JX 1706 COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. [Committee room, gallery floor, west corridor. Telephone 230. Meets on call.] DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR APPROPRIATION BILL. COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS, Thursday, December 17, 1914. The committee met at 10.30 o'clock a. m., Hon. Henry D. Flood (chairman) presiding. STATEMENTS OF HON. WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN, SECRETARY OF STATE, AND MR. WILBUR J. CARR, DIRECTOR OF THE CONSULAR SERVICE. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Carr, the committee wants to ask you some questions in reference to the increases proposed in the estimates. The first one is on page 9, with reference to contingent expenses, foreign missions. Please explain the necessity for that increase. Mr. CARR. The reason for that increase is explained in the Secretary's letter to the Secretary of the Treasury, and the explanation is that the raising of the diplomatic missions in Argentina and Chile to embassies will cause an increased expense in those offices. There will be more work done by reason of the fact there is an additional secretary in each place and the expense for rent and other incidental expenses which would be caused by the raising of the grade of the offices will probably be greater; and then, also, an independent mission was established in Paraguay by the last session of Congress and that will cause additional expense, and the present allowance to the embassy in Brazil is regarded as insufficient and it is thought it ought to be greater. The CHAIRMAN. What is this money allowed for? Mr. CARR. Ordinary running expenses, telegraphing, stationery, rent, heat, light, messenger service, etc. The CHAIRMAN. Does it embrace rent for the home of the minister or ambassador? Mr. CARR. No; only the office. Mr. HARRISON. It is not apportioned by law, so much to each place, but under a ruling of the department you apportion so much to Argentina and so much to Brazil and the other countries? Mr. CARR. The apportionment is based by the department upon the conditions as it sees them and the needs at the particular place. Mr. HARRISON. In other words, if Argentina wanted more than Brazil you have it in your power under this general appropriation to allow that? Mr. CARR. Yes; and it should be so, because you never can tell when conditions are going to change which are going to increase your outlay in a particular country. I might perhaps illustrate that thought now by referring to conditions that exist in Europe and 3 compare them with what they were six months ago. We are paying expenses in Europe-it is true they are paid out of the war fundwhich are out of proportion to what they would have been six months ago simply because the cost of carrying on the work has increased. The cost of rent in some places has increased and the great increase of business has brought an increase of expense. These expenses will change back again probably to nearly the former amounts after the war is over. The CHAIRMAN. In some European embassies you allow $15,000 out of this fund, do you not? Mr. CARR. That is due to the fact that the residence of the ambassador and the office are combined, and the Government is paying there more than it ordinarily pays because of local conditions and because of the fact it does not own an embassy and it wants to assist the ambassador to maintain an establishment of appropriate character. The CHAIRMAN. Does $15,000, for instance, pay the rent for the embassy at Paris and all the contingent expenses also? Mr. CARR. Oh, yes. The CHAIRMAN. $15,000 a year will do that at Paris? Mr. CARR. Oh, yes. The CHAIRMAN. And you think $7,500 will not do that in the South American countries? Mr. CARR. I could not tell you precisely about that because I do not know the details of it. All I know is that the gentlemen who have this in charge estimate that this amount will be necessary in order to bring those two missions and the separate mission to Paraguay and the embassy in Brazil up to the standard that seems to be necessary. Mr. HARRISON. Was any balance left over in this appropriation last year, Mr. Carr? Mr. CARR. There was a small balance of a little more than $5,000, which would naturally result from unused allotments in different places which we could not gather together at the end of the year and use. There is always a small balance, as a rule, left in these appropriations. But you will recall that the embassies in Argentina and Chile and the separate missions to Paraguay were not established until some time after the beginning of the fiscal year. The CHAIRMAN. I suggest if any members of the committee want to ask the Secretary any questions about these items that they take them up with him now, so as not to unnecessarily detain him. Secretary BRYAN. You are dealing now simply with the Consular and Diplomatic Service and not the executive department? The CHAIRMAN. Yes; they propose an increase, Mr. Secretary, of $35,000 over what we appropriated last year for the international boundary commissions between the United States and Mexico. Secretary BRYAN. What are called the "Boundary Commission" and also the "Waterways Commission." We expect, as soon as we get a president down there to deal with, to take up the boundary question. It has been suspended by the war because there has been no one to deal with, and just as soon as peace comes we will want to take up the matter of the boundary. There is quite a quantity of land in the neighborhood of El Paso covered by what is called the "Chamizal case.' We have not appointed the American representative yet, but we are hoping every day to reach a position where we can, and the water matter is a very essential thing. We have a secretary there who acts as commissioner. I think the comptroller cut out the appropriation for the commissioner, but the secretary can draw his salary as secretary and act as commissioner, and it is very necessary work. Mr. LEVY. The question is whether he can do anything at the present time and whether we can not save the appropriation for this year. Secretary BRYAN. I would like for you to get a statement from Mr. Gaines of the details of that. The CHAIRMAN. We will have Mr. Gaines before us. Secretary BRYAN. I think he could give you more of the details of that than I can. We want to get to work as soon as peace is restored there and we have to look ahead a little bit. We can not have another appropriation after peace is restored, so I think we will have to put in enough to cover that situation. The CHAIRMAN. That commission has before it the question of the distribution of the water of the Rio Grande River, and as I understand it there has been no appropriation available to pay the employees of that commission since the 1st of July. My recollection is the last appropriation bill provided they should be paid up to the 30th of June, and since that time there has been no appropriation to pay them anything. Secretary BRYAN. I would not want to answer that without first consulting Mr. Gaines and getting the figures. Mr. CLINE. Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask the Secretary whether his office has investigated this question with a view to establishing reservoirs to store the water in the Upper Rio Grande River sufficiently to make any recommendation? Secreatry BRYAN. I think not. The CHAIRMAN. There have been dams built for the purpose of storing this water, and the question this commission decides is how much we are entitled to and how much Mexico is entitled to. Secretary BRYAN. I think there has been nothing new done in that matter with reference to the Elephant Butte Dam. That was under the previous administration, but I do not know of any new sites that have been surveyed or selected. The CHAIRMAN. They claim that we take too much of this water. However, we are going to have Mr. Gaines before the committee in a few days. Secretary BRYAN. He is acquainted with the details just as Mr. Carr is acquainted with the details with reference to the consular and diplomatic service. The CHAIRMAN. Do you care to say anything about this additional appropriation of $25,000 asked by the international joint commission, the Tawney commission? Secretary BRYAN. No; I am sorry to say I am not prepared to speak with reference to that. The only item that I have had occasion to examine into is that which covers the appointment of the attorney. Mr. Wyvell is designated as attorney there, and I would like to have you get the opinion of some of the members of the commission as to the necessity for him. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Tawney testified a year ago about the great disadvantage the commission was laboring under by reason of the |