Representative JENKINS. Senator, Colonel Gee is here, and I think if I may ask him a question for the record, it might help the situation. Senator MARTIN. Is that agreeable to you, Colonel Gee? Colonel GEE. Yes, sir. Representative JENKINS. Colonel, you have made a statement of this: Whether or not the Army engineers considered the proposition. economically justifiable and sound? Colonel GEE. In our opinion, and in advance of our formal report, there is no doubt in our mind as to the economic justification of this addition to the authorized project. Senator MARTIN. Thank you, Colonel. That is very helpful. Representative JENKINS. I think also the colonel does have some language here which I helieve if fitted into the bill would serve the purpose. I would like to offer for the record, if I may, Senator, a copy of the resolution which I introduced in the House, authorizing this, and I will give it to the reporter. Senator MARTIN. It will be admitted. Representative JENKINS. I think that is all. We are very appreciative of your taking time to hear us, and of your courtesy. (The bill is as follows:) [H. R. 6194, 80th Cong., 2d sess.] A BILL To provide for increasing the height of certain parts of the levees on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River, Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township, Pennsylvania Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Army, through the Chief of Engineers, is authorized and directed to increase by two feet the height of those parts of the levees constructed on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River, Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, under authority of section 5 of the Flood Control Act of 1936, approved June 22, 1936, which were not constructed to the height authorized, so that the height of such parts of such levees shall be the height recommended in the report pursuant to House Document Numbered 308, Sixty-ninth Congress, first session. SEC. 2. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated the sum of $242,000 to carry out the provisions of this Act. Senator MARTIN. Colonel, you are familiar with this Reynoldsville, Pa., project; are you not? Colonel GEE. Yes, sir. Senator MARTIN. I wonder if you would care to make a statement before the Congressman proceeds. Colonel GEE. At the present time the Chief of Engineers has authorized an interim report as part of a comprehensive report on the Allegheny-Monongahela Rivers to deal with the problem of Reynoldsville. We expect to have this interim report on hand in the office of the Chief of Engineers in the late fall of this year, 1948. Beyond that,. I have no information to give to the committee at this time. Senator MARTIN. All right, Congressman Gavin. STATEMENT OF HON. LEO H. GAVIN, A MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA Representative GAVIN. I might say, Mr. Chairman, that I would appreciate very much consideration being given by the Public Works Committee of the Senate to include a $300,000 appropriation for a project, construction of flood-control works for the protection of Reynoldsville, Pa., in the House flood-control bill which will shortly come before the Senate Public Works Committee. Preliminary statements and estimates for the cost of this project are estimated about $500,000. I would say it is channeling, dredging, widening, and leveeing protection for the community. They have had some devastating floods up in Pennsylvania, and they have had them again this year. I fully realize the seriousness of affording relief to the people, particularly in these small communities from these devastating reoccuring floods which are periodically visited on the community. Petitions have been presented me here from the people asking that I intercede to develop a program which will afford some relief, and I can conscientiously come before you here knowing that conditions such as the recent floods in April gave you some idea of the tremendous watershed in this entire area that should be harnessed for useful purposes rather than these destructive floods which they have been subjected to for many years. The project is not in the House flood-control appropriations bill, and I am requesting consideration from the Public Works Committee of the Senate that $300,000 be included to do this job. Senator MYERS. Did the House committee consider it, Congressman? Representative GAVIN. The House committee did not consider it; no, and I did not appear before the committee, but after we again had these two disastrous spring floods, I come before the committee now and ask that some relief be given these people. It is a small project. I presume the whole job would not cost more than $500,000. Senator MYERS. Do you need authorization, Congressman? Representative GAVIN. The authorization, I would say, could be considered here in Public Law 534, and at the time I introduced the amendment in that flood-control legislation I said this: The general comprehensive plan for flood control and other purposes, approved in the Flood Control Act of June 29, 1938, for the Ohio River Basin, is hereby modified to include construction of flood-control works for the protection of Ridgway, Johnsonburg, St. Marys, Brockway, and vicinity in the State of Pennsylvania. This project is within close proximity of Brockway, so I base my authorization on that Public Law 534. Senator MARTIN. Do you want to present those petitions and these newspapers and so on? Representative GAVIN. It will hardly be necessary. The petitions have a lot of names on them. Unless you want them, Senator. Senator MARTIN. All right. I thought you wished to offer them. Representative GAVIN. It is not necessary. They merely indicate the interest on the part of the people up there, appealing to their Government to afford them some relief from these floodwaters. It is a very damaging and serious situation in Bradford, Warren, Youngsville, and Oil City. This year again we have been subjected to these waters. Reynoldsville is in my district, and also Johnsonburg and Ridgeway, Senator, as well as St. Marys, Brockway, Reynoldsville. This project has been under consideration. I was hoping that the Committee on Public Works here in the Senate would write in this small amount of money to do the job and get it under way to give the people relief. I will be glad to answer any questions that you might care to ask. I have discussed this matter with the War Department engineers on several occasions. Senator MYERS. What was that was it your point, Congressman, that an additional authorization is necessary for this specific project? Representative GAVIN. I don't believe so. In fact, I realized at that time there seemed to be several places in the vicinity of this particular group of towns. I did not mean all the towns specifically, so, to cover it, I said "and vicinity." I did not want to mention numerous towns. Senator MARTIN. Thank you, gentlemen. The hearing is recessed. (Whereupon, at 4: 40 p. m., the hearing was recessed until 10 a. m., Wednesday, May 19, 1948.) RIVERS AND HARBORS-FLOOD CONTROL EMERGENCY ACT WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1948 UNITED STATES SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON FLOOD CONTROL AND IMPROVEMENT OF FLOOD CONTROL-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA The subcommittee met at 10 a. m., pursuant to call, in room 412, Senate Office Building, Senator John L. McClellan presiding. Present: Senators McClellan (presiding), Cooper, and Martin. Present also: Senators Pepper and Holland; E. W. Bassett, engineer; Eloise Porter, assistant clerk. Senator MCCLELLAN. The committee will come to order. Senator Malone, chairman of the Subcommittee on Rivers and Harbors and Flood Control of the Public Works Committee, I understand is grounded somewhere on his return trip to the Capitol and cannot be present this morning. He has asked me to take charge and conduct the hearings until he can return. The hearings this morning are on S. 2197, a bill introduced by Senators Holland and Pepper, of Florida, authorizing the construction of a comprehensive plan for flood control and other purposes in central and southern Florida. The text of the bill and a digest of the report will be inserted in the record at this point. (The bill under discussion, S. 2197, is as follows:) [S. 2197, 80th Cong., 2d sess.] A BILL Authorizing the construction of a comprehensive plan for flood control and other purposes in central and southern Florida Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the existing project for the Caloosahatchee River and Lake Okeechobee drainage areas, Florida, for flood control and other purposes as authorized by the River and Harbor Act approved July 3, 1930, as amended, is hereby modified and expanded to provide for the comprehensive plan for flood control and other purposes in central and southern Florida as recommended in the report of the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, dated February 19, 1948, and the project as modified and expanded shall be prosecuted under the direction of the Secretary of the Army and the supervision of the Chief of Engineers in accordance with the plan recommended in that report and subject to the conditions of local cooperation set forth therein. SEC. 2. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated the sum of $60,000,000 for the prosecution of the first phase of the improvement as recommended in the report of the Chief of Engineers, United States Army. 78432--48- -10 137 |