APPROPRIATION BILL FOR 1948 HEARINGS BEFORE THE by 3 Congress, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS TO SUPPLY 24 77840 Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations UNITED STATES WASHINGTON: 1948 The committee met at 9:30 a. m., pursuant to call, Appropriations room, the Capitol, Senator Styles Bridges, chairman, presiding. Present: Senators Bridges (chairman), Ball, Cordon, Young, Dworshak, McKellar, Hayden, Tydings, Russell, Green and Chavez. Present also: Senators Hatch and Morse. Chairman BRIDGES. The committee will come to order. We are delighted to have with us this morning the Senator from New Mexico. Go right ahead, Senator Hatch. DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR BUREAU OF RECLAMATION STATEMENT OF HON. CARL A. HATCH, A UNITED STATES SENATOR FORT SUMNER IRRIGATION PROJECT, NEW MEXICO Senator HATCH. Mr. Chairman, I feel as though I should apologize to you this morning for taking even a moment of your time, which I know is so valuable and so rushed. I appear this morning, but I appear somewhat in the role of a humble supplicant. Your committee is the only one that can contribute to the irrigation district in my State the help it needs to prevent possible damage. You have known something of the conflict which is going on on the floor of the Senate between Senator Connally and myself. The controversy involves this particular district. I am seeking an appropriation in the sum of $60,000, only $60,000 this morning; I stress that because you usually deal in millions. This fund is to be appropriated to the Bureau of Reclamation to authorize and give that Bureau funds to assist that district in the event a flood comes down. I could go into detail and explain the dangers that exist there now, and they are real and not fancied. The district is small and does not have the money or equipment to protect its diversionary work. If any flood should come down the Pecos it would be a serious matter. Only 2 weeks ago they were confronted with what appeared to be a disaster but it did not develop. The authority lies with this group to make the appropriation because S. 1693 which provides for doing this work has been passed by the 1 Senate. It has been reported by the House committee, but I am advised over there that in all probability they will not be able to pass it over in the House and if we could tie it onto this bill this morning, perhaps it could be accomplished. Senator Connally knows about my appearance and is agreeable in the matter. I have talked this over with his administrative assistant and he said he would get in touch with you and tell you at least in this instance we are in accord. This is a very poor district and the bill which passed the Senate provided that this work, to be done by the Bureau of Reclamation in the event of disaster, should be paid back by the district. That is on the same basis that if you appropriated money for the Columbia River people and required them to pay it back. I thought this sum was so small and it would contribute so much to the good feeling between Texas and New Mexico if you could make in nonreimbursable that it would be a great thing to do. However, if the committee does not think it can make it nonreimbursable, I would be perfectly happy to have it follow the language of S. 1639 but I am in hopes that you may be able to include this small appropriation, making the appropriation to the Bureau of Reclamation in the sum of $60,000 to be used by the Secretary of the Interior only when a flood is or appears to be imminent. That is my story and I will not take any more of your time. I will leave this bill with you and I know some of your members are thoroughly familiar with it. I trust, hope, and pray that you will grant this small favor to that district. Chairman BRIDGES. Fine, thank you. Chairman BRIDGES. Senator Morse, we would be delighted to hear from you at this time. STATEMENT OF HON. WAYNE MORSE, A UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF OREGON Senator MORSE. It will be short, Mr. Chairman. Senator MORSE. I do not know what page it is on but it is the $20,000,000 appropriation for the highway and I ask for permission to file only a two-page statement and copies of briefs which had been prepared on it. Senator Cordon will discuss it later with the committee. I join most heartily in the position that my colleague takes on the matter and I would like to have my brief statement made a part of the record. I am sure you will all appreciate my brevity. Chairman BRIDGES. That will be done, Senator Morse. (The statement is as follows:) STATEMENT OF HON. WAYNE MORSE Recently I appeared before the House committee in support of the President's recommendation of an additional $20,000,000 for forest highways. At that time I asked the House committee to consider a brief prepared by Mr. Jack Mayne, executive manager of the Three Flags Highway Association as well as manager of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce. The Three Flags Highway Association is a nonprofit organization composed of representative groups of business leaders and public officials in the five Western States of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, and Nevada. Mr. Mayne's very splendid, comprehensive brief offers a number of convincing arguments in support of the amount recommended by the President. Every highway engineer knows that poor roads cost much more in maintenance than do good roads. In addition to this there is the loss of business incident to decreased travel and the higher accident toll. The forest highways apparently are the weak links in the road systems of the Western States and even under the full amount recommended by the President, there will be sufficient money to take care of only those projects well in arrears. It will not extend, I understand, to new projects which have been tentatively planned as a part of the 3-year highway postwar project. I should like to leave copies of the brief for the committee together with some photographs showing a part of the Poison Creek section of US 395 in Harney County. This is on a Federal forest highway section located in the Malheur National Forest and in a very heavily traveled area now carrying a great amount of logging and lumber trucks. This road becomes impassable during spring break-ups, I understand, and as the committee can see, it is in a wretched condition. I understand that Senator Cordon has for presentation to the committee a larger map showing the list of 15 forest highway projects in Oregon which await appropriations authorized by the 1944 Road Act. Even if the full amount proposed by the President is granted we will have barely adequate funds to take care of the most urgently needed road improvements. I strongly urge therefore, that the committee restore the full amount instead of accepting the House recommendation. Chairman BRIDGES. We will hear at this time the Department of Agriculture on the Remount Service. REMOUNT SERVICE STATEMENTS OF E. J. OVERBY, ASSISTANT TO THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE; DR. W. V. LAMBERT, RESEARCH ADMINISTRATOR, AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION; H. W. MARSTON, RESEARCH COORDINATOR, AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION; COL. R. E. IRELAND, CHIEF, REMOUNT SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, RALPH S. ROBERTS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, WASHINGTON, D. C. Chairman BRIDGES. Who will be the first witness? Dr. LAMBERT. Mr. Overby will be the first speaker, sir. Chairman BRIDGES. Will you identify yourself for the record, please. Mr. OVERBY. My name is E. J. Overby and I am Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture. Chairman BRIDGES. We have so many items to cover this morning that we will appreciate your being as brief as possible in your testimony and try to be as much to the point as you can, sir. Mr. OVERBY. Yes, sir. We submitted to the committee last night a letter indicating what would happen in the event the cut in the appropriation that was made |