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WAR DEPARTMENT CIVIL FUNCTIONS APPROPRIATION

BILL, 1946

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1945

UNITED STATES SENATE,

SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met at 10:30 a. m., pursuant to call, Senator Elmer Thomas, of Oklahoma, chairman of the subcommittee, presiding.

Present: Senators Thomas of Oklahoma (presiding), Hayden, Overton, Mead, Maybank, Gurney, Reed, and Ferguson.

CORPS OF ENGINEERS

Senator THOMAS of Oklahoma (presiding). The committee will be in order.

The subcommittee has before it House bill No. 2126, a bill making appropriations for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1946, for civil functions administered by the War Department, and for other purposes.

AMENDMENTS REQUESTED BY WAR DEPARTMENT

As is customary when the bill reached the Senate an invitation was extended to the Secretary of War to consider the bill as the same passed the House and to submit to the Senate such suggestions for corrections and changes as he might desire.

At this point in the resord, I will place a letter signed by Henry L. Stimson, Secretary of War, to the committee under date of February 19, 1945. The Secretary makes but three suggestions for changes. These three are merely technical. On page 4, line 2, he wants the Word "affected" changed to the word "effected." That does not seem like a very important amendment, nevertheless it might become important. The second suggested change is on page 9, line 3, after the word "fifty" strike out the word "used." The third amendment is on page 18, line 2, after the word "shall" insert the word "be."

The Secretary makes no suggestions for material changes in the bill excepting clerical and typographical.

1

(The letter is as follows:)

WAR DEPARTMENT,

Hon. ELMER THOMAS,

Washington, D. C., February 19, 1945.

Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate.

of

DEAR SENATOR THOMAS: There are transmitted herewith memoranda changes desired in the War Department civil appropriations bill, 1946, in accordance with the request contained in your letter of February 12, 1945. Representatives of the department will appear before your committee at such time as you may desire.

Sincerely yours,

SIGNAL CORPS

HENRY L. STIMSON,

Secretary of War.

ALASKA COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Page 4, line 2: Delete the word "affected" and insert the word "effected". Discussion: To correct a typographical error in order that the text may be in accord with prior acts.

CORPS OF ENGINEERS

FLOOD CONTROL

Page 9, line 3: After the word "fifty" strike out the word "used".

Discussion: The word "used" was inserted by the House Committee on Appropriations. Since there is no known source from which "used" cars can be procured, a statutory provision restricting the use of funds to "used" cars would leave the War Department without authority to procure vehicles necessary to accomplish the work for which the appropriation is made.

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Page 18, line 2: After the word "shall" insert the word "be".

Discussion: To correct a typographical error in order that the text may be in accord with prior acts.

We understand there will be supplemental budget estimates presented to the committee before we complete our hearings, and they will be taken up in order, but the hearing at this time will be with respect to the provisions of the bill so that the Senate committee may have as clear an understanding as possible of the proposed legislation. Without objection I think it advisable to make the hearings held by the House committee a part of our hearings, not to be reprinted, but to form a part of our hearing for reference purposes. If there is no objection that can be done, and we will have the hearings here before us.

Now, the War Department is well represented this morning. I think it will be proper for the record to show the representatives of the War Department who are present, if you will give them to the reporter.

(The representatives from the War Department present were as follows: Maj. Gen. E. Reybold, Maj. Gen. Thomas M. Robins, Col. George R. Goethals, Col. J. P. LaCroix, and Maj. D. M. Radcliffe. Colonel GOETHALS. That has been done, sir.

Senator THOMAS of Oklahoma (presiding). General Reybold, if you will, you may proceed to give the committee a general statement outlining the provisions of the bill and what you seek to accomplish through the coming year in view of the war situation.

STATEMENT OF MAJ. GEN. E. REYBOL]), CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, WAR DEPARTMENT

General REYBOLD. I should like to summarize the detailed statements on the civil works program of the Department which I made in the hearings before the House committee, to which the chairman has already referred

CIVIL WORKS PROGRAM DURING PRESENT YEAR

During the present year, our civil-works program is being carried forward at the minimum rate essential to the adequate operations of completed works and maintenance of channels and improvements vital to the war effort. Construction of civil-works projects has practically ceased. We are making good progress on advance planning of authorized civil-works projects to be ready for construction after the

war.

AMOUNT APPROPRIATED FOR CURRENT FISCAL YEAR

For the current fiscal year appropriations totaling $106,916,100 have been provided by Congress for the civil works program, including $12,000,000 for emergency repairs to levees damaged by the 1944 spring floods.

I call your attention to that figure, $106,916,100, which is for the current fiscal year.

TOTAL APPROPRIATION IN BILL FOR CORPS OF ENGINEERS AS PASSED BY

HOUSE

The War Department civil appropriations bill for the fiscal year 1946 as approved by the House, contains appropriations totaling $87,957,000. You will note that is somewhat less, Mr. Chairman, than for the current fiscal year.

For the break-down of these appropriations, we have:

Maintenance and improvement of rivers and harbors, $41,358,000. Flood control, general, $14,037,000.

Flood control, Mississippi River, $30,000,000.

Emergency fund, Mississippi River tributaries, $500,000.

Flood control, Sacramento River, $2,050,000.

Maintenance and operation, certain water mains outside the District of Columbia, $12,000. Aggregating the figure I gave a moment ago of $87,957,000.

These amounts will be sufficient to carry forward the civil works program on a much reduced scale in accordance with wartime policies and conditions, including limited programs of advance planning for flood control and preliminary examinations and surveys.

RIVERS AND HARBORS

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS, SURVEYS AND CONTINGENCIES

Let us now consider the subject of preliminary examinations, surveys, and contingencies for rivers and harbors as distinguished from flood control.

The amount contained in the pending appropriation for rivers and harbors includes $2,000,000 for "Examinations, surveys, and contingencies." These funds do not provide for carrying out any of the investigations called for in the pending river and harbor bill, S. 35. which has passed both Houses of Congress. The pending bill contains provision for some 300 investigations.

ADDITIONAL AMOUNT THAT WOULD BE NEEDED TO CARRY ON PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS AND SERVEYS UNDER RECENTLY PASSED RIVER AND HARBOR BILL

In other words, the appropriation bill before you carries $2,000,000, but in order to carry on preliminary examinations and surveys for the items listed in the new rivers and harbors bill, we could spend an additional $1,500,000.

AVAILABILITY OF MANPOWER

Senator FERGUSON. May I inquire there, General, have you the manpower to do this work?

General REYBOLD. Yes, sir, on a slow-moving schedule.

Senator FERGUSON. For an appropriation of this size?

General REYBOLD. Yes, sir.

Senator FERGUSON. Even though the war is going on, you have the manpower?

General REYBOLD. Yes, sir. Those surveys and examinations are made by our older employees.

Senator FERGUSON. Well, this is mostly pay roll, isn't it—that is, the surveying and planning?

General REYBOLD. Yes, sir; that is correct.

Senator FERGUSON. How many men would that take?

General REYBOLD. I don't have the figures right at hand. Those preliminary examinations and surveys are scattered throughout the Nation, Senator.

Senator FERGUSON. I appreciate that, but 2,000,000 upward is quite a pay roll, when we are at war, as an outside project.

General REYBOLD. I am sure we have the personnel available for this specialized class of work without interference with the war effort.

NUMBER OF CIVIL WORKS DISTRICTS

Senator THOMAS of Oklahoma. How many branch offices have you scattered throughout the United States?

General REYBOLD. We have 46 civil works districts, Senator, located throughout the country.

Senator THOMAS of Öklahoma. And each of those districts are now staffed with personnel?

General REYBOLD. Yes, sir.

Senator THOMAS of Oklahoma. The country is divided into that many districts?

General REYBOLD. Yes.

Senator THOMAS of Oklahoma. And each district has branch offices. For example, in my State there is one at Tulsa which seems to be quite an institution. I also know something about the one at Denison, Tex. I presume if this money is made available that you have in those var

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