Mr. CLEMMER. Yes. Mr. BATES. Let us take a population of say, 42 million people in my State. We have 2,500 people in the State institutions. So the relation, I think, is probably incidental, small, but you have a high incidence of crime here and that is the controlling factor to your penal costs? Mr. CLEMMER. Yes. Senator CAIN. To what do you credit the high incidence of crime in the United States, in about 20 words, without laboring the point? Mr. BATES. There has been a diminution of 32 percent in 4 years. There is a considerable improvement here. That is 1945 over 1941. Mr. CLEMMER. Do you insist on that? Senator CAIN. No. Mr. CLEMMER. It is very complicated. Part of it is the shifting population. Mr. BATES. I suppose a lot of them are floaters. Mr. CLEMMER. A considerable portion are, especially of our misdemeanor type, the men who are arrested for drunkenness. Our workhouse, where we have 600 men, about 400 of them are there on short terms for overintoxication. Mr. BATES. Which leads to other things, of course, does it not? Mr. CLEMMER. Which frequently does, of course, all sorts of things. I can comment a good deal more at length if you wish. I have given you the substantial facts. Some of the principles that Mr. Huff mentioned yesterday; I do not need to repeat them. For example, in the 40-hour week, where it took two or three men to man a post, it now takes four or five. You understand that. Senator CAIN. Yes. Mr. BATES. You are going to give the cost of your institutions in 1937 and 1947, are you not? Mr. CLEMMER. Our total cost in 1937 was $1,300,000. Mr. BATES. And $2,200,000? Mr. CLEMMER. Yes: $2,200,000 in 1947. The personnel is up almost 100 percent. Mr. BATES. Now I think we would like to have you elaborate on why the per capita cost has gone from 89 cents to $2.40 per day. That is more than it cost to take care of our people in our welfare department. I think the evidence here yesterday was that windows and dependent children get about the same sum of money a week. Mr. CLEMMER. The cost of that is the cost of watching them, the cost of custody. That is where the big bulk of it is. As I said, the increase in this department is due to three primary things-an increase in personnel, an increase in the pay of the personnel, and an expanded plant. For example, at the jail here in 1935 and 1936 they were putting eight and nine men in a cell, like sardines. It was a most unhealthy situation. Mr. BATES. Eight or nine in one cell? Mr. CLEMMER. In a large cell. Mr. BATES. How large a cell? Mr. CLEMMER. Probably 8 by 7. Mr. BATES. Nothing large about that cell for eight men. Mr. CLEMMER. I know it. It was a very deplorable situation. The Commissioners and the Congress finally added space to the jail by adding about 400 percent of floor space. Now we have, as we should have, one man to a cell, or we have small dormitories for the noncriminalistic men. When you add 400 percent increase in floor space it costs money to watch it. Of course, you know the story of the increase in food. I could give you some rather amazing figures on that in a moment. Mr. BATES. Your food cost has increased 150 percent? Mr. CLEMMER. Coffee is up 40 percent, lima beans up 300 percent since 1937, lard is up 226 percent since 1937, rolled oats 90 percent, sirup 297 percent. That is the plain, sad story. Mr. BATES. How about butter? Mr. CLEMMER. We do not use it. Mr. BATES. I am just inquiring whether butter has increased 200 percent, the same as sirup has increased; it might be cheaper to feed them butter. Mr. CLEMMER. When alcoholics are coming off a drunk they need quite a bit of sirup. A good deal of the sirup is used in our workhouse. We feel it is a cheap sort of medicine. Senator CAIN. Do you think your physical plant is adequate for the foreseeable future? Mr. CLEMMER. We are much better set in a physical plant way than many other departments in the District. Mr. BATES. Having in mind the incidence of crime drop of 32 percent from 1941 to 1945, can you give us the populations at these institutions? Mr. CLEMMER. At the jail today we have 700. Mr. BATES. I mean the comparison. Mr. CLEMMER. That is where the paradox comes in. Mr. BATES. The drop in the incidence of crime, practically one-third below that of 1941. Mr. CLEMMER. We have a total population at this time of 2.400. In 1937 we had 3,300. That, of course, as I say, is a paradox. Most of that population in 1937 was a higher proportion of misdemeanor alcoholics. The status of the more serious offenders has not proportionately changed. Mr. BATES. So as of a given date you had 2,400? Mr. CLEMMER. Yes; at this time. Mr. BATES. Against 3,300. Mr. CLEMMER. In 1937. Mr. BATES. So there is the reflection, at least, in the number of inmates, and it checks somewhat with the diminution in crime in the District. Mr. CLEMMER. Yes, sir. Senator McGRATH. Does the District of Columbia have a central purchasing agency? Mr. CLEMMER. Yes; it does. We, through channels, do all of our purchasing through that, everything. Senator CAIN. How long has that been in operation? Mr. CLEMMER. I cannot answer; for many, many years. Senator CAIN. You have had a central purchasing office for the last decade, say? Mr. MASON. Yes; for many years. That will be testified to at Tuesday's hearing. Mr. BATES. The situation from your viewpoint, from the standpoint of the inmates in correctional institutions, is more hopeful today than it was 10 years ago? Mr. CLEMMER. I think it is, Mr. Bates. We are doing everything conceivable, every sensible thing, to help these men who are reclaimable. Mr. BATES. I am speaking now of population. The institutional population has dropped practically a third? Mr. CLEMMER. Yes. Mr. BATES. During that period of time the population, we are told, has almost doubled. That is a striking point, I think. Mr. CLEMMER. The paradox is, according to the FBI, that the crime rate is up some 13 percent over last year, the country over. Furthermore, the metropolitan police say that the incidence of serious crime in the District is up tremendously. I think it is 55 percent. Those things being so, it is still not showing up in our population. To me it is a paradox I do not understand. Senator MCGRATH. What occupations do you engage the men in, and what income does the District get from their work? Mr. CLEMMER. We have, Senator, a division called the Industries Division. We have 11 different industries there, and this was set up in 1938, not for the purpose of making profit, but to keep men usefully employed and to train them all we can, incidental to keeping men active and not boondoggling the way prisoners did back in 1938 and 1939. We have been able to turn back to the District government around $40,000 a year-close to $500,000 in the last 10 years-of profit from these industries. The story behind prison industries is long and complicated. It is conceivable that if we pushed one certain industry we could make enough profit almost to maintain our cost, except then we would start competing with private manufacture and so on. So we have 11 rather small industries, none of them doing more than $12,000 business a month. We manufacture brick, we have a commercial laundry, we have a machine shop and a foundry and a clothing factory, and a print shop and a broom ship, and so forth. Mr. BATES. What do you make in the foundry? Mr. CLEMMER. We make a variety of articles for the District's use, hydrants, electric light posts, sewer tops, and various and sundry articles. Senator CAIN. That not only returns some money, but it does more than anything else to put some of these men back on their feet. Mr. BATES. Does the District credit you, for instance, when you build them a fire hydrant or a sewer top? Mr. CLEMMER. Yes, they pay us. Mr. BATES. On the prevailing rate? Mr. CLEMMER. The rate is fixed by the Commissioners, with the advice of the purchasing officers, which is almost the prevailing rate; yes. Senator CAIN. What dollar increase have you asked in your 1947 appropriation request? Mr. CLEMMER. We have asked for no increase other than two jobs. which the Commissioners have approved, one to man a switchboard, and another for a medical technician. 232 BUDGET Dn~ by sh nc SJ 234 BUDGET REQUIREMENTS OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Sonator CAIN. The dollars requested are prisoners can be used on to produce food? the same, then, for 1947, Mr. BATES. Have you given any consideration to a farm that the Mr. CLEMMER. Yes; that is cultivated land Mr. CLEMMER. That is in connection with the workhouse. The do very heavy farm work. a lot of good. Mr. BATES. We read a good deal in the papers-and I am not saying growing throughout the country. Have you given any thought as to the benefits that can develop from an organization of that kind? Mr. CLEMMER. Yes; not only that, but our members of that group come down to the workhouse, 30 miles away, every Saturday afternoon. We invite the drunks to come in. One of our officers sits in the back of the room and these four or five Alcoholic Anonymous members come up and preach their story to the men. We think it is helping some. Mr. BATES. I think it is quite a proven fact that no matter how many times you commit a habitual drunk, no matter how well meaning he may be at least that has been my experience in life with these menthat you just do not make any impression on them. Some of them, of course, recover, but I am thoroughly in accord with the sentiments expressed that we have to treat that more on the basis of a disease than perhaps any violation of the criminal code. Mr. CLEMMER. Yes; I am, too. Of course, a few of our inmates are rather bright ones. They say, "If I am an alcoholic, I am therefore diseased; and if I am diseased, I need treatment and I do not have to work." Mr. BATES. I know there is that psychological factor. Mr. BATES. I am thoroughly in accord with that, too. Senator CAIN. I would say that is a rather happy thought with which to conclude our morning's session. With your permission, Mr. Bates, and that of the other gentlemen of the committee, I would suggest that we recess our hearings until Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock. If it is agreeable to continue our hearings at 10 o'clock Tuesday, I would suggest that the committee would like to hear as their first witness the official from the schools of the District. Mr. BATES. I had hoped that I would be here to hear the testimony on schools, because I think it is by far the department of the city which accounts for a significant portion of total expenditures. Senator CAIN. I would suggest that with the approval of the Commissioners we could very easily hear on Tuesday morning from the official of the library and begin with the engineering division. Mr. MASON. We can have the library, rent control, and purchasing office. Senator CAIN. I should think those three would just about take up Tuesday morning. Mr. MASON. And put the schools over? Senator CAIN. I would appreciate that, and Mr. Bates would. Mr. BATES. What we would like to do, Mr. Chairman, is to finish up these hearings so far as an examination of the financial structure of the District is concerned, as quickly as we can, and then get down to the witnesses. There may be some representatives of civic organizations that have some thoughts relative to the expenditures which they would like to bring before us. Senator CAIN. We will adjourn until 10 o'clock Tuesday morning. (Thereupon, at 11:45 a. m., an adjournment was taken to Tuesday, March 25, 1947, at 10 a. m.) (Statement later received for the record from the Department of Corrections.) 1938: Nine new employees allowed-1 parole officer, 2 clerks, 1 storekeeper, 1 electrician, 1 farm supervisor, 2 guards, and 1 cook for an expanded program and for population increase. An increase for supplies for increased population. 1939: Twenty-two new employees allowed-21 guards and 1 clerk, allowed for greater security. An amount allowed ($61,000) for support of District prisoners confined in Federal institutions. 1940: Thirty-five new employees allowed-32 guards, 1 engineer, 1 supervisor of the Sewage Division, 1 stenographer, and 1 parole officer. The additional employees to permit an expanded program and to give greater security. There was an increase in the amount for support of District prisoners in Federal institutions. 1941: Twenty-nine additional employees allowed-25 guards, 1 assistant chief guard, 1 superintendent, Women's Division, 1 chief steward, and 1 farm supervisor. A further increase in support of District prisoners in Federal institutions. Additional employees to give greater security. 1942: Six additional employees allowed-3 guards, 1 operating engineer. 1 mail clerk, and 1 nurse, for an expanded program. Additional funds allowed to cover increased cost resulting from Public Law 200, authorizing within-grade promotions. 1943: Fifteen additional employees allowed-9 guards, 2 clerks, 1 classification officer, 1 electrician, 1 principal operating engineer, 1 assistant clerk. Additional increase for supplies and materials for rise in costs. 1944: Twenty-two additional employees allowed-5 guards, 1 cook, 3 clerks, 1 captain of the watch, 1 baker, 1 assistant stewart, 8 senior officers, 1 nurse, 1 director of education. These additional employees permitted a reduction in work-hours at the jail, and for expanded operation. Additional costs incurred by reason of 40-hour workweek. 1945: Reduction of 50 employees by reason of inability to fill vacancies. 1946: Further reduction of 7 employees. Additional costs occasioned by 40-hour workweek and increase in cost of provisions. 99538-47- -16 |