Mr. SILCOX. The following statement is presented for insertion in the record in explanation of the automobile allotment: The authorization for purchase of passenger-carrying vehicles contemplates an increase of $31,768 ($49,310 in 1936; $81,078 estimated for 1937) for this purpose. As shown by the Budget schedule, the $81,078 would permit needed replacement of 69 vehicles at a net average cost of $512 each, when exchange allowances are taken into account, and the purchase of 66 additional vehicles at an average cost of $662 each. ajor Approximately 65 percent of the employees of the Forest Service do the part of their work while actually in the woods and must necessarily be in a travel status a great part of their time. Where there are few roads in the forests work must be performed largely by the use of privately owned or Government-maintained horses and employee-owned or hired cars paid for on a mileage basis. It is not economical for the Government to own cars where their use is limited and the annual mileage consequently low, but where roads and the work to be performed call for the greater part of travel by car it is more economical for the Government to own the car than pay mileage. Mileage rates are based on actual operating costs of private owners and, since the Government can purchase cars, repair parts, gasoline, and oil at large discounts and pays no taxes or insurance, it can operate cars for much less per mile than the employee. As a substitute for horses in administration and fire control the car is indispensable. With the development of roads in the forests the fire hazard and use of such areas have increased, and the automobile has been largely instrumental in keeping abreast of such managerial problems. The policy has been the gradual substitution of a more efficient means of transportation for a less efficient one, with little or no increase in the aggregate cost. It is recommended that this practice be continued as rapidly as funds will permit. The purchase of additional cars included in these estimates will reduce the use of personally owned cars, which cost on the average 5 cents per mile for travel and 10 to 15 cents per mile for hauling in fire and other emergencies. They are needed to supply a few more field administrative officers with Government-owned cars, since now only a small percentage of the field officers are so supplied. The 69 cars to be exchanged are cars or trucks which, during the fiscal year 1937, will have been used for the maximum number of miles of economical operation. Mr. SILCOX. Mr. Cannon, to justify the purchase of these automobiles I would like to give you very briefly a statement in reference to our 336 cars. We propose that under the provision for new cars to be purchased there will be 135, those exchanged numbering 69, with a net increase for 1937 of 66, giving us a total of 402 cars. We have 700 ranger districts. We have 154 forests. They will run about a million acres each. We have 10 regions and 13 experiment stations. We have 877 unit managers, with ranger districts, supervisors' headquarters, and so forth. Every one of our jobs in the Forest Service is a traveling job. It is a field organization. It is different from some of the other organizations that have very large set-ups in Washington, with which travel is incidental. Ours is a continuous travel job. There is an arrangement at present whereby the men owning their own cars and using them on official work are paid a fair compensation for the use of their cars. But that is more expensive than to have the Government owning the cars. The Government gets a car for about $100 under the price at which the car is sold to an individual. That cuts down the annual depreciation charge. The Federal Government does not pay a tax, nor does it pay license fees or insurance premiums on those cars. Then we buy gasoline at about two-thirds the price that the individual pays at an ordinary gas station, and the same thing is true of oil and tires. This is the cheapest form of transportation, much cheaper than paying mileage to the men who use their own cars. We pay a mileage of 5 cents to employees operating their own cars and this figure enables them to break even in the operation of their cars on official work. The Government can operate a car much cheaper than a private individual because of the savings in depreciation, taxes, license fees, and operation of the vehicle. We have a field job and a traveling job. We used to use pack trains and pack horses and pack saddles, but today with the roads opened up we move around by modern methods of transportation, and the automobile is the accepted method. The number of cars is not at all disproportionate to the total number of men who are required to travel in their official work. We have an increased acreage of 15 million acres and a smaller number of persons in our directive organization than we had in 1932. NUMBER OF AUTOMOBILES, TRUCKS, ETC., ON HAND, BY FISCAL YEARS Mr. CANNON. Suppose you submit to the committee in tabulated form a statement showing the number of motor vehicles of all classes, classified as trucks, tractors, and passenger-carrying vehicles, and any other classification you have, showing those that are dual-purpose cars, for the last 10 years; and also along with that let us have a tabulated statement showing the number of acres, and also the number of units. I believe your unit would be the ranger district. Mr. WOLD. Yes, sir, that is the basic unit. Mr. CANNON. Also show in that statement the number of basic units for 10 years. Mr. SILCOX. We will put that statement in the record. (The statement above referred to is as follows:) Statement showing number of tractors, trucks and passenger-carrying vehicles on hand in the Forest Service on June 30 of the years listed below (exclusive of Emergency Conservation Work vehicles) Almost entirely of the track-laying type. Used on road construction and maintenance mainly. Includes all types of trucks from small 2-ton pick-up trucks to the larger dump and tank trucks used in road construction and fire control. Many of these cars have been obtained by transfer from other Government agencies, through the surplus property transfer procedure. Increase in road mileage has made it possible to replace slow and expensive horse travel with more economical motor transportation. Decrease in number of ranger districts and consequent increase in size of districts up to 1933 called for additional travel. ASSISTANCE TO STATES IN TREE PLANTING (See p. 410) Mr. SILCOX. I would like to go back to the item on forest influences, under which is included the shelterbelt. I would like to have the committee take into consideration the development of some method of helping the prairie States in tree planting. The foundation has already been laid in the Clarke-McNary Act of 1924, where this language is used in section 4: SEC. 4. That the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized and directed to cooperate with the various States in the procurement, production, and distribution of forest-tree seeds and plants, for the purpose of establishing windbreaks, shelterbelts, and farm wood lots upon denuded or nonforested lands within such cooperating States, under such conditions and requirements as he may prescribe to the end that forest-tree seeds or plants so procured, produced, or distributed shall be used, effectively for planting denuded or nonforested lands in the cooperating States and growing timber thereon: Provided, That the amount expended by the Federal Government in cooperation with any State during any fiscal year for such purposes shall not exceed the amount expended by the State for the same purposes during the same fiscal year. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated annually, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, not more than $100,000, to enable the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out the provisions of this section. SHELTERBELT PROJECT I think you have put your finger on a vital point in connection with the extension of the shelterbelt. When we went into the project, suggestions were made to lease the land, but we hesitated to accept a liability for leasing lands to plant. We have endeavored to have the farmer give us the land for planting, and he has cooperated in that respect. As an emergency measure during the drought-relief period, the Government used these lands for planting the trees. If you are going to do this on a continuing basis by appropriations made by Congress, I do not think we ought to always pay for establishment of the trees; I think we only ought to raise suitable plants and give technical supervision and advice, but the farmer should assume the responsibilities of ground preparation, maintenance, and care of the trees. We have been very careful, when the allotments were made, to get in there in any way we could. As I said, I was like a Bedouin in there with my tent; I could fold it up and get right away without leaving the project tied up with obligations, and the losses would have been very small. If we had taken that on another basis, we could have gone ahead with the project. I think the shelterbelt project is sound. We know that we can plant the trees and have them grow. The work is not lost. I am suggesting that, using this Clark-McNary structure which has been an accepted procedure for a good many years, we go ahead on the same principle in developing the shelterbelt, adapting the shelterbelt and its organization to fit the pattern. If we could continue we would plant a small amount year by year. I think it would be well worth while for the whole region, planting lands where we know the trees will grow. During the whole period of the timber-homestead claims, going back to 1873, the farmers planted lands that would never grow trees. In spite of the conditions, there were a large number of windbreaks that have grown. Twenty percent of the original plantings have survived. Mr. CANNON. You will submit suggested language to cover the point you make, Mr. Silcox? Mr. SILCOX. Yes; and also the question of the limitation of the authorization. Mr. CANNON. What have you to say on the subject of the limitation? Mr. SILCOX. There is a 22-million dollar limitation in the bill now, covering all the States. Mr. CANNON. How much of that has been expended to date? Mr. WOLD. The annual authorization under the forest-fire cooperation section of the act is 212 million dollars. Section 4, the treeplanting section, authorizes only $100,000. The amount appropriated for 1936 is $56,379, all of which will be spent. Mr. SILCOX. That is the item Mr. Hastings described yesterday, where we are just able to help the States maintain some of the nurseries. Mr. CANNON. Where are they located? Mr. SILCOX. We can give that to you. (The statement follows:) The following is a set-up of allotments for 1937 as they might be made, if a total of $70,579 is appropriated (fiscal year 1936 appropriation, $56,379; requested increase, $14,200). It should, of course, be understood that the 1937 allotments as actually made will be based on data not yet available. Mr. CANNON. Your statement of emergency funds will go in the record at this point. 47432-36-28 1. Agricultural Adjustment Administration (advances to A. A. A.): For inspection work in connection with agricultural adjustment programs. $250 Boundary surveys. 1,528 Surveys needed for forest activities, not including topographic quadrangles or General Land Office cadastral surveys.. 19, 023 873 164, 186 Research: 6, 297 |