Philippine Islands government. What is the need of this additional amount? Dr. KRATZ. This actually is a deficiency of a deficiency. The last deficiency amount asked for was $605,000 and the wordage of that Deficiency Act would have made it possible for $605,000 to be appropriated, but $320,000 was appropriated in that deficiency bill. $335,000 was the deficiency for the foreign quarantine service, but since the $320,000 was allowed, only $50,000 of that was available for the Philippines, which when compared with what the Philippines required of $270,000, left a considerable deficit for the Philippines to carry out even a provisional type of quarantine service which was required under law. Therefore, since only $50,000 was available for the Philippines, we will see that $50,000 subtracted from $320,000 leaves only $270,000 for the foreign quarantine service which leaves a deficit for the quarantine service of about $65,000. Therefore, since there was that $65,000 deficit over the $335,000 originally asked for, $50,000 was the limit that could be allocated on the Philippine request. On the basis of that notification to the High Commissioner of the Philippines, a cablegram was sent which is part of the justification for the additional amount asked for. The purpose of the $225,000 is to put up temporary construction in the Philippines to carry out legal quarantine activities. Our opinion was that the wording of the cablegram would be self-explanatory. The original request was $1,500,000, but that was considerably cut down to allow for purely shack-like construction to carry on quarantine and other related public-health activities incident to maintaining the protection of the military and civilian population of the Philippines. Mr. LUDLOW. May I make what I believe is a factual statement here and see if you agree to it. In connection with the first deficiency bill, 1946, approved December 28, 1945, there was submitted to the Senate, first, a supplemental estimate of $2,000,000 for public-health services, Philippine Islands. The Senate included $1,000,000 of the $2,000,000, and that amount was agreed to in conference and became the appropriation; secondly, a supplemental estimate of $605,000 for foreign quarantine service, in which $270,000 was included as an additional amount for operation of the quarantine service in the Philippine Islands, in cooperation with the Philippine Government. The Senate allowed $531,540 of such additional amount. In conference, the total amount allowed for foreign service quarantine was $320,000, of which $250,000 represented objects embraced by the estimate of $605,000. Of the $250,000, it appears in the justification that $50,000 was allocated to quarantine service in the Philippines, or $200,000 less than the supplemental estimate contemplated. Is that your understanding? Dr. KRATZ. Yes; the $605,000 included $270,000 originally requested for the Philippine Islands. Now only $50,000 is for the Philippine Islands, and on the basis of that $50,000 allocated for the Philippine Islands the High Commissioner requested an additional $225,000 in order to carry out the bare necessities of an interim program which is part of the rehabilitation program of the Philippine Islands. It is purely a temporary expedient. As I say, it is an interim program. Mr. LUDLOW. Now, in the First Deficiency Act of 1946 you were given $1,000,000 for the Public Health Service, Philippine Islands. Why cannot that fund be employed for quarantine service? Dr. KRATZ. Well, the foreign quarantine was not included in that amount of money, since there is only for consideration the rehabilitation of the foreign quarantine service end of things and only $270,000 is asked. The $1,000,000 granted to the Public Health Service was for other public-health activities, including venereal disease control, tuberculosis, and general public-health activities. It is not foreign quarantine. Mr. LUDLOW. Even so, is there any money available in that appropriation for quarantine? Dr. KRATZ. No, sir. Mr. LUDLOW. The supplemental estimate submitted to the Senate in connection with the first deficiency bill, Senate Document 105, contains the statement that it includes $270,000 additional for operation of the quarantine service in the Philippine Islands. How much was available theretofore? Dr. KRATZ. None. The Foreign Quarantine Service appropriation ordinarily does not include money for the Philippines. This is an emergency measure. Mr. LUDLOW. Before the Senate made this additional appropriation, how much was available for the operation of the quarantine service? Dr. KRATZ. Not any for the Philippines. Mr. STEPHENS. I think that I can clarify that. The "additional" means that in addition to what they have in their regular quarantine service, during the war the Philippine Islands Quarantine Service was carried on by the Army and the Navy and, so far as Public Health was concerned and their funds, I think it was entirely suspended. But the regular quarantine service was carried on and this $270,000 is an additional amount to their regular quarantine program. Dr. KRATZ. That is true; it was carried out by the Army as an emergency measure. Mr. LUDLOW. Of the $250,000 you got in consequence of your supplemental estimate, what disposition have you made of the $200,000 not allocated for Philippine Quarantine Service? Dr. KRATZ. That was required for the operation of the Foreign Quarantine Service. Mr. LUDLOW. What has been the disposition of the $200,000 not allocated for the Philippine Islands? Dr. KRATZ. We had to have $70,000 for the 40-hour week and we are 100 percent on the 40-hour week. There was a requirement to replace Coast Guard men who were utilized during our shortage of personnel. That amounted to $119,000. For Honolulu we requested about $32,000 for restoring the quarantine activities in Hawaii. The European Service is not a new service, but it is the restoration of our foreign quarantine activities prior to hostilities in Europe dealing with the medical examination of immigrants abroad and part of our consular service, while the Philippine Island end of it was $270,000 which made a total of $605,000. The amount I enumerated, however, on the 40-hour week for the Coast Guard replacement, Honolulu, and European Service amounted to $335,000, so the amount appropriated would not even cover that requirement. ALLOCATION OF DEFICIENCY FUNDS PREVIOUSLY APPROPRIATED Mr. LUDLOW. Could you give us a detailed statement showing how you have allocated the $1,000,000 you got in the deficiency act? Dr. KRATZ. That amount of money was not available for the Foreign Quarantine Division. It is being administered by the States Relation Division on Public Health Activities and not on Foreign Quarantine. Mr. STEPHENS. I would like to interrupt there. When we did not get the Philippine Island money that we requested, all they could spare out of their regular was $50,000. Our lawyers debated thoroughly the matter of taking some of the money that was for Philippine health work for use in this emergency work, but it was the decision that it could not be used that way. The language of the appropriation indicated that it could not be used in quarantine work. Dr. KRATZ. A good bit of that was for personal services and not for the temporary construction which we hoped could be carried through by the deficiency as an interim program. Mr. LUDLOW. Regardless of the way the $1,000,000 was applied, can you break-down how it was allocated? Mr. STEPHENS. I will put that in the record at this point. FUNCTION OF THE FOREIGN QUARANTINE SERVICE Mr. LUDLOW. For the purpose of illuminating the record, you might tell us what you do under the Foreign Quarantine Service. Dr. KRATZ. Our primary responsibility is the protection of the entire population of the United States from the introduction of communicable diseases from abroad. We are also medical consultants for the Immigration Service on all alien immigrants. Mr. LUDLOW. Now, not in detail but in some substantial way, tell us how you prevent the introduction of communicable diseases. Dr. KRATZ. All incoming vessels and airplanes are examined at the port of arrival; all crews and passengers are examined in order to exclude any of the communicable diseases that might be present aboard. If any are found, they are given the necessary detention, isolation, and treatment. COMPARISON OF 1946 APPROPRIATIONS WITH 1947 ESTIMATE Mr. LUDLOW. How can you reconcile the amount you ask for in the fiscal year 1946 as being more than is provided for in 1947? Dr. KRATZ. On nonrecurring items which appear in 1946 that will not recur in the 1947 budget. Mr. LUDLOW. That makes the differential there between the two budgets? Dr. KRATZ. Yes. Mr. STEPHENS. There is one more point. The Bureau of the Budget and our own agency in figuring that the Philippine Islands will have their independence next July, or approximately that date, we would not be justified in presenting a budget for the Philippine Islands beyond that time. That would not be included in our 1947 estimate. Mr. LUDLOW. That being the case and your philosophy being correct, why should there not be a greater differential? Mr. STEPHENS. I think that I can answer that generally by stating that by that time the war will be over and consulates and medical offices all over the world, especially Europe, the Mediterranean area, and the oriental countries will be back in full swing and there will be more quarantine service which largely has been handled by the Army and Navy during wartime. Mr. LUDLOW. A more normal service? Mr. STEPHENS. That is right, sir. Dr. KRATZ. Not altogether, sir, because we have an increasing load on air traffic now which is an increasing load on the Public Health Service. We have been told that the air commerce will increase 400 to 500 percent. INSPECTION OF AIRCRAFT FOR DISEASE Mr. LUDLOW. What is your modus operandi in connection with air traffic in preventing the introduction of communicable diseases? Do you inspect all airplanes? Dr. KRATZ. All incoming airplanes from foreign airports are inspected upon arrival. Mr. LUDLOW. And of course the number is growing all the time. Mr. O'NEAL. There is no charge of any kind for that service? |