Resolved, That the city clerk be, and he is hereby, directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Honorable William M. Whittington, chairman of the committee on public works, and to each Virginia Member of the Congress of the United States. Attest: M. K. MOORMAN, City Clerk. At a regular meeting of the board of supervisors of Charlotte County, held at the courthouse of said county, on Monday, the 21st day of March, 1949, the following resolution was adopted by the board: "Be it resolved by the Board of Supervisors of Charlotte County, That this board approves of the enactment by the Congress of H. R. 3250, introduced by Hon. Thomas B. Stanley, relating to the construction of the Smith Mountain Dam." The clerk is instructed to send a copy of this resolution to Hon. Thomas B. Stanley. A copy. Hon. HARRY F. BYRD, Senate Office, Washington, D. C. Hon. A. WILLIS ROBERTSON, Senate Office, Washington, D. C. Hon. THOMAS B. STANLEY, House Office, Washington, D. C. H. B. CHERMSIDE, Clerk. CHATHAM, VA., February 26, 1949. GENTLEMEN: We the undersigned citizens of Pittsylvania County, Va., petition your support for authorization and construction of the Smith Mountain Dam. Signed, Wesley W. Watson, Chatham, Va.; Jas. T. Dalton, Chatham, Va.; Hon. A. WILLIS ROBERTSON, United States Senator, Senate Chamber, Washington, D. C. PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Chatham, Va., March 21, 1949. DEAR SIR: We wish to bring to your attention the introduction of bill No. 3250 in the House of Representatives by Hon. Thomas B. Stanley, authorizing the construction of the Smith Mountain Dam and hydroelectric power project in the Roanoke River Basin. The Board of Supervisors of Pittsylvania County is very much interested in securing the early construction of this dam and hope that you will give this bill your favorable consideration at the proper time. Very truly yours, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, VA., By O. H. KELLEY, Chairman. Hon. HARRY F. BYRD, United States Senator, Senate Chamber, Washington, D. C. PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Chatham, Va., March 21, 1949. DEAR SIR: We wish to bring to your attention the introduction of bill No. 3250 in the House of Representatives by Hon. Thomas B. Stanley, authorizing the construction of the Smith Mountain Dam and hydroelectric power project in the Roanoke River Basin. The Board of Supervisors of Pittsylvania County is very much interested in securing the early construction of this dam and hope that you will give this bill your favorable consideration at the proper time. Very truly yours, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va., By O. H. KELLEY, Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. We have been delighted to have your statement, sir. Mr. STANLEY. Thank you, sir. The CHAIRMAN. We shall be pleased to hear Mr. Burton at this time. STATEMENT OF HON. CLARENCE G. BURTON, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF VIRGINIA Mr. BURTON. Mr. Chairman, I will not take the time of your committe to go further than to make a brief statement to make it known that I am in support of this project and to endorse the statements made by Mr. Sanley. The Smith Mountain Dam I believe to be the next project that should be undertaken in the Roanoke Basin program. All my life I have known of this site, looked upon it as a logical point for development and a natural resource of our State that has been considered for development for some time, first by private interest. Because of its flood control as well as power, it was then undertaken, or rather surveyed, by the Government; and I hope that this committee will support the program to be undertaken without delay. The CHAIRMAN. You understand that there is already authorized Buggs Island and Philpott Dam, and the estimated cost of those two lies in the neighborhood of $91,000,000 as against an estimated cost at the time they were authorized of around $36,000,000. Mr. BURTON. I see. The CHAIRMAN. We are glad to have your statement, and if you desire to file any further statement you have permission to do so. Mr. STANLEY. Mr. Chairman, may I have permission to file one other statement? This is by Mr. J. E. Smith, manager, Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative, serving Pittsylvania, Halifax, Mecklenburg, Charlotte, Lunenburg, Brunswick, Sussex, and Southampton Counties in Virginia, a statement made by him for the Senate committee with reference to shortage of power in connection with his request for funds for the Buggs Island and Philpott Dam. The CHAIRMAN. You have permission to file that with your statement. (The statement referred to is as follows:) POWER SHORTAGE IN VIRGINIA Mr. J. E. Smith, manager, Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative, serving Pittsylvania, Halifax, Mecklenburg, Charlote, Lunenburg, Brunswick, Sussex, and Southampton Counties in Virginia, recently testified before the Senate Committee on Appropriations that there is a shortage of electric power in the State. He said that his system could serve 3,000 additional rural consumers immediately if the power was available. He stated that farm demands for electricity are increasing at a rate beyond expectations. The cooperative has only one source of power, and the private company which supplies them has advised that no additional power can be furnished at Altavista or South Hill, two of the four points of delivery. He stated that several other cooperatives in the State are presently suffering for lack of power. Representatives of the Roanoke River Basin Association also recently gave testimony concerning the shortage of power in the Roanoke River Basin. It was stated that the shortage is seriously affecting the expansion of business in the States of Virginia and North Carolina and preventing the spread of rural electrification. Mr. McGREGOR. Mr. Stanley, did I understand you to say that the gentleman was a representative of a cooperative group that was filing the statement in favor of it? Mr. STANLEY. Yes, sir. He is the manager. The CHAIRMAN. Now there are some witnesses here-are there any other witnesses in behalf of this project? If not, the next witness, as I understand, is Mr. Moomaw. Come around, Mr. Moomaw. Mr. STANLEY. I would be very happy to have the privilege of presenting these gentlemen who are appearing in opposition to this. The CHAIRMAN. We would be very glad for you to present Mr. Moomaw, although we know him. Mr. STANLEY. They are friends of mine and I happen to know them quite well. You are the executive director of the Roanoke Chamber of Com merce. The CHAIRMAN. And you are the brother of Mr. Moomaw that lives down at Covington? Mr. MOOMAW. First cousin. The CHAIRMAN. You represent the Roanoke Chamber of Commerce? Mr. MOOMAW. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Are you in favor of this project? Mr. MOOMAW. No, sir; we are opposed to it. The CHAIRMAN. Have you a prepared statement? STATEMENT OF B. F. MOOMAW, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ROANOKE, VA., CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Mr. MOOMAW. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, my name is B. F. Moomaw, and I reside at 2301 Broadway SW., Roanoke, Va. I am executive director of the Chamber of Commerce of Roanoke, Va., Inc., and I have served as manager of the Roanoke chamber since July 1, 1923. I appear in opposition to the Smith Mountain Dam, a hydroelectric power project in the Roanoke River Basin, as proposed by H. R. 3250, introduced in the House of Representatives by the Honorable Thomas B. Stanley on March 4, 1949, and H. R. 3416, introduced in the House of Representatives by the Honorable Clarence G. Burton on March 10, 1949. The cost is estimated to be $22,000,000. The Chamber of Commerce of Roanoke, Va., since my connection with it for approximately 26 years, and I think even prior to that time, has consistently opposed the Federal Government entering the field of business in competition with private enterprise and particularly in the fields of the production and distribution of electric power and transportation. The Roanoke Chamber of Commerce is not opposed to Federal floodcontrol projects where there is need for such projects and if they could be feasible constructed so as to offer flood control over a long period of years, so as to be economically justifiable. We take the position, however, that dams for power purposes and dams for flood-control purposes are two separate propositions. We oppose the Smith Mountain Dam project for the following reasons: The Smith Mountain Dam project on Roanoke River, as proposed and planned, is more than 99 percent a power project, therefore less than 1 percent for flood control. There is no shortage of electric power in our general area of Virginia. The privately owned power utility-namely, the Appalachian Electric Power Co.-which serves very large areas in western Virginia, southern West Virginia, and portions of eastern Tennessee, has always increased its power facilities to take care of the needs of the rapid industrial development of these areas as well as the needs of citizens generally. In my work with the Roanoke Chamber of Commerce I have devoted a large portion of my time to industrial development in metropolitan Roanoke, and we now have in that area some 233 industrial establishments of all types, small to very large, of which number only 87 were in the area when I became associated with the Roanoke Chamber of Commerce. There has never been a question raised by any industrial establishment with which we negotiated as to a lack of power for their needs, nor have we ever lost an industry in our area because of insufficient power. In our industrial brief, which is used in our industrial-development work, we refer to electric power as follows: The electric power is furnished by the Appalachian Electric Power Co., a subsidiary of the American Gas & Electric Co., and is supplied by what is said to be the largest interconnected electric-power system in the country. Electric energy comes to Roanoke over several 132,000-volt circuits where it is transformed and distributed through a 33,000-volt distribution loop circuit which surrounds Roanoke and insures a dependable and adequate power supply at all tmies. The electric rates, which depend upon customers' load condition and monthly consumption, are reasonable and compare favorably with commercial and industrial rates in other communities. Since the Army engineers first suggested in 1944 11 so-called multiple-purpose dams in Roanoke River Basin, the Roanoke Chamber of Commerce has not received a single request from any source that we approve and support all or any of these proposed 11 projects. We think this is very significant. The City Council of Roanoke City recently passed a resolution approving the construction of the Smith Mountain Dam project; however, we submit, and there is strong sentiment in Roanoke favorable to our position, that the Roanoke City Council has no authority given it by the city charter or otherwise to speak for the business interests of Roanoke or the citizens of that city on matters of Federal legislation. The city council is elected to administer the local municipal government, where as we elect a Congressman and Senators to represent us in the Halls of Congress. The chamber of commerce is concerned with respect to the taxable income of both our municipality and our State government. The record, I think, will show that from every dollar taken in by the power company 21 cents goes as a direct tax to local, State, and Fed 92329-49- 12 eral Governments. The cities of Roanoke, Va., and Lynchburg, Va., have found it necessary to levy an additional tax of 5 percent on electric power bills which is paid by the consumer. There may be others. What we mean to say is that if these go into Federal control and this money will go into Federal control and will therefore place further tax burdens on the citizens. I assume that in the war emergency the Army engineers considered there might be a power shortage. However, no shortage developed in our area at any time during World War II. With the great interconnected system to which I have referred and with the enormously increased capacity now being added to the system serving our general area, we expect no shortage in our area should there be a future war. Since the Smith Mountain Dam has little or no flood-control value. and as there is no shortage now or prospect of shortage in the future of electric power in our general area, we submit that to flood out valuable farm lands in order to develop power, which is not needed, is uneconomic and not in the public interest. We therefore respectfully suggest that your committee do not approve this project. Mr. MOOMAW. Mr. Chairman, may I make a very brief oral statement with reference to a matter that Mr. Stanley suggested? The CHAIRMAN. You may proceed. Mr. MOOMAW. I have had some farming experience. Mr. Stanley has a beautiful farm. Some years ago I had some farming experience. I was the first president of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation when it was organized in our State. I served for 2 years as president of the Virginia State Horticultural Society and have had some little information with reference to farms and the problems that accrue to that industry or business. It has been by observation, Mr. Chairman, that the periodic floodsI don't mean annual flooding-the periodical flooding of lowlands, I mean river bottoms-has been the source of the great productivity of river bottom land. That is true of the Nile River, true of the Mississippi Delta, true of a great many of the bottom lands on the lower reaches of the James River in Virginia, and it is true of the lower bottom reaches on the lower basin of the Roanoke River. The periodic flooding of lowlands is the thing that makes your lowlands very productive. Mr. CHAIRMAN. I have high regard for your views and if they had been confined to the Roanoke, which may be in a class all by itself, I probably would not interrupt you, Mr. Moomaw, to ask this question and make this statement. You referred to the Nile, to the Roanoke, the periodic flooding of lands with the resulting deposit of silt which is not what it appears on its face. The trouble about flooding in the Mississippi Valley is that we have levees, say 30 feet high. If there is a crevass in one of those levees, it is not merely a deposit like those in the Nile where the people haul it up and dump it out in a kind of bucket arrangement for irrigation, but it is a matter of a swift current coming across those lands and washing them up so that instead of a deposit now where lands are protected by levees, there is a destruction of the lands and the washing away of the lands. There is not any deposit of land unless where you have a large current, unless that water hits an ob |