Mr. TABER. How much P. W. A. funds have been allocated to that job?

Mr. HESTER. There has been a total so far of about $8,000,000. Mr. TABER. Altother?

Mr. HESTER. Altogether; yes, sir.

Mr. TABER. Over a period of how long a time?

Mr. HESTER. It has now been going about 18 months.

Mr. TABER. How much did the P. W. A funds amount to?

Mr. HESTER. I will have to supply that figure in the record; I cannot give you the break-down of that.

Mr. TABER. You mean $8,000,000 is the total so far?

$3, 428, 000 3,875, 000 997, 000

8, 300, 000

Mr. HESTER. Yes, $8,000,000 is the total so far. Of course, we expect the airport to be completed within the next 5 or 6 months. Mr. TABER. How much do you expect it is going to cost?

Mr. HESTER. Between 9 and 10 million dollars.

Mr. LAMBERTSON. Is that all it is estimated to cost?

Mr. HESTER. Yes, sir.

Mr. TABER. And the Government is paying it all through the W. P. A. or the P. W. A.?

Mr. HESTER. That is right.

Mr. TABER. What other airport, or what other activities are expected to be carried on in the year 1941 by P. W. A. money or W. P. A. money, and how much money are they allotted?

Mr. HESTER. You mean by the C. Ă. A.

Mr. TABER. Yes.

Mr. HESTER. No others to my knowledge, other than Federal expenditures for building airports throughout the United States sponsored by municipalities.

Mr. TABER. When are you expecting the Gravelly Point Airport to be finished?

Mr. HESTER. I would say within 5 or 6 months.

Mr. TABER. That means about the first of September?
Mr. HESTER. Well, I would say the first of October.
Mr. TABER. You are spending at what rate now?
Mr. HESTER. Well, I should say, as to the airport-
Mr. TABER. About a million dollars a month?

Mr. HESTER. NO; I would not say that much. The present rate of expenditure, based on the 6-month period, August 1939 through January 1940 is $463,057.43 per month, which is expected to increase to approximately $750,000 per month during the period buildings and paving are under construction. The runways are in such a state that paving will be started by the 15th of the coming month, and construction of the terminal building will soon be started.

Mr. TABER. That is to be paid for?

Mr. HESTER. That is right.

Mr. TABER. By the W. P. A.?

Mr. HESTER. From P. W. A. and W. P. A. funds. I should say that probably 60 percent of the airport has been completed now.

RELIEF LABOR USED ON WASHINGTON AIRPORT

Mr. TABER. How much relief labor has been employed in connection with it?

Mr. HESTER. I will have to give you those figures in the record.
Mr. TABER. I wish you would put those figures in the record.
Mr. HESTER. I will be very glad to do that.

The information is as follows:

The relief labor employed is and has been W. P. A. labor furnished the Army Corps of Engineers. During the early stages of construction, very few W. P. A. men were hired due to the character of the work involved (hydraulic fill operations) When the land operations were started, the use of W. P. A. personnel increased rapidly. For the 6 months' period, October 1939 through March 28, 1939, the total W. P. A. employees working for each month were:

The labor schedule provides for a peak during the next 6 months of approximately 2,000 W. P. A. employees.

EXPENDITURES BY W. P. A. ON AIRPORT PROJECTS SUPERVISED BY AIRPORT SECTION

Mr. WOODRUM. You supplied us in the previous hearings, for work relief and relief for the fiscal year 1940 with a table on page 255 entitled "Expenditures by Works Progress Administration on Airport Projects Supervised by Airport Section, July 1, 1935, to January 1, 1939." Can you not revise that table and bring it down to date and insert it in the record?

Mr. HESTER. Yes, sir, we will be glad to do that.
(The table above referred to is as follows):

Expenditures by Work Projects Administration on airport projects supervised by by Airport Section, July 1, 1935 to Jan. 1, 1940

Expenditures by Work Projects Administration on airport projects supervised

by Airport Section, July 1, 1935 to Jan. 1, 1940-Continued

ACTIVITY OF AIRPORT SECTION ON W. P. A. CIVIL AIRPORT PROJECTS

M. WOODRUM. And also, in reference to the two tables on page 256

of the same hearing, will you bring those down to date and insert them

in the record?

Mr. HESTER. Yes, sir; we will be glad to do that.

(The tables above referred to are as follows):

Recapitulation of airport section activity relative to Work Projects Administration civil airport projects

1 Federal funds shown, in all of the four columns, are Presidential limitations of projects.

4413 50, 135, 999

2 Disapproval of projects involves review of plans and estimates and transmittal to sponsors of reasons for disapproval and suggestions for revision.

3 Total number of airports improved and total number of projects involved do not agree since there are often more than one project operated per airport.

Active during first half of fiscal year 1940.

As of March 15, 1940.

As of January 1, 1940.

COST OF FILL AT GRAVELLY POINT

Mr. LUDLOW. What was the estimated cost of the filling in at Gravelly Point?

Mr. HESTER. I will have to supply those figures in the record. (The information is as follows:)

The estimated cost of filling the site (19,500,000 cubic yards hydraulic fill and 2,165,000 cubic yards dry excavation and fill) is approximately $4,500,000.

NUMBER OF AIRPORTS IN UNITED STATES

Mr. WOODRUM. How many airports have you now as compared with a year ago, roughly?

Mr. HESTER. Do you mean the number of airports in the United States?

Mr. WOODRUM. The number of airports in the United States, and the number assisted by Federal funds.

Mr. HESTER. We will have to supply those figures in the record. (The information is as follows:)

Number of airports in the United States as of Jan. 1

1935 1936_

1937.

2, 221 1938.

2, 287 1939.

2, 259 1940.

2, 209 2,260

2, 154

While the above figures show a decrease of 67 airports between January 1, 1935 and 1940, the decline can be accounted for by the fact that many landing areas listed as airports in 1935 were so grossly unsafe and inadequate as to scareely justify designation as airports, and among the various reasons for their abandonment are: (1) The impossibility or impracticability of expansion to adequate dimensions; (2) the refusal of many State and Federal aviation officials to sanction or approve the use of and the continued listing of these hazardous fields; (3) the reluctance of the flying public to continue to use such fields; (4) the inability of securing Federal or State funds for improvements to these unsuitable

sites; and (5) the increasing establishment of adequate airports throughout the country. The total number of airports on which Federal funds have been expended is 654, representing 586 municipal, 48 military, 16 emergency fields, and 4 Coast Guard fields.

COMPARISON OF WASHINGTON AIRPORT WITH NORTH BEACH

AIRPORT, N. Y.

Mr. WOODRUM. What will be the comparison of that airport, as to size, accommodations, and convenience with the 45 million dollar North Beach airport in New York?

Mr. HESTER. It is rather difficult to draw comparisons. I would rather put it this way, that in the planning of this airport we have had the benefit and experience of the best advice obtainable in the construction of airports.

Mr. WOODRUM. You think it will be as fine as any airport anywhere? Mr. HESTER. We certainly do.

REASON FOR SELECTING GRAVELLY POINT SITE FOR WASHINGTON

AIRPORT

Mr. LUDLOW. What was the reason for filling in that site when there is so large an amount of vacant ground around Washington? What engineering reason was there for filling in that site?

Mr. HESTER. In the building of an airport you must have the location free from obstructions and hazards, and we thought that was the best way to get such a site.

Mr. LUDLOW. And such a site could not have been obtained, in your judgment, without that filling in?

Mr. HESTER. Not that close to Washington.

Mr. LAMBERTSON. What was the reason why the territory west of that site, between the tracks and the hill, was not used for that airport? Mr. HESTER. That was for the same reason, because of the ob

structions.

Mr. LAMBERTSON. There is nothing like that there at all, as I recall.

Mr. HESTER. There is some rolling country there. In coming in to an airport you have to have it free from obstructions, in order to land, particularly in bad weather.

Mr. LUDLOW. How many persons will be employed under the estimate of $175,000?

Mr. HESTER. Out of the $175,000 estimate we would have 57 employees.

Mr. LUDLOW. That is administrative personnel?

Mr. HESTER. Yes, sir; that is administrative and engineering personnel.

ANTICIPATED AIRPORT PROGRAM FOR 1941

Mr. WOODRUM. Will you furnish us with a break-down of the anticipated airport program of W. P. A. next year, with the amount that will be required?

Mr. FRIZZELL. We have not been able to get that.

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. How do you determine what your estimate is if you have not got that?