The competitiveness of the woodworking industry is of such a nature that we are able to retain customers on service and deadline commitments first and quality second. Many consumers in this industry are usually very hesitant to gamble on the service factor, and as a result, during normal business conditions, all things being equal, it is extremely difficult to gain or lose customers as they are quite hesitant to gamble on unknown service due to heavy, late penalty causes they must contend with. Unfortunately during this disaster period, our competition, doing business on a higher ground basis, was able to service these customers satisfactorily where we were not. Realizing, of course, that this is just one of the risks of competition, we are not asking to be subsidized, but rather, that necessary steps be taken to prevent this area of St. Paul from becoming another disaster area in the annals of the old Mississippi. We experience considerable seepage each spring which our battery of pumps can contend with, but unfortunately, it would be impossible to employ enough pumps to keep this entire area dry. The U.S. Government then, is our only salvation or solution to this problem of major flood-control Construction, and we sincerely hope that this letter will express our tremendous cern over the problem to this area, the many industries established in this area and, in particular, our own plantsite and some 150-odd taxpaying employees. EARL A. ROCKENBACH, General Manager. KHIBIT III. LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS: ST. PAUL-SOUTH ST. PAUL FLOOD-CONTROL PROJECT April 16, 1951: Flood with peak stage at 18.79 feet; Mississippi River above bed stage for 15 days. April 16, 1952: Flood with peak stage of 22.02 feet; Mississippi River above pod stage for 23 days. May 5, 1952: South St. Paul City Council resolution: Requested that Conjess take immediate steps to provide flood control and protective measures to event recurrence of damage and loss of 1951 and 1952; and further, that a by of the resolution be forwarded to the Minnesota delegation. May 6, 1952: St. Paul City Council resolution: Requesting Minnesota deletion to investigate recent floods in Minnesota and to determine whether such ods can be prevented and, further, to determine whether it is necessary for Federal Government to maintain pools above the various dams on the Misippi River. May 9, 1952: St. Paul City Council resolution: Requesting survey for flood trol at and in the vicinity of St. Paul, Minn., be undertaken by the Departnt of the Army, Corps of Engineers, at the earliest practicable date. May 22, 1952: Authorization for mayor, city engineer, and corporation counsel attend flood control hearing held before U.S. Senate Appropriation Subcomttee on Civil Functions. June 25, 1952: St. Paul City Council resolution: Showing preliminary cost imate of damage caused to public property in St. Paul by reason of the sissippi River flood in the aggregate amount of $310,050. July 25, 1952: St. Paul City Council resolution: Urging Congress to provide deral funds for a long-range program directed toward permanent measures to erent future floods along the Mississippi River. July 31, 1952: St. Paul City Council resolution: Request to Governor of Minnefor State funds to be made available immediately to prevent flood damage in #future. Angust 11, 1952: The Chief of Engineers, Corps of Engineers, authorized the estigation of the flood and related problems on the Mississippi River at and the vicinity of St. Paul and South St. Paul, Minn. August 14, 1952: St. Paul City Council resolution: Request to Corps of gineers for increase in $10,000 allocation to an amount sufficient to make such isite engineering surveys, etc., consistent with Federal laws, rules, and mulations. October 8, 1952: St. Paul city engineer statement and Corps of Engineers public aring in St. Paul: Statement on flood control needs-13 pages prepared by city gineer and entered as testimony at public hearing held by Corps of Engineers this date in St. Paul, Minn. October 9, 1952: Corps of Engineers public hearing in South St. Paul: Testiny presented at public hearing held by Corps of Engineers at South St. Paul. Between 1952 and 1956: Appropriations by Chief of Engineers, Army Corps of Engineers, for preauthorization studies in the amounts of $40,000 for St. Paul; $37,000 for South St. Paul. December 9, 1955: St. Paul City Council resolution: Setting forth willingness to cooperate with Federal Government in the construction, operation, and maintenance of proposed flood control project including contribution of necessary funds. February 6, 1956: South St. Paul City Council resolution: Approval of the flood control project proposed by the Corps of Engineers and declaration of intention on the part of South St. Paul to cooperate, including contribution of necessary funds. May 23, 1956: Recommendation of Corps of Engineers, district engineer: Reeommendation by district engineer, St. Paul district, Corps of Engineers, that the United States undertake the construction, subject to the usual conditions for local cooperation, to the extent of construction of levees, floodwalls, pumping plants, and related interior drainage works on the west side at St. Paul; and the extension, raising, and strengthening of existing levees and construction of supplemental pumping plants and related interior drainage works at South St. Paul, at an estimated cost to the U.S. Government of $3,137,800 at St. Paul and $2,567,700 at South St. Paul. July 18, 1956: Report of Corps of Engineers, division engineer to Chief of Engineers, Department of the Army: Brig. Gen. F. D. Berrigan, division engineer, Chicago, Corps of Engineers, concurred in the recommendations of the district engineer and forwarded the report to the Chief of Engineers, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C. January 28, 1957: Report of Board of Engineers, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, to Chief of Engineers, Department of Army: The Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors of the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, concurs with recommendation of district and division engineers and submitted an interim report to the Chief of Engineers. In paragraph 7 of its report, the Board stated: "The Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors concurs with the views and recommendations of the reporting officers. The Board believes the proposed plan will provide needed protection for important commercial and industrial areas at St. Paul and South St. Paul and will provide benefits commensurate with the costs." 1957 session of Minnesota State Legislature: Minnesota laws of 1957, chapter 685: Authorizing St. Paul to issue $700,000 in bonds for purpose of flood control to be used in conjunction with funds allocated by Congress for said purpose. May 16, 1957: Report of the Chief of Engineers to Secretary of the Army: Chief of Engineers, Department of the Army, submitted to the Secretary of the Army, for transmission to Congress, the interim report of the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors considering the flood program at St. Paul and South St. Paul. In his letter, Maj. Gen. E. C. Itschner, Chief of Engineers, states: "After due consideration of these reports, I concur in the views and recom mendations of the Board." July 17, 1957: Transmission of report from Secretary of Army to Speaker of House of Representatives and identified as House Document No. 223, 85th Congress, 1st session: Hon. W. M. Brucker, Secretary of Army, transmitted to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the "favorable report dated May 16, 1957, from Chief of Engineers, Department of the Army, together with accom panying papers and illustrations, on an interim report on the Mississippi River at St. Paul and South St. Paul, Minn., requested by resolutions of the Commit tee on Flood Control, House of Representatives, adopted September 18, 1944.* House Document No. 223, 85th Congress, 1st session. August 8, 1957: House Document No. 223, 85th Congress, 1st session, referred to the Committee on Public Works. July 3, 1958: Rivers and Harbors Act of 1958-Public Law 85-500: The proj ects for flood protection on the Mississippi River at St. Paul and South St. Paul, Minn., are hereby authorized substantially in accordance with the recommendations of the Chief of Engineers in House Document No. 223, 85th Congress, at an estimated cost of $5,705,500. September 2, 1958: Public Law 85-863: Appropriation by Congress of the sum of $200,000 for planning studies for flood control of the Mississippi River at St. Paul and South St. Paul. September 10, 1959: Public Law 86-254: Further appropriation by Congress of the sum of $159,000 for planning studies and preparation of bids for flood control of the Mississippi River at St. Paul and South St. Paul, Minn. October 30, 1959: Upper Mississippi Waterway Association-resolution: The association, in executive session, unanimously approved this project and did urge the Congress of the United States to appropriate funds in this fiscal year to start construction of this project. December 30, 1959: South St. Paul City Council resolution: Reaffirming the city's position of cooperation in the flood control project and requesting that Congress appropriate necessary funds for the project. January 12, 1960: St. Paul City Council resolution: Urging Congress to provide for construction and completion of the St. Paul-South St. Paul floodwall project in the 1961 public works appropriation bill. February 9, 1960: Resolution by Mississippi Valley Association: Resolution arging Congress to appropriate the sum of $500,000 to start construction in fiscal year 1961. March 21, 1960: National Rivers and Harbors Congress-certificate: This organization classified this project as a division I (endorsed) and is recommending its adoption for construction in the present fiscal year. EXHIBIT IV Detail of estimated cost (1959 estimates, U.S. Engineers) CERTIFICATE OF PROJECT EXAMINATION AND CLASSIFICATION To the Congress of the United States, and to all appropriate Federal and State Agencies: The Projects Committee of the National Rivers and Harbors Congress, after due examination and consideration of data and testimony presented to it by the proponents of the presently proposed project for flood control project on the Mississippi River at St. Paul and South St. Paul, in the State of Minnesota, have determined that it is qualified to be placed in class I as hereinbelow defined. Be it known therefore that the project above named, bearing docket No. 1143, is entitled to and does have the commendation and support of this organization appropriate to its stated classification. Signed and sealed in Washington in the District of Columbia on this 21st day of March 1960, by authority of the convention action of May 18, 1957. NATIONAL RIVERS AND HARBORS CONGRESS, By WILLIAM H. WEBB, Executive Vice President. CLASSIFICATION DEFINED Division I-Endorsed: This means that it is the judgment of the committee that the project is sound, needful, and sufficiently advanced in status; and that its construction is justified by the public interest it will serve. MISSISSIPPI VALLEY ASSOCIATION, St. Louis, Mo., February 9, 1960. This is to certify that at the 41st annual meeting of the Mississippi Valley Association held in St. Louis, Mo., February 7 to 9, 1960, the following resolution was duly adopted: "St. Paul and South St. Paul flood protection: The St. Paul-South St. Paul flood protection project was authorized by Congress in 1958. Planning funds were appropriated in the last 2 years. Funds are now needed to initiate construction in fiscal 1961. However, they were not included in the budget now be fore Congress. "In the last 10 years, three floods have ravaged the inhabitants and industries of this area, causing over $11 million in direct flood damages and untold hardship. After deducting local participation in the amount of $950,000, the total amount needed to complete construction is $5,692,000. "Inasmuch as the Corps of Engineers has stated that it could use $500,000 to start construction this year we strongly urge Congress to appropriate such funds." This statement was considered first by the association's water resources committee, screened again by the resolutions committee, and finally adopted as above by the association's membership in accordance with the bylaws. JAMES R. SMITH, Vice President. CERTIFICATE DECEMBER 28, 1959. I, John W. Lambert, executive vice president of the Upper Mississippi Waterway Association of the city of Minneapolis, Minn., do hereby certify that the attached copy of a resolution is a true and exact copy of a resolution passed and approved by the members of the Upper Mississippi Waterway Association at the annual meeting held on the 30th day of October 1959. JOHN W. LAMBERT, Executive Vice President, Upper Mississippi Waterway Association. Mr. ANDERSEN. Regarding the area in St. Paul and around the Union Stockyards, would you please tell the committee what the local people have done and hope to do in an effort to help solve this problem? Mayor DILLON. Sir, in 1957 we had a legislative act passed by the State of Minnesota which gave us bond authorization of $750,000. That is the bond authorization. In addition to that, we have each year saved a certain sum of money which now is a couple hundred thousand dollars to add to that $750,000 to put in there under local contribution. In addition to that, we are prepared with our highway program, with our sewer program, with our school program, to come into this area once it is protected with a floodwall. Mr. ANDERSEN. Is it not a fact you are in the process of constructing a highway because of this condition which will cost your area or the State of Minnesota $2.5 million? Mayor DILLON. Yes, sir. Mr. ANDERSEN. Mr. Chairman, I am pointing this out to show here is a project where the local people want it badly enough to put up some of their own money. We have seen too many projects where there is very little interest in the locality to the extent they think it is good enough to share in the cost themselves. I am personally proud of what my State and South St. Paul and St. Paul are doing toward trying to cure this problem. I am pointing that out to the members of the subcommittee for their consideration. Mr. O'HARA. That concludes our witnesses, Mr. Chairman. May I thank you on behalf of myself and the witnesses and say to you that as the last request I hope the committee may give this favorable consideration. Mr. CANNON. Mr. O'Hara, did I understand your witness to testify that this was the second largest livestock market in the United States? Mr. O'HARA. If not in the world. I think it includes the world, Mr. Chairman. Mr. CANNON. This is a very impressive fact in this connection. I am at a loss to understand why it was not included in the budget, but I think that has been very clearly explained by Congressman Andersen, and very convincingly explained. Also I am glad to hear Congressman Andersen testify that the local community is cooperating. I take for granted that the local community and local sponsors will further cooperate by providing all rights-of-way, arranging all local ordinances, to expedite the work. Mr. ANDERSEN. That is provided in the agreement, Mr. Chairman, with the Army engineers. May I thank the subcommittee and yourself for the courtesy you have extended to these gentlemen from Minnesota? Mr. CANNON. Thank you, gentlemen. (The following was submitted later :) STATEMENT OF JAMES R. SMITH, VICE PRESIDENT, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY ASSOCIATION As has been the case for the past 2 years, the purpose of this statement is to emphasize certain projects in the Mississippi Valley Association's platform which we believe should be specifically called to the attention of this committee. Other projects throughout the Mississippi Valley as endorsed at the 41st annual meeting of the association will be or have been covered in other association testimony. This includes a number of additional projects in the Missouri Basin. In the Missouri Basin, we should like to call the following specific projects to the committee's attention and urge that favorable consideration as outlined hereinafter be given to these projects: Gering Valley, Nebr. FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS The attention of the committee is called to the fact that one of the most important small projects in the Missouri Basin is the Gering Valley flood control project in western Nebraska. Construction money of $530,000 was included in the President's budget. We urge the committee to approve at least the budget recommendation so that construction of this vitally needed project may be started immediately. This valley has had more annual floods than perhaps any small area in the United States. If flood protection is not provided, the very way of life of the residents of that valley is threatened. It should also be pointed out that the residents of the area have spent and are ready to continue to spend an extraordinarily high amount of local participation funds to do their share in completing the essential flood control structures in the Gering and Mitchell Valleys. Floyd River As this statement is being written, the Floyd River at Sioux City, Iowa, is cresting with floods exceeded only by the record flood of 1953 which cost 14 lives and many millions in property damage. Nothing should stand in the way |