as 1,046 acres. At this date, 1948, not over 600 acres could by the wildest stretch of imagination be classed as crop and pasture land. There is little fencing remaining in the area and so far as it contributes to the production of livestock and crops it amounts to a very small fraction of the county's total production.

At the present time an area comprising approximately 36,000 acres is being utilized by two fishing and hunting clubs and about 12 miles of Jackson River and Back Creek. The larger percentage of members of these two clubs are noncounty or non-State residents. With a publically owned dam or lake fishing would be provided for hundreds of anglers while at present the waters of Jackson River, that would be inundated, is limited to a few dozen members of the two afore-mentioned clubs.

This body of water would attract an untold number of vacationists to a section of our State that so far has not been ruined by industrial development and would provide an outlet locally for farm products that now have to be trucked to markets from 15 to 50 miles away.

Benefits to Bath County.-(1) Would attract hundreds of visitors and vacationists thereby providing an outlet for garden, dairy, and poultry products that at present are not economical to produce because of the lack of nearby markets, (2) Additional revenue could be realized by the people of the county by providing facilities for vacationists.

(3) Make possible a lower rate for electric energy, thus enabling more people to take advantage of such energy to help build a better and more progressive citizenry.

Senator ROBERTSON. The next witness is the county engineer of Bath County, Mr. Payne Johnson.

Senator MALONE. You may proceed, Mr. Johnson?

STATEMENT OF PAYNE JOHNSON, COUNTY ENGINEER, BATH

COUNTY, VA.

Mr. JOHNSON. I am Payne Johnson, county engineer of Bath County.

I can't add anything, Mr. Chairman, to what the other gentlemen from Bath County have already said. As you know, Bath County is a recreational county, and I think the dam would be of great recreational value to the county.

The land where the dam is to be built and the land which would be inundated, of course, was bought a number of years ago by public utilities for a dam. And since that time, this land has, I feel confident, been let go down.

The value that we will get from having a dam there will certainly be much more than the disadvantage we would have in the farm land we would lose.

That is all I have, Mr. Chairman.

Senator MALONE. Thank you very much, Mr. Johnson.

Senator ROBERTSON. The board of supervisors of Botetourt County is represented here by Mr. Parker Buhrmann, who appears as the representative of J. L. Teaford, the chairman of the board.

We would be glad to hear from him.

Mr. BUHRMANN. Mr. Chairman, the ground has been so well covered that I have nothing to add to what has already been said. I will simply submit this prepared statement for the record.

(The prepared statement referred to is as follows:)

TESTIMONY IN FAVOR OF THE GATHRIGHT DAM, PRESENTED ON BEHALF OF BOTETORT COUNTY

Botetourt County, Va., lies in the western portion of the James River Basin east and south of Alleghany County. Its northern boundary begins at the mouth of the James River at Iron Gate, 24 miles downstream from Covington and 43

miles downstream from the Gathright Dam. The James River traverses the county for a distance of 54 river miles, all of which are wholly within the county. The river valley is the most important topographical feature of the county. It contains our best farms, our best industrial locations, and several of the county's towns and villages. These latter are: Glen Wilton, Gala, Eagle Rock, Springwood, and Buchanan. It is potentially one of the county's greatest assets. In its present condition, however, the river is more of a liability. It has some features that prevent the realization of those possible assets of the stream. These are floods, drought, and pollution.

Flood damage. First, but by no means the worst of these, is the damage by the larger floods that from time to time occur in this country. The floods of 1913 and 1936 are typical of what happens. These floods, particularly the one of 1913, was very disastrous. It did enormous damage to the farm lands, to highways, and bridges, to telephone and power lines, and to the railroads. It also did material damage to our towns and villages and flooded locations that, except for flood hazard, would have been good industrial sites.

Low water and pollution.—As bad as these big floods are and as much damage as they cause, they are not so objectionable nor so damaging as the condition of low water and pollution which occurs for several months every summer. The James River is badly polluted by the Jackson kiver, which, with the Cowpasture forms the James at Iron Gate.

During the low-water months which almost always come in hot weather, the James has a dark brown color, produces foam at the ripples, and carries a disagreeable odor. The water gets so low that the stream bed in many places seems to be only partially full and the concentration of pollution becomes intense. This makes the stream so unattractive that few people care to use it for boating or fishing or other recreational uses.

It also renders the water unfit for many industrial purposes or expensive to purify for such purposes and has been a serious factor against desirable industrial development of this area.

The worst thing about it is that it tends to make living on or near the stream unattractive and unpleasant.

Benefits of the Gathright Dam.-If the Gathright Dam were built and operated in accordance with the engineer's report, it would go a long way toward correcting these conditions. According to this report, the operation of the dam would have reduced the crest of the 1936 flood through Botetourt County by approximately 42 feet and the 1913 flood by 9 feet. These reductions would have eliminated the greater portion of the damage from each of these floods.

The increase in low-water flow would be even more important. The engineers' report says that during the hot, dry months when the water is normally at its lowest, the dam would release 410 cubic feet per second, or an increase of 330 cubic feet per second over the average low-water flow of the stream at the dam. This would more than double the low-water stream flow throughout the entire 54 miles of stream in Botetourt County. This volume of water would always give us a flush, free-flowing stream that would correct our low-water condition. It would also give us an important measure of help in our pollution problem. While it would not eliminate it, it would remove the most objectionable features and would greatly improve conditions. The water could more readily be made suitable for industrial or municipal uses. The recreational features of the stream would be greatly improved, and living would be made more pleasant for the people who live near the river.

The James used to be a good fishing stream. Grover Cleveland loved to fish here and has called the James, in the neighborhood of Buchanan, the best bass stream in America. Construction and operation of the Gathright Dam would be an important step in the direction of restoring the James to something approaching its former condition.

If this is done, the James River Valley in Botetourt County would certainly be the scene of healthy growth and progress. The section has all the requirements for industrial development which is being held back now by the condition of the river. The substantial improvement of this stream as contemplated by the Gathright Dam would be a most important advance in the economic life of the county. Respectfully submitted.

PARKER BUHRMANN,

Chairman, Board of Supervisors for Botetourt County. Senator ROBERTSON. Now we come to Bedford County, and the first man I want to recognize from Bedford County is the distinguished mayor of Bedford, Dr. W. L. Lyle.

Mr. Chairman, before I present him, I hope that you will forgive me for making this personal reference.

At this time, 33 years ago, I was campaigning in Bedford County for the State senate. I there met this witness, and he agreed to support me for the State senate and has been my friend and supporter ever since.

Now, 33 years later, if I can have an opportunity to repay the favor that meant so much to me then, it will be one of the happy occasions of my life.

Senator MALONE. You have been in politics a long time, Senator. Senator ROBERTSON. Indeed I have.

Senator MALONE. We are happy to hear from you, Dr. Lyle.

STATEMENT OF DR. W. L. LYLE, MAYOR OF BEDFORD, BEDFORD, VA.

Dr. LYLE. I am Walter L. Lyle, mayor of the town of Bedford. Bedford occupies a rather unique position. We are situated there at the foot of mountain peaks and 22 miles from the James River. The James River is the source of our electric supply.

Now, you go a long way back when you talk about 33 years, so we will just pass that.

But for a long time we have had no water source there to run machinery. We had to go 22 miles to get electric current. We have a number of developments, a number of industries, that use electric current altogether.

We have a silk mill, a woolen mill, and several other factories; and they have been inquiring where they can get the electric current. Then, along in the summertime, for maybe a month or 6 weeks, it develops that we have an inadequate supply of water. That puts us in the position where it is very expensive, not only to the municipality, but to all of our industries.

When this current goes off, it means that some of the labor is laid off, and everybody in the community is affected in one way or another. It affects the whole community very seriously. And with this water control, which has been so ably described, we would be given more water in dry weather and less water in wet wether, to provide for us an even flow of water by which our plants could function without interruption.

It means a whole lot to us. In fact, it is our life line from the industrial standpoint.

We are spending a lot of money, our money, a whole lot of money, for Bedford. Fifty or a hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money to us. We have spent that amount in increasing the capacity there to control the water as far as possible.

We certainly appreciate the opportunity of coming before this body. And we feel that not only would the town of Bedford be benefited, by this project, but the county of Bedford, which is a pretty good sized county. And Bedford is the oldest incorporated town in the county.

We are all here as a unit, for the town and the county, and what affects one affects the other.

In the farming section, the labor situation has made electricity imperative on the farms. They can't get along without it. That is why we are trying to get into position to furnish people on these

lines with electricity, certainly in the rural section, as well as the people in town.

They are needing it and asking for it every day. We are trying awfully hard to get it. If this is done, this will be of great benefit to our whole community.

Senator MALONE. Thank you, very much, Dr. Lyle.

Dr. LYLE. Thank you, gentlemen.

Senator ROBERTSON. I shall next ask to hear from Mr. S. T. Stewart, chairman of the Republican County Committee of Bedford County. Senator MALONE. We shal be very glad to hear from you, Mr. Stewart.

STATEMENT OF S. T. STEWART, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN COUNTY COMMITTEE, BEDFORD COUNTY, VA.

Mr. STEWART. I am S. T. Stewart, chairman of the Republican County Committee of Bedford County.

Dr. Lyle covered the matter very thoroughly.

I just want to say that we in Bedford County are united in this. Town and county, regardless of political parties, we want to see this done, not only for the benefit of the town of Bedford, which is growing rapidly industrially, but to give more current to the rural sections of Bedford County.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I believe that is all I have. Senator MALONE. Thank you, Mr. Stewart.

Senator ROBERTSON. As the next witness, I should like to call upon Mr. W. H. Walton, chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Bedford County.

Senator MALONE. You may proceed, Mr. Walton.

STATEMENT OF W. H. WALTON, CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS, BEDFORD COUNTY, VA.

Mr. WALTON. My name is W. H. Walton. I am chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Bedford County, Va.

There is very little I can add to what has been said. The only thing I would like to add is that we of the board of supervisors are 100 percent behind this project, and we appreciate any consideration you can give to it.

I think that is all I have, Mr. Chairman.

Senator MALONE. Thank you.

Senator ROBERTSON. The next witness is Mr. C. H. White, chairman of the Democratic County Committee of Bedford County. Senator MALONE. Go right ahead, Mr. White.

Mr. WHITE. I don't think, Senator, that I can add anything to what has been said. We all will be mighty glad to see this project put over.

Thank you very much.

Senator MALONE. Thank you, Mr. White.

Senator ROBERTSON. I will call upon Mr. J. C. Oliver at this time. Mr. Oliver is a member of the Board of Supervisors of Bedford County, and is president of local 1913 of the United Paper Workers of America.

Senator MALONE. You may proceed, Mr. Oliver.

STATEMENT OF J. C. OLIVER, MEMBER, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, BEDFORD COUNTY, VA.

Mr. OLIVER. Mr. Chairman, I think that any point that I might try to explain has been very well covered. But there is one thing that I would like to say: That in the references to the floods on this river, it seems that everyone has pointed to the flood of 1913.

I remember that flood. I dont' think that was the highest flood we had, as compared to the years before that time, or perhaps since. I have seen many occasions when the water was extremely high. They shut down large industries up and down the river. I have also seen islands and hundreds of acres of farmland covered.

I have seen crops destroyed.

In our Senator Robertson's home county, around Glasgow, I have seen valuable crops destroyed, hundreds of acres completely covered by water.

So I think that anything that can be done to put a cushion on this high water of the James River will be of great value, not only to any one county, but many counties up and down this river, and to the State as a whole.

And since I have been identified here with labor, I would wish to say this, too.

I am from Big Island, a plant that works in the neighborhood of 300 people. I have seen these people out of employment for a considerable time on account of the plant being flooded, on account of the motors being drowned out, on account of their coal supply and fuel oil being washed away.

Further down the river, in Bedford County, there is a small plant, the Electrometallurgical Corp., I believe, which is owned by the Union Carbide people.

I have known those workers to be out of work for 3 months on a stretch, because of low water.

This river affects everyone, up and down the river, when the water is extremely low or extremely high. And I certainly hope and earnestly request that you gentlemen will give this careful consideration and help we people up and down the river.

Senator MALONE. Thank you very much, sir.

Thank you.

Mr. OLIVER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Senator ROBERTSON. We are glad to have with us Mr. P. E. Mitchell, a prominent farmer from Bedford County.

Senator MALONE. Mr. Mitchell?

STATEMENT OF P. E. MITCHELL FARMER, JAMES RIVER AREA, BEDFORD COUNTY, VA.

Mr. MITCHELL. I am P. E. Mitchell, of Bedford County. I live over there on the James River, and I have seen that river cover those bottoms up, and drive crops, carry them away.

I have seen those mills idle for days.

I would like to see something done with respect to the flood control there.

I think that is all I have. Thank you very much.