As to the different posts in which ice machines are to be installed, I have prepared quite a lot of data. We have estimated for this year for a total of seven machines; $20,000 is for the United States, where it is expected to install the machines in buildings already constructed, and $30,000 is for the installation of machines in the Philippines. I have taken the cost of an ice machine, including the building, at approximately $10,000. That is the figure for a 3-ton machine, which is about the average size used. There are in operation in the United States 10 and in the Philippines 25 ice machines.

The next item (No. 14) is for maintenance of ice machines, $79,220-$14,220 for the United States and $65,000 for the Philippine Islands. The CHAIRMAN. You are authorized by law to sell ice when not in competition with private parties. Has there been anything realized from that source?

General ALESHIRE. I was going to bring that before the committee. The law provides we should hold the funds. It was provided that the cost of operation and maintenance should be paid from the receipts when they sold this ice. We tried that and we found they were inclined to be more extravagant under that system, and on that account my predecessors gave instructions that the funds should be turned into the Treasury and he would allot funds for that purpose. The record showed that approximately there was turned into the Treasury from the sale of ice in the Philippines $30,000 and $6,000 in the United States. We could sell more ice, but the capacity of the machines is not sufficient to warrant it. We found that approximately the cost of operating, exclusive of employees, in the United States was $12,868 and in the Philippines, $74,248.

Mr. STEVENS. You have given the location of plants in your report? General ALESHIRE. Yes, sir. I will make a note of it and put it in the record.

Machines of the Philippine Islands are located at:

We have employees connected with these machines which cost $21,220, of which $15,000 is for the Philippines and $6,720 for the United States. I have a list of the machines, their location, and the rate of pay of employees.

Cold storage is the next item (No. 15), which is estimated at $88,000. It is all in the Philippines. It is for storage at Manila of subsistence stores. One hundred and eighty-three thousand eight hundred and

sixty-six cubic feet of cold storage are rented for use of the Subsistence Department, of which 141,448 cubic feet are for storage of meat, and 42,418 cubic feet for other perishable stores.

The next item (No. 16) is construction (or purchase) of twelve laundries in the United States at an estimated total cost of $100,000 and three in the Philippines at an estimated total cost of $25,000. There are some private laundries being operated at posts under revocable licenses, and in some cases it may be desirable to secure them. They are in good shape and could be acquired at an advantage. The cost of new laundries varies from $3,500 to $5,000, and a building costs about $5,000, which is also paid from this appropriation. No particular make of laundry has been adopted.

Mr. SLAYDEN. Are these laundries that you speak of to be at posts? General ALESHIRE. Yes, sir.

Mr. DAWES. Are they operated by steam?

General ALESHIRE. They would be so operated. The Quartermaster's Department operates two laundries now, one at Fort Leavenworth, at the military prison, and one at the branch prison at Alcatraz Island, California.

Mr. SLAYDEN. Do they do the washing for the Army gratuitously? General ALESHIRE. No; not for the officers.

Mr. SLAYDEN. But they do for the men?

General ALESHIRE. Yes, sir; for the prisoners. The quartermaster's department is not now operating laundries except at these prisons.

Mr. SLAYDEN. They now pay for their own laundry?

General ALESHIRE. Officers and enlisted men pay for their own laundry.

Mr. PRINCE. Do the officers now pay for the ice just as they do for other supplies?

General ALESHIRE. The officers pay for ice.

The CHAIRMAN. It is not part of the supplies?

General ALESHIRE. No, sir.

Mr. PRINCE. You say the officers purchase their own ice?

General ALESHIRE. They do.

Mr. SLAYDEN. How do you arrive at the selling price for ice? Do you estimate it at cost?

General ALESHIRE. Yes, sir; it is sold at cost.

Mr. ANTHONY. Do the enlisted men pay for the laundry work as the system is now operated?

General ALESHIRE. Yes, sir. We have only two laundries that we are operating.

Mr. ANTHONY. One is at Leavenworth. It does work for the officers and enlisted men?

General ALESHIRE. That is a private laundry operated under a revocable license.

Mr. ANTHONY. That is operated by the Government?

General ALESHIRE. No; it is a private concern.

Mr. ANTHONY. I understand there is a small charge made. Do you know whether they do work for civilians?

General ALESHIRE. I do not.

Mr. ANTHONY. I have received complaint from some laundries that work was being done there for civilians. They thought it was unfair for the Government to compete with them.

General ALESHIRE. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Being a purely Government laundry I think they are authorized to do work for the Medical Corps.

General ALESHIRE. under the terms of the act laundries operated by the Quartermaster's Department may do work for other branches of the Government.

The CHAIRMAN. The argument was that they could do it for the hospitals.

Mr. SLAYDEN. I can see why a laundry would have to do work for prisoners or else make them do it themselves.

Mr. ANTHONY. Is this laundry at Fort Leavenworth operated in the prison.

General ALESHIRE. The laundry is operated at the prison.

Mr. SLAYDEN. Inside the walls?

General ALESHIRE. Yes, sir. It is inside the prison grounds. This other laundry at Fort Leavenworth is at the post, and I believe it is operated under the supervision of an officer.

Mr. ANTHONY. How is it financed?

General ALESHIRE. General Bell can answer that. He is acquainted with all the facts. I believe he loaned the money for its establishment.

Mr. ANTHONY. Can you ask your secretary to furnish me informa- · tion as to whether work is done there by civilians?

General ALESHIRE. We will endeavor to answer that. The Quartermaster-General's office has no definite information as to the operation of this laundry.

The next items (Nos. 17 and 18) are for operation and maintenance of laundries. There are private laundries at Fort McKinley, Fort Perry, Madison Barracks, Fort William H. H. Harrison, Fort Leavenworth, Vancouver Barracks, and Jefferson Barracks, but the United States bears no part of the expense of operating these, the prison laundries at Fort Leavenworth, Kans., and Alacatraz Island, Cal., using prison labor.

No laundries have been constructed or equipped under the appropriation of 1908, because of the lack of funds. The estimate for maintenance and operation of laundries is $100,000. This amount will be required if you appropriate money for the construction of laundries. If the money for the construction of laundries asked for under former item is not appropriated, then we will only want about $7,500 for the operation of prison laundries.

The CHAIRMAN. We will hear you further to-morrow morning at

10.30.

(Thereupon at 11.50 o'clock the committee adjourned until Friday January 24, at 10.30 o'clock a. m.)

JANUARY 24, 1908.

STATEMENT OF BRIG. GEN. JAMES B. ALESHIRE-(Continued).

The CHAIRMAN. We are still on the first item. You can now conclude your analysis of the appropriation.

General ALESHIRE. The next items (Nos. 19 to 22, inclusive) are for the necessary furniture, text-books, paper, and equipment for the post schools and libraries, $51,000. That is for the enlisted men. Of that amount $37,000 is for the United States and $14,000 is for the Philippines. This is based on last year's estimate increased about one-third on account of the greater cost of supplies and the increased use of schools and libraries.

The amount for the Philippines is about one-third that for the United States. The reason of that is, the post schools and libraries are in process of establishment and there is no furniture for that purpose. The increase for the United States is due to the increase of the coast artillery schools and in the number of post schools. There was a depletion last year on account of the reduced appropriation. In the estimate for the United States there is $6,000 and for the Philippines $1,000 for newspapers, periodicals, etc.

The next item (No. 23) is for tableware and mess furniture for kitchen and mess halls, each and all for the enlisted men, including recruits. The total of that is $27,832.71. In making this estimate we allow 6 cents per man per quarter for breakage, and considering the enlisted strength of the Army at 74,733 men, it gives $17,935.92. This has been increased by 5 per cent to cover the increase of prices, making the total of $18,832.71. To this has been added $9,000 required to provide tableware for the additional 6,000 men for the Coast and Field Artillery.

The next item (No. 24) is mess furniture for kitchens and mess halls. The total of that is $28,682. Of that amount $24,406 is for the United States and $4,276 for the Philippines. That is based on the allowance of kitchen utensils for 74,733 enlisted men for one year, as per General Order 81 of the year 1906 and on the prices as publisted for 1907. It is estimated that these articles will last five years, and that one-fifth of them should be replaced each year. On that basis we have an estimate of $20,364, increased by 5 per cent to cover increases in cost, making $21,382. One-fifth of that is to go to the Philippines. Here, as in the case of tableware, I have added the amount of $7,300 to cover cost of new outfits for the increase of the Coast Artillery.

Mr. PRINCE. At what did you state the strength of the Army?

General ALESHIRE. The total enlisted strength including the 3,500 Hospital Corps men is about 79,000 men. That includes also the Porto Rico provisional regiment and approximately 5,000 Philippine Scouts.

Mr. PRINCE. The report of the Secretary of War puts the number of enlisted men at 69,861, and yet you give it as 74,000 men. How do you make that up?

General ALESHIRE. I am taking my data from the report of the Adjutant-General, dated September 20. This includes the Porto Rican regiments and the Philippine Scouts.

Mr. PRINCE. Will you please put that in the record so there will be no dispute as to how that estimate is made?

General ALESHIRE. I will take pleasure in doing so. I think the Secretary does not include the Porto Rican regiments nor the Philippine Scouts. I was confused by that. I think the Secretary does not include the Philippine Scouts nor the Hospital Corps.

a Assistant surgeons have the rank of first lieutenant for the first five years of service and the rank of captain after five years of service.

Under the act of Congress approved March 1, 1887 (24 Stat. L., 435), the enlisted men of the Medical Department (Hospital Corps) are not to be counted as part of the strength of the Army. The authorized strength of the Hospital Corps is 3,500 enlisted men.

Mr. PRINCE. In the appropriation we would have to make provision for these, which makes about 75,653 men.

General ALESHIRE. Yes, sir; including the Philippine Scouts; and including the Hospital Corps and officers 83,296.

The next item (No. 25) is forage for horses, mules, and oxen of the Quartermaster Department, etc. The estimate for forage for the United States is $2,373,000 and for the Philippines $1,152,305, a total of $3,525,305.

Mr. PRINCE. On page 5 of the report of the Secretary of War it is stated that the enlisted strength of the Army on October 15, 1907, including the Porto Rican provisional regiment and the Philippine Scouts, is 75,643. That is the number of men for which we have to make provision in this bill?