Unexpended balance
(released to State
Department).

Printing maps.

6, 681.03 5, 578. 97

Mr. E. LESTER JONES,

TREASURY DEPARTMENT,
Washington, May 7, 1926.

Commissioner, International Boundary Commission,

Washington, D. C.

MY DEAR MR. JONES: Receipt is acknowledged of your letter dated May 7, and I wish to thank you for the joint report and atlas of maps in regard to the survey and demarcation of a section of the international boundary line. It appears that your commission, in planning to carry out the provisions of the treaty of 1925, with particular reference to reclearing the timber on the boundary, would like to have any information that this office might furnish in regard to ports along the boundary where this would be of advantage in connection with the enforcement of the customs and prohibition laws.

In looking over the map of the Canadian boundary, from an enforcement standpoint, and in connection with your question, I will give the following territories:

The northeastern boundary of the State of Maine. A short distance on both sides of the highway which crosses the western boundary of Maine, near the town of Jackman.

The northern border of the State of Vermont.

The northern border of the State of Minnesota, from the Lake of the Woods to the North Dakota State line. A short distance on either side of highways and railroads crossing the border on the boundaries of Washington, Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota.

DEAR SIR: I have before me your letter of May 7, and desire to thank you for your kindness in supplying a copy of the joint report and atlas of maps upon the survey and demarcation of the section of the international boundary line from the source of the St. Croix River to the St. Lawrence River.

In reply to your request for a suggestion as to where along the line timber should be recleared on the boundary, I have to advise that, so far as the Immigration Service is concerned, it would be most helpful if the heavy wooded sections along the eastern boundary, particularly in northern Maine and New Hampshire, were cleared as it would enable the border-patrol force to operate with greater freedom in preventing unlawful entries and at the same time acquaint aliens with the actual location of the boundary. It not infrequently happens that aliens when apprehended in the United States claim that they have no knowledge of having left Canada, but on the other hand believed that they were still in that country. I believe this was suggested to Mr. Van Wagenen, engineer of the commission, upon the occasion of his recent call at this department.

Respectfully,

W. W. HUSBAND, Second Assistant Secretary.

[Referred to the International Boundary Commission by the Indian office, Mar. 22, 1927]

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,

Washington, D. C.

WARROAD, MINN., March 15, 1927.

GENTEMEN: May I suggest that the small timber or undergrowth be cut and burned. On the boundary between Canada and the United States of America, at range 35 west, townships 166-167 and 168, a distance of about 14 miles, north and south. Located in Lake of the Woods County, Minn., known as the Northwest angle.

By removing this undergrowth a fire guard is established which protects the 90,000 acres of forests on United States of America side of the line and the vast tracts of forests on Canadian side.

Timber is being cut and removed on each side this winter, bringing the chances for fire to our doors. The people have cooperated with the Minnesota State department in this district in prevention of forest fires, so why not Canada and the United States Governments do their parts?

Yours truly,

C. C. DUPRIEST, Warroad, Minn.

Mr. SHREVE. We thank you for the information you have given us.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1927.

WATERWAYS TREATY, UNITED STATES AND GREAT BRITAIN

STATEMENTS OF HON. CLARENCE D. CLARK, CHAIRMAN, AND WILLIAM H. SMITH, SECRETARY, OF THE INTERNATIONAL JOINT COMMISSION

Mr. SHREVE. We will now turn to page 64 and take up the waterways treaty, United States and Great Britain. Mr. Smith, shall we hear from you?

Mr. CLARK. I think that Secretary Smith, who is the disbursing officer of the commission, can probably answer better than I can. In a general way I shall be glad to give you any information I can. Mr. SHREVE. We are all glad to see that whereas your appropriation for 1928 was $42,000, you have reduced your estimate for 1929 to $34,000.

REDUCTION OF ESTIMATE BY BUDGET BUREAU

Mr. SMITH. We estimated, Mr. Chairman, for $36,000 in the preliminary estimate. We were asked to submit a revised estimate, which I did, of $35,100, taking out a provision of $900 for a messenger. Then we were asked to submit another revised estimate, which I was unable to do. We had a hearing before the Budget Bureau on the estimate of $35,100 as it stood, and we were later informed that out allotment had been reduced by the Budget Bureau to $34,000. So that is the way it stands, so far as I know.

Mr. OLIVER. About $1,100 less than your last revised estimate? Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir; in my estimates I attempted to show for what purposes we needed the money, going somewhat into detail, A great deal of it will be for travel expense.

USE OF FUNDS REQUESTED

(See p. 224)

Mr. OLIVER. I understood that Mr. Shreve's question would call for a brief statement from you now as to how you would expend this money.

Mr. SHREVE. Yes; I would like to have you give us a very complete statement as to what you propose to do with this money, and what you have done. You had $42,000 last year.

Mr. SMITH. We had $32,000 of our own. We had nothing to do with the additional $10,000. It was in our item, and was turned over to the Geological Survey for their purposes. We had no control over any amount except the $32,000.

Mr. SHREVE. What did you do with the $32,000?

RAINY LAKE INVESTIGATION

Mr. SMITH. We spent it for salaries, for conducting the business of the commission. We have on hand the Rainy Lake investigation referred to us by the two Governments.

Mr. SHREVE. What investigations did you make last year?

Mr. SMITH. We made no initiatory investigations. We did not initiate any investigations. We continued with our Rainy Lake investigation.

Mr. SHREVE. What did you do in your investigation of Rainy Lake?

Mr. SMITH. We conferred with the engineers and with a number of people, some of them members of Congress, as to the conditions up there; for example, flood conditions. There was high water there this summer. We took up with the War Department a complaint of interference with navigation by logs in the Rainy River, and finally got regulations issued by the War Department that will clear that channel and keep it clear, and did what we could to get the engineers to look into the question of high water, which was flooding private properties up there.

Mr. SHREVE. Were you measuring the waters there?

Mr. SMITH. The engineers were contouring the shores of Rainy Lake and the lakes to the east of that.

Mr. SHREVE. Part of this committee were up there last year, and are quite familiar with the situation, some of the members here today Mr. Oliver, Mr. Griffin, and myself. We noticed the conditions which you have to contend with, especially the high water that has been flooding a large amount of territory. What were you able to do about that?

Mr. SMITH. We had a great number of complaints, all of which were referred to the Department of State. We had no authority to intervene in that situation. The commission asked for authority to regulate the outflow from Rainy Lake, in their final report on the Lake of the Woods, in 1918. That authority was not vested in the commission. If it had been, we could have taken action at that time, let the water out of Rainy Lake, and perhaps helped on the question of flood control; but we did not have the authority, and all of that. matter was turned over to the State Department, and by them, I assure, to the War Department to see what could be done.

Mr. SHREVE. Then there is nothing, really, that has been accomplished?

Mr. SMITH. Nothing has been accomplished in the Rainy Lake investigation. We are waiting for the report of the two engineers, one appointed by each country. They are formulating a joint report. They have surveyed many square miles of territory up there, from Rainy Lake east.

Mr. SHREVE. Do you think that report will be available for this Congress?