Evening star., 1941-04-25
Meade Costinq
$22,000,000,
Committee Told
Army Officer Gives
Figures; Original
Estimate So, 500, 900

Estimate So, 500, 900
Fort George G. Meade, Md, will
be virtually complete tonight, having
cost the Government s22,0OO,0OO, as
against an original estimate of So
100000, the House Military Affairs
Committee was told yesterday.
Maj. James A. Noxon, construc-
ton quartermaster at the nearby
Army cantonment, told the COM
mittee 10 supplementary estimates
increased the figure after the origi-
nal computation. Some of the in
creaSes were occasioned by additions
to buildings and enlargement of the
camp population. he explained.
The s8,5OO,OOO estimate was Just
a guess" he said.
Mai. Noxon testified labor charges
represented 62lo per cent of the
Fort Meade cost and materials 3712
per cent up to April i. Overtime
payments accounted for $1.883.00
or 88 per cent of the total labor
cost, he added.
Labor Costs Above Ideal"
"All conditions being ideal, I'd say
the labor and material costs should
be $780," he replied when asked by
Representative Faddis, Democrat, of
Pennsylvania, if labor should not be
figured at about 40 per cent and
material at about so per cent.
The only labor difficulty arising
during the construction was a walk
out of carpenters, who demanded
double pay for overtime, he told the
committee. When he explained he
was authorized to pay only time
and-a-half, all other crafts on the
Job agreed to work on that basis
until he could confer with War De-
partment authorities, Maj. Noxon
said.
The big trouble on the Fort Meade
job was in getting adequate super
vision, he declared. I'VE had trouble
in getting assistant superintendent
and foremen."
He said men had asked whether it
was necessary to join union in or
der to obtain employment on the
project, but that they did not ex-
actly complain"
Lists Rates Paid Labor.
Maj. Noxon listed the following as
the labor rates at Fort Meade: Un-
skilled workers, 621a cents per hour;
carpenters, Sl.25; plumbers, sheet
metal workers and steamfltters,
s1.371a; bricklayers and electricians,
Sl.50; painters, $1.1212, and struc-
tural iron workers, s1.65. At Fort
Belvoir, carpenters were paid $1621a,
steamfitters SITS and steel work.
ers 81.
The quartermaster officer was
asked why labor costs differed He
pointed out Fort Meade came under
jurisdiction of Baltimore union
locals, whose rates were lower than
those of the District locals, which
applied to the Virginia post
1t. Col. Clarence E. Mayors, con-
struction quartermaster at Fort Bel
voir, testified the original War De-
partment estimate for that canton
ment had been "ridiculously low
and that the s14,000,000 spent was a
fair cost.
IF we had been able to spend a
year on the job, it would have been
done much cheaper" he declared.
I'm guessing now, but I think it
would have cost Is per cent less"
Claims No Roofs Leak.
Representative Faddis wanted to
know why the roofs on the Belvoir
barracks were "all wrinkled." Col.
Mayors replied that "blisters" on
tar paper roofs were mot abnormal"
and there isn't a leaky roof in the
whole place"
Earlier, Col. C. F. Gee, the first
construction quartermaster at Fort
Belvoir told the committee the
original estimates were made when
labor and material costs were lower.
Heavy October rains delayed the
work and increased charges, he said.
For many months, he said, the
War Department refused to approve
the travel allowance of rs cents per
day for workers living in the Dis
trict. A union rule called for the
allowance or the alternative of hav-
ing the workers time on the job
begin from the minute he crossed
the District line into Virginia.
THE Labor Board and the Quar-
termaster General finally ordered
the rs cents allowance" he added.
James L. Lucas of Alexandria, who
was employed as personnel chief by
the contractor, the Charles H.
Tompkins Co., testified he negotiat-
ed directly with unions for employ
ment of men, but that the firm did
not interest itself in union dues.