Mr. STRATTON. I wanted to finish my statement as to why that was raised to $100,000 instead of being left at $50,000.

Mr. GILLETT. Very well.

Mr. STRATTON. Twenty-five thousand dollars was added to cover this fund that had been drawn from the other bureaus, and $25,000 for the erection and proper housing of this 10,000,000-pound testing machine. If it seems best to include that in a separate item, it can be done.

Mr. GILLETT. I think it would be better to include that in a separate item. When is it to be completed?

Mr. STRATTON. Parts of the machine are at Pittsburg and other parts are in Philadelphia. It is practically ready for erection. I am speaking now of the Pittsburg machine, not the Emery one. Mr. GILLETT. This is the new one?

Mr. STRATTON. Yes, sir.

The CLERK. There are two new ones. One was provided for two or three years ago.

Mr. GILLETT. But you have got that one?

Mr. STRATTON. The one at Pittsburg?

Mr. GILLETT. No; the Emery machine.

Mr. STRATTON. That is all provided for. There is nothing in these estimates about that.

Mr. GILLETT. Is this big one going into a house by itself? Will you have to have a building for it?

Mr. STRATTON. Yes, sir; it will have to be properly housed. It can not go into any building there.

Mr. GILLETT. The last item is on page 288:

Toward the construction of a fireproof laboratory to provide additional laboratory space, to cost not exceeding $200,000, under a contract which is hereby authorized therefor, $50,000.

Mr. STRATTON. Our laboratory space is entirely inadequate. The electrical work is spread over the whole place in all the buildings. It occupies three-fourths of the space in our large building; the first building which was erected for a power plant and shop, and work of that kind, is half filled up with this work; and we have reached a point where the shop facilities and power facilities must be increased. The construction of this laboratory, which we will call an electrical laboratory, really provides additional space for all the departments. It is really so much additional laboratory space, and is very urgently needed.

Mr. GILLETT. How does the space compare with the present space you have?

Mr. STRATTON. It would be the same size as our last building we built. It would be one-third of our laboratory space.

Mr. GILLETT. That is, it would increase it by 50 per cent?

Mr. STRATTON. Yes.

Mr. GILLETT. How long will it take to build it?

Mr. STRATTON. It will take two years.

The Secretary has asked me to take up with this committee the matter of providing for some one to act in the absence of the director. It has never been covered, either in our original act or in any following legislation.

Mr. GILLETT. That is, for some one to act in your absence?

Mr. STRATTON. Yes. It is covered in most bureaus.

Mr. GILLETT. Who do you think should act?

Mr. STRATTON. The Secretary should have authority to designate any chief of a scientific division.

Mr. GILLETT. Do you mean any one of the scientific divisions under you?

Mr. STRATTON. Our custom has been during the last ten years that the senior chief of division acts in my absence. It works very well and is a splendid plan; but I understand that the legality is in question.

Mr. GILLETT. What official acts have to be done in your absence? Mr. STRATTON. The signing of mail and the signing of contracts. Mr. NAGEL. The signing of contracts is very important.

Mr. GILLETT. That has to be done in your absence?

Mr. STRATTON. Yes; if I happen to be absent for any long period. Of course if I were only absent for a few days it might not be necessary; but during my thirty days' leave, for instance, it is necessary. Mr. GILLETT. It is subpect to a point of order of course.

Mr. STRATTON. I do not like the plan that is in force in some bureaus of designating the chief clerk. I think that in our case it would be particularly bad.

CONTINGENT EXPENSES.

STATEMENT OF MR. ROBERT M. PINDELL, JR., CHIEF CLERK.

Mr. BINGHAM. The contingent expenses and rent of buildings for the Department of Commerce and Labor come in on page 289. Have any changes been made there?

Mr. PINDELL. No; the estimate is the same as the appropriation for the present year.

Mr. GILLETT. What do you use now in the way of buildings, besides your main building?

Mr. PINDELL. Our main building is what is known as the Willard Building, at 513-515 Fourteenth street. That is occupied by the office of the Secretary, except the Divisions of Supplies and Publications.

Mr. BINGHAM. That is where the Secretary's office is now located? Mr. PINDELL. Yes, sir. Also the Bureau of Corporations, the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization (except the Division of Naturalization and the Division of Chinese Records), and the office of the solicitor. The Adams Building, at 1333 and 1335 F street, is occupied by the Naturalization Division and the Chinese Record Division of the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization; the Bureau of Manufactures, and the Bureau of Statistics. The building known as the Annex, at 462-464 Louisiana avenue, is occupied by the Bureau of Light-Houses, the Bureau of Labor, the Bureau of Navigation, the Steamboat-Inspection Service, and the divisions of Publications and Supplies of the Secretary's office. The third floor of the building next door is occupied also by the Bureau of Labor. A building a few doors away, which is known as the Real Estate Title Insurance Company building, is occupied for storage purposes. The

department's stable is located in the square bounded by M and N and Ninth and Tenth streets NW.

That completes the buildings, with the exception of buildings which are rented for the census and which are paid for out of their appropriation.

Mr. BINGHAM. Your purpose is to continue the occupation?

Mr. PINDELL. Yes, sir. In the case of the Adams Building on F street the first floor is reserved and a portion of the basement. That is occupied by some banking institution, I believe.

Mr. GILLETT. Do these buildings cost the full $50,000?

Mr. PINDELL. The amount that we are paying this year is $46,342. That is for the amount of space we are now renting. As a matter of fact, we are cramped at this moment. While we will show a slight balance in the appropriation this year we are already trying to develop more space in one of the buildings by some additions, and it may be that we shall have to negotiate a new lease and pay the owner a proportionate increase in the rent.

Mr. GILLETT. Do you use your full contingent fund of $60,000? Mr. PINDELL. Yes; we have been using it. Last year we had a deficiency appropriation of $7,000. That, however, was due to conditions which do not now confront us; and we shall struggle to get through with the $60,000 this year. We hope we will.

May I say just one word more about the subject of rent, Mr. Chairman? It is this: With respect to one or two buildings, we were obliged to assume the expense of repairing them under our leases. Under the decisions of the comptroller, that cost is paid for out of the rent appropriation. It will amount this year to somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,800 or $2,000. So we will show a balance of not more than about $1,500 in the rent appropriation.

Mr. BINGHAM. You will show a balance?

Mr. PINDELL. We will show a balance of not more than about $1,500. You see, there is an apparent balance, from the figures I gave you a moment ago, of about $3,700. But we have spent about $1,800, or perhaps $2,000, in those repairs which the comptroller holds to be properly chargeable to the rent appropriation under our leases.

Mr. BINGHAM. Therefore you feel that you will need the whole? Mr. PINDELL. Oh, yes, sir; I think so. As a matter of fact, we shall probably need more space. We need it now, but whether or not we can pay for it is another proposition.