their plea for assistance and have shown their willingness to cooperate by their dramatie fight against the floodwaters. This levee, just north of the Sugar Creek levee, would be earthen with internal drainage-disposal facilities. As floods promise to be more frequent in cycle, the life of this city is threatened unless mmediate action is taken to insure its safety. No appropriation now exists in the civil works budget. The Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, have reported a capability of $100,000 and that amount is requested.

NIBLACK LEVEE

On the left (east) bank of the Wabash, in Knox County, Ind., is an agricultral levee district of 15,600 acres. An existing levee erected 50 years ago has been successively overtopped and breached, and a new one is planned. Last Tear, $52,000 was appropriated and expended for planning. The legal work for this district has been completed to the point where the superintendent of constraction has been appointed and active in the position. An aggressive committee of commissioners has been active, and its chairman, Mr. Steele Polk of Onktown, Ind., is here today. I know this area well and know its soil will produce beyond its present yield by many times if adequately protected. Cusomarily, a grain area, the county agent reports that it could support a truckfirming program if protected. Here is an example where an investment by the Federal Government would find more than adequate, perhaps multiple, return. Nace there is already an investment and the residents are anxious for assistance, and since the Corps of Engineers have reported a capability of $300,000 for struction, that amount is requested. None appears in the present budget.

LEVEE UNIT NO. 5

On the left (east) bank of the Wabash in Gibson and Posey Counties in InHana, a levee district has been formed and awaits its initial appropriation for Manning. This district is 43,000 acres and is just south of the confluence of the Wabash, White, and Patoka Rivers. It is subject to frequent flooding and a levee would stabilize income in a vast area of Gibson and Posey Counties and reate wealth in the precise area where farmers have been suffering. Immediately north of the area in Knox County, Ind., is a levee district of 50,000 acres, with perhaps not quite as good soil, but protected, and is valued higher. The land in the latter protected area is valued, without a levee, at $5 million; ind, with a levee, at $25 million, showing the levee's value by an expert's opinion to be $20 million. Corresponding value increases in the levee 5 area would be greater. So would be the crop yields and farmer income. The levee district for No. 5 has been organized, a judgment of the court ordering the district has been entered and the time has run out for appeal. A superintendent of nstruction has been appointed and entered upon his duties; his reports to the pervising court have begun. The time for requesting Federal aid has arrived and the people of Gibson and Posey Counties, Ind., after bringing assurances of ical cooperation to the point of condemning right-of-way and entering upon asessment, earnestly request assistance. There is nothing presently in the civil works budget, but the Corps of Engineers have shown a capability of $50,000 for survey and planning. That amount is requested.

Thank you.

Mr. EMISON. I would like to add one more thing, if I might.
Mr. CANNON. The gentleman will proceed.

Mr. EMISON. Remarks have been made about the resolution which causes some embarrassment among all of us from Indiana. I would like to point out for the record if I could, if it would help in considering that fact, that, in the same legislature, in 1947, they amended their levee law to set up a procedure whereby Federal funds could be sed to pay for the levees and that is a working law. That is the Iechanism that is to be used.

I would submit that while the legislature might have said one thing, that they were erecting a mechanism for something else. I Would like to add that for the record, if I may.

Mr. WAMPLER. Mr. Chairman, Mr. Kermit Flesher, from Ter Haute, Ind., who is president of the Vigo County chapter of th Wabash Valley Association.

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Flesher.

STATEMENT OF MR. KERMIT FLESHER

Mr. FLESHER. I am a farmer in Vigo County, Ind., Mr. Chairman I represent the Vigo County chapter of the Wabash Valley Associa tion.

Water, either too little or too much, is a common problem in ou area and gentlemen, we need your help.

In the interest of time, I would like to submit my statement and th one of Dr. H. W. Farmer, who could not be present today. Mr. CANNON. They will be made part of the record. (The statements follow:)

STATEMENT OF KERMIT FLESHER

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, my name is Kermit Fleshe I am a farmer in Vigo County, Ind. My residence is Terre Haute. I have bee chosen to serve as chairman of the Vigo County chapter of the Wabash Valle Association. This organization embraces an area of 3,100 square miles wit 2,500,000 residents in Indiana and Illinois. We feel that this is the most under developed valley in the world. We have a great potential in the Wabash Valley (1) Natural resources-We have an abundance of coal, oil, sand, gravel, clay and other minerals and water. I will say more about water later.

(2) Educational facilities-All the public schools are rated class 1. Ther are three major colleges in Terre Haute, namely: Rose Poly Institute, Indian State Teachers College, and St. Mary of the Woods.

(3) Farm land-Rich agricultural land surrounds Terre Haute and the Wabash Valley. Agriculture is one of the largest segments of our economy in the valley and it was virtually wrecked during the recent floods. $48,500,000 losses were inflicted on the valley during 1957-58, not including inestimable human suffering and personal property devastation. When I left home yester day the Wabash was out of its banks once more threatening to go on another rampage.

(4) Manpower-At the present time there are some 3,000 unemployed men and women in the Terre Haute area alone, not to mention the rest of the valley. (5) Transportation-Practically unlimited sources of adequate and rapid transportation facilities are immediately available via rail, truck, bus, and airlines.

With all these surpluses we have one liability-the Wabash River. We must make it our greatest asset, not our largest liability. Only by controlling the flow of water in the valley will industry be convinced that its water requirements can be met. Help us keep our young people at home. They get an education in the valley, help us give them a position or job in our valley. The southern half of Indiana is losing population. Vigo County suffered a population decline of 7,400 between 1950-57. The expansion of industry is vital to the growth of this area. However we can't attract industry when the Wabash River stage is 1 foot one day and on a rampage of 23 feet the next week. We deeply feel that proper control of the water will attract industry and add to the economy of our valley and the economy of the Nation.

Water, either too much or too little, is a common problem in this area. Gentlemen, we need your help.

We need small watershed development, reservoirs, and retention dams to help control the Wabash River before it does its terrible damage to the Wabash Valley economy and thus effect the economy of the Nation. To use an age old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." We as taxpayers are paying for this terrible devastation and destruction whether we like it or not. We would rather pay for prevention.

We would rather see the Government spend our tax money helping us to control the floodwater than spending thousands of dollars each year for levee repair and flood relief in the disaster areas.

Now we at home believe in the Wabash Valley and its development, however the job is too big for us alone. May I say again we need your help. Our citizens at home are willing to do anything within their power to help in this worthy cause. They are working hard to protect what is left of their valley.

We feel that this endeavor would not only save our economy locally but would materially add to the economy of the Nation, through increased income tax revenue, interstate commerce, public health, and general welfare of the country. This is the second time I have appeared before this committee and I know you are sympathetic to our cause.

Thank you for allowing me to appear before you in behalf of the Wabash Valley and express my feelings.

Mr. WAMPLER. The vice president of the Vigo County chapter of the Wabash Valley Association, Carl Hale.

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Hale.

STATEMENT OF MR. CARL HALE

Mr. HALE. Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, I have a statement also prepared here that I would like to insert in the record. Mr. CANNON. It will be included in the record.

(The statement follows:)

STATEMENT OF CARL I. HALE

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am Carl Hale, a farmer of Vigo County, residing 10 miles southwest of Terre Haute, Ind., within 1 mile of the Wabash River. All my 44 years have been spent here as a son of a farmer and now a farmer.

Probably my greatest interest in the past 15 years has been to work for a better understanding of the farmer and his economy. I am now or have been a director in Farm Bureau, Farm Bureau Co-op, R.E.M.C., Wabash Valley Association Chapter, Wabash Valley Fair, Prairie Creek Mutual Telephone Co., and the Greenfield Bayou Levee Association (on the Wabash.)

It was with enjoyment that I was here before this committee last year as a member of our Wabash Valley Association Chapter. Asking your favorable support to our urgent plea for funds for some small levee work but especially funds for the surveying of damsites and other surveys that were needed to control the Wabash River on its rampages and gentlemen, it's on one now.

I would like to take this opportune time to thank you as a committee and other Members of Congress who voted to help give us a start, when there was supposed to be no new starts. Gentlemen, we are started, we are working hard in our small way. All of our expenses at home and here are out our pockets, if the vision we have of this Wabash Valley comes true, it will have been worth

it.

Not only we as a committee here are working hard, but literally hundreds more are working on watersheds in our area. There are two very close within a few miles, the Prairie Creek watershed and the Busseron watershed. We are all willing to work hard and to help finance these projects that we need, but we need more and larger appropriation for our State of Indiana and its valley, which could be one of the finest, wealthiest valleys in the world with proper water conservation and flood control.

Progress in the last 2 years has been nearly unbelievable in the Wabash River food control work and with all of you helping make it a miracle in the next 10 years.

Mr. HALE. Futhermore, I am a corn and hog farmer, very close to those at Sugar Creek and Clinton levee projects, in fact, within a very few short miles.

We are, as farmers and taxpayers there, definitely in need of your support for more Federal aid for our flood control projects there. Thank you.

Mr. WAMPLER. We have with us an Extension Agent of Vigo County, a farmer, secretary of the Vigo Chapter of the Wabash Valley Association, Mr. John Zerr.

STATEMENT OF JOHN ZERR

Mr. ZERR. Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, I would like first of all to submit a statement for the record.

Mr. CANNON. It will be included in the record.

(The statement follows:)

STATEMENT OF JOHN D. ZERR

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am John D. Zerr, assistant county agent in charge of the better farming and better living program in Vigo County. I reside at Rural Route No. 1, Brazil, Ind. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I wish to thank you in behalf of our people back home in Vigo County for this opportunity to speak before this group and to thank Mr. Wampler for the opportunity to present to you the flood and water needs of Vigo County. Vigo County's needs may be divided into the areas of flood control, water conservation, water recreation, greater industrial development, resource development and utilization. It must be noted that all these areas of which I speak are hinged on our one big resource, water. We need to make water into a "blessing" instead of a "curse" as it is now when our creeks and the Wabash River go on the rampage. May I set forth our needs in terms of immediacy?

I am certain that coordination of all agencies concerned is needed to insure logical and economical planning and procedure is one of the primary needs. We need complete survey planning and cataloging of needs, assigning priority of importance. The flooding of the Wabash is but a symptom of a more basic problem, the control of the small watersheds. Water must be controlled where it falls, not after it gets in the mainstream. The flooding is a result of water unchecked. Flood control is of the first immediacy since all other points of development hinge on adequate water control measures.

Flooding was estimated in the last period to have cost the Wabash community areas over $48 million-1957-58 floods. These floods are still costing our farmers; since many of our river and creek farmers lost 3 years' crops in a row. In order to survive they were forced to seek financial aid. One more flood loss this year will wipe many of them out as a farmer and force them to sell their holdings. This is a sad state of affairs; they need help and soon. Let's correct these flood losses, the marginal losses caused by high water tables, lack of stream channeling and erosion which fills up the streams and lakes. Correction of these problems in Vigo County alone would mean over $12 million new income each year and an increase in real estate value of approximately $6 million or approximately a value increase of about 200 percent. This county has one-sixth of its land in the Wabash River flood, plain and creek bottoms. This divides up in this manner 26,000 acres in the Wabash bottoms and 20,000 acres in the creeks.

The farmers and other citizens in Vigo County are interested in doing some thing about this situation. They have already started but they still need your help in many respects. Landowners in the Busseron Creek, Turman Creek, and Prairie Creek, representing about 47,000 acres in Vigo and Sullivan Counties, are developing these watersheds in these creeks. The people will act when adequate guidance and planning help are provided. We have eight more creeks to develop watershed programs; yet there is only one group of conservation planning engineers to service the whole State. How are they going to do the necessary planning work once watershed planning really gets rolling?

The Wabash River is badly polluted along its entire length. The river is thoroughly congested in many spots with sandbars, trees, bushes, as well as other debris. This is not a river calculated to provide recreation or much of anything else except flooding of the land. We need more recreation facilities; in the

development of the Wabash we could at the same time start development for navigation. If navigation development for the Wabash were to become a reality, the river would provide the direct path for a canal to a Lake Michigan port, thereby literally opening up the entire Midwest to the world. This fact should aid materially in the industrial development of Terre Haute and the entire central midwest. Vigo County and area are rich in coal, oil, clay, and gravel raw products which industry needs. The development of the Wabash would supply an abundance of cheap transportation for the Wabash area.

We need to develop our most vital resource our people. There are approximately 3,000 jobless in Terre Haute. We need new industry to take up the slack and provide jobs and opportunities for our young people. We need more recreational facilities for our people to combat adult and juvenile delinquency, and to combat business fatigue which brings on heart conditions. Impounding of water would provide that recreation such as boating, fishing, camping, and numerous other outdoor developments to provide recreation. Impounding of water also serves not only recreational purposes but it also provides water for industrial and urban uses. Not only these but here again is an example of keeping the water where it falls not in the Wabash where it adds to the useless flooding of land.

* Summary Vigo County and area needs more watershed development, we need overall coordinated planning in which all participating agencies cooperate. we need more planning engineering groups in the watershed program, funds to develop water recreation, control of pollution, clearing of the river in order to promote and plan industrial development.

Mr. ZERR. May I, in addition, point out some matters. I back the overall plan as expressed here as possibly the best answer and solution to our problem.

May I point out currently that if this flooding of the Wabash River was controlled, we could in Vigo County alone add $1 million new income to our farmers. We could also add $6 million in new land evaluation. This land I am talking about is presently marginal land. It is some of the finest land we have and yet it is marginal, $50 to $150 an acre. It could be $400-an-acre land.

Gentlemen, I thank you for your time.

Mr. WAMPLER. A member of the executive council, Vigo County Chapter of the Wabash Valley Association, and chairman, Soil Conservation Service, Vigo County, Mr. Peter Farmer.

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Farmer.

STATEMENT OF MR. PETER A. FARMER

Mr. FARMER. Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, my name is Peter Farmer. I am a farmer in this area around Terre Haute. I would like to submit these remarks as my statement in behalf of what I represent.

Mr. CANNON. They will be included in the record. (The statement follows:)

STATEMENT OF PETER A. FARMER

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, my name is Peter A. Farmer. My business is farming. For my personal reasons and also in behalf of my public position as chairman of the Vigo County Soil Conservation District and a director in the Wabash Valley Association, it is my most sincere opinion that the greatest good to the Wabash Valley Association can come about only through the small watershed programs.

The Wabash Valley area is just a giant watershed; its boundaries comprise about 80 percent of Indiana and parts of Illinois and Ohio. Illinois likewise suffers as we of this area suffer. We also realize our unchecked flood water add to the downstream flood of Kentucky and other States down to the Gulf of Mexico.