Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-01
CAPITOL REPAIRS
PROVIDED IN BILL
Measure Carrying S16,377,-
629 Is Reported in House.
Comes Up Soon.

Important physical improvement o
the Capitol group of buildings and pro
vision for better facilities for the leg
islative bodies are contained in TIT
legislative appropriation bill repoitet
to the House today carrying tota
of 6.377 .629 Sc. which is Sl.456.49o. %
less than the current appropriate
and SOL BAL 20 less than the estimates
This bill viii come mp for considera
tion in the House either "Wednesday
or Thursday.
Funds are recommended for paint
ing the exterior of the Capitol dome
$23 200; to remove old buildings mot
the Government Hotels) on the re
Gently acquired land between the Cap
itol and Union Station, $4,000: fol
purchase of a new turbine engine for
the Capitol power plant, S210,0O0; tof
replacing the copper roof on the
House Office Building. $4,000; for
storage bins for coal and ashes at the
power plant. $4,000.
The bill does not carry any ap-
preparation for new House ONCE
Building. as was contemplated but
hearings on this project are scheduled
for tomorrow before the House com
mittee on public buildings and
grounds.
New Library Positions.
Provision has been made for 20
new positions in the Library of Con-
gress, at salaries aggregating $29,-
820 The estimates were $45,60O for
IS new employees.
In addition to $500 appropriated
last year for codification Of the Dis
trict laws an additional $11,652 is car
ried in the bill reported today for
continuing this work.
Chairman Dickinson of the sub
committee that drafted the bill ex-
planned the apparent reduction of
$1,456, 490.01 under the 1927 appro-
priations. It should be recalled that
two very large items in the 1927 APP
preparations are completed projects
for that year and do not appear for
1928. These items are S1,331,958
for completion of the acquisition Of
land for the extension of the Capitol
Grounds and 100000 for the COM
pletion of the additional bookstack
structure in the court of the Library
of Congress. The two aggregate ST.
731, 95S.37, and when eliminated from
Tie NOtAipdA lSbAIS Will 1SAt
tions, the bill for 1928 shows an ac-
tual increase over 1927 of $275, 1896.
Botanic Garden Figures.
The amounts for the Botanic Garden
are recommended in the sums for the
current year, with the exception of
$1,873 increase under salaries to care
for promotions in accordance with the
classification act and $500 under the
general maintenance fund, bringing
the total for 1928 for all expenses of
the Botanic Garden to $127,217. The
committee has eliminated $4,000 from
the maintenance estimate and $1,000
for additional positions from the sal
airy estimate.
Appropriations for the Government
Printing Office customarily carried in
this bill are recommended in the same
amounts except for the following:
The separate paragraph heretofore
carried for the Office of the Public
Printer is merged with the fund for
the working capital and carried there,
with a limitation on expenditure which
is the same as the appropriation for
the current year. A proposal was pre-
scented to the committee to take from
under the classification act those
employees covered hereunder In the
Government Printing Office, approx
u1dlGlI TVOg anu Dlc1IC iLN1AA Ia SeaAcAS
fixing purposes under the Kiess act
with the remainder of the force, mum
bering approximately 300. The com
nnittee is unable to find in the Kiess
act any definite expression of applica-
ton of that act to the portion OF
employees which prior to that act
were included under and paid accord
ing to the classification act. The pay
status. therefore, of employees re-
mains as 1t is for the current year.
with the two acts applicable as they
have been in the past.
Increase i'm Salary Item.
Under the Office of superintendent
of documents there is a decrease OF
4S4OO in printing expenses and other
miscellaneous items and an increase
of $37, $50 in the appropriation for sal
aries.
Larger appropriations are made to
cover salaries of Senate and House
employees on account of their longer
terms during the first session of the
SEVENTEEN Congress. clerk to the
official reporters of debates in the
House at $2,750 per annum is provided.
The appropriation for furniture in
cludes a fourth installment Of $4,000
for reconstruction of office cabinets
in the House Office Building and for
the conversion or rOlI-tOp desks INTO
f1at-top desks. A survey of floor cover
ings in rooms of the House Office
Building under the direction of the
clerk of the House discloses that APP
proximately $50 floor coverings have
been in service since the building was
first occupied, 20 years ago. To pro
vide requirements in every case would
require between $4,000 and $40,0
The committee is recommending the
reappropriation of an unexpended bal
ance in the contingent fund for ex-
penses of special and select commit
tees, estimated to be approximately
$25, 900. to be expended toward these
requirements during the next fiscal
year.
The Is new employees for the Ii
brary of Congress are to be dis
tributed and their salaries allocated
as follows:
Library proper-One custodian, rare
book collection, $2.400; 2 assistants at
1850 each (reading rooms), S3,720;
10 assistants at $1,140 each Geading
rooms), $11 400; 2 assistants, at $500
each (reading rooms), 81 500; 1 assistant
(music division), $1140; / assistant
troom for blind, $500; copyright office,
l messenger, $500: card division, /
assistant, $1,000. Building-Four la
borers, at $500 each. $1,000; eleva-
tor conductors, at $500 each, 81 800.