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country is of benefit to the whole, we earnestly solicit your help and aid.

In the area embraced in the Army plan, according to the engineers* map, in Jacksonville there are located no less than 30 Army and Navy airfields the use of which would be greatly curtailed by floods or smoke from muck fires in a dry season. If our flood of 1947 had occurred during the recent war, the loss of the men who received their training at these 30 airfields might have materially affected the course of that war. With the international situation as tense as it is, I believe this bill should be passed as a national defense measure to assure the Army and Navy the use of these 30 airfields should they be needed.

I, therefore, for the above and many other good and valid reasons that I am unable to present due to the time element involved, urge the adoption of the Army plan without change, as provided in bill S. 2197. I have two other briefs here which I do not care to comment on. I will show you this picture which is more expressive than words. That picture shows the orange groves without a single leaf and, as you know, when the orange tree loses its leaves, it is dead. Those rows are a quarter of a mile long, typical of the devastation caused by the flood in the Davie area.

At the present time, nothing is being done to replant these groves, or to develop new groves because everything is at a standstill until something or somebody assures these people it will never happen again. I came up here asking you and hoping that your committee will report this bill favorably.

Senator MCCLELLAN. I assure you this committee is going to bẹ most sympathetic to this proposal and to this legislation.

Any questions, Senator Cooper?

Senator COOPER. I just want to say that I was impressed by the sincerity of the appeal made by this witness. I am not deprecating any other appeal. Here is a man who lives there and feels it personally.

Mr. FORMAN. I would like to offer these two letters for the record. Senator MCCLELLAN. They will be made part of the record. (The letters are as follows:)

DAVIE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,
Davie, Fla., May 10, 1948.

To the Senate Public Works Committee, Washington, D. C.

GENTLEMEN: As a reason for the passage of Senate bill 2197, we wish to cite the following facts:

In the Glades flood of 1947, the Davie area suffered the greatest damage per capita.

The water stayed on this area the longest.

The citrus loss was estimated at $11,660,000. The dairy loss was $958,000. The loss to 400 acres of sod grass was $522,000. The total loss to this area was estimated at $12,546,000.

The result has been that further development, replanting, rehabilitation,, new plantings and new development are largely dependent on some assurance of protection from a recurrence of floods and droughts in this area.

The Army plan will afford this protection and we believe it is the only plan which can be depended upon to give this protection, and for that reason, we urge the passage of bill S. 2197 without change. Respectfully submitted.

DAVIE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,
CHARLES E. DAVIS, President.

P. S.-Attached is photograph showing groves as they appear today.

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COOPERATIVE EXTENSION WORK IN AGRICULTURE AND HOME ECONOMICS,
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA., May 10, 1498.

Re Senate bill 2197.
SENATE PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE,

Washington, D. C.

GENTLEMEN: Last fall when the United States Army engineers were securing data on the storm and high water damage in Broward County, my office worked very closely with them.

I know that no other county in south Florida suffered any greater financial losses than did the varied agricultural industries of this county. The hardest hit community in the county was Davie. In working with these people in their rehabilitation program, I find that very little progress is being made in the reestablishment of groves and pasture lands, and in new developments, due to the fact that most of them are afraid that the same thing will occur again.

In my opinion the passage of Senate bill 2197 is very vital to this area. My office believes that the Army plan, in its present form, will afford the greatest protection in helping to prevent a recurrence of a disaster of this kind.

Very truly yours,

B. E. LAWTON,

Agricultural Agent, Broward County, Fla.

STATEMENT OF H. M. FORMAN, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA., MAY 10, 1948

My name, H. M. Forman, a resident of Davie for 37 years; a Broward drainage district commissioner for 16 years. I am here at my own expense because I believe that the future of south Florida depends upon the passage of bill S. 2197. I want to thank you for the consideration you are giving us.

The reservoir idea is not new to us. It was the unauthorized creation and use of such an area west of Davie, now known as the Dade-Broward conservation area, that enabled us to engage in year-around farming and citrus planting. The use of this reservoir was tried and proven for 16 years.

This reservoir was not used in the flood of 1947. Therefore, the unrestricted flow of floodwaters from the entire Everglades into our canals kept us flooded until our pastures and fruit trees were killed and our homes severely damaged. I am happy to state that at the present time all drainage boards and taxing units in Broward County are cooperating to establish the use of this DadeBroward conservation area and also to build a dike along range 40-41 and establish the use of the Broward conservation area. These two projects will absolutely protect the developed area from floods and droughts when completed according to the Army plan map attached showing the Glades agricultural area in red, the conservation areas in blue, the coastal areas in yellow, and the Everglades National Park in green.

It is stated by the engineers that when this plan is put into effect that all excess floodwaters will be diverted southward through the Everglades National Park and emptied into the Gulf and that never again will the floodwaters of the Everglades be dumped on the developed areas.

The money and machinery available to local taxing units is pitifully inadequate. Unless we can secure cooperation and help by the Army engineers, it will be impossible to do this work as it should be done.

On the theory that anything which helps any part of this great country is of benefit to the whole, we earnestly solicit your help and aid.

In the area embraced in the Army plan, according to the engineers map in Jacksonville, there are located no less than 30 Army and Navy airfields the use of which would be greatly curtailed by floods or smoke from muck fires in a dry season. If our flood of 1947 had occurred during the recent war, the loss of the men who received their training at these 30 airfields might have materially affected the course of that war. With the international situation as tense as it is, I believe this bill should be passed as a national-defense measure to assure the Army and Navy the use of these 30 airfields should they be needed.

I, therefore, for the above and many other good and valid reasons that I am unable to present due to the time element involved, urge the adoption of the Army plan without change, as provided in bill S. 2197.

Senator MCCLELLAN. I want to say this for the record and for the information of all you citizens from Florida.

In my experience in legislative work in the Congress and committee work, I do not recall that I have ever attended a committee hearing

where such a vast project has been so ably presented in such a short period of time.

Senator Pepper, you had everything in fine order.

Senator PEPPER. Thank you.

Senator MCCLELLAN. And a very intelligent and very persuasive presentation has been made up to now.

Tomorrow, Senator Malone, I am sure, will be here.

Senator COOPER. Might I interject a statement here?

I am not taking anything away from their presentation and preparation, but I might also say they have two very intelligent Senators. Senator MCCLELLAN. They certainly have. Florida is ably represented.

Senator PEPPER. We want to record the profound gratitude of our whole delegation for the exceptional consideration and courtesy the Senators have shown us this morning.

Senator MCCLELLAN. The committee is adjourned until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.

(Whereupon, at 12:25 p. m., the committee recessed until Thursday, May 13, 1948, at 10 a. m.)

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