at Pine Bluff and Stuttgart, Ark., respectively. Surveys to determine the feasibility of obtaining irrigation water and for flood control in the Bayou Meto Basin were initiated last October and are now well under way. Field reconnaissance surveys with regard to obtaining irrigation water from the White River and from Wattensaw Bayou are also under way. Plans for being formulated with the United States Geological Survey for conducting a survey of deep and shallow wells during the coming spring, and a survey of surface reservoirs to determine the present acreage irrigated from this source and the possibility of expansion will begin about February 1. It is expected that that report will be forwarded to Washington early this fall.

Mr. NORRELL. This final statement: We are anxious to get some budget estimate for the improvements on the Arkansas River. Under the authorization bill there was $55,000,000 authorized, and I presume that that is going to be spent some where. We are anxious to secure favorable consideration, promptly as possible, regarding the Grand Prairie project in order to secure an adequate supply of water on our rice land. The Bayou Meto is also a very important project. They have too much water.

General WHEELER. Yes, sir.

DEFINITION OF NEW PROJECT

Mr. MAHON. General Wheeler, there is often discussion among the Members of the House on the question of whether or not new projects are included. I would like for you give me a typical new project and tell me what you mean by it.

General WHEELER. For example, in the rivers and harbors budget, is found the Sacramento ship channel, on which there has been no dredging work done previously. It is a project that was authorized in the last rivers and harbors bill and no work whatsoever has been done on it.

That is a new project.

Mr. MAHON. Now give me a new project in flood control that is in this budget.

General WHEELER. The Eufaula Reservoir, Okla., is an example of a flood control project that we consider a new project.

Mr. MAHON. Why do you consider it a new project?

General WHEELER. Because no construction work has been started on that project.

NEW FLOOD-CONTROL PROJECTS IN ESTIMATES, 1949

Mr. MAHON. I do not want you to repeat yourself, but how many new projects, under flood control, are there in this bill?

General WHEELER. There are 17; and there are two rivers and barbors, making a total of 19.

Mr. MAHON. How can you justify starting any new projects at this time when you have so much pending work?

General WHEELER. The way I explained that to the. Bureau of the Budget was that during the war we were not permitted to start any new projects, and rightly so, and I am not being critical, because there were more important uses for our manpower and money.

Then when the war was over and we were able to resume our construction there was a limitation put on the expenditure of funds and we could not start any new projects.

Further, we have strong demands for projects which Congress has authorized to be started in order to provide the protection for those areas the same as the areas where projects are already under con

struction, and I felt that because of that delay, and because of the urgent demand for some of these projects, that we should recognize those requests and request funds to start them.

PROPORTION OF ESTIMATES FOR FLOOD CONTROL AND FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS

Mr. MAHON. What proportion of the money requested is in flood control, and what proportion is in rivers and harbors?

General WHEELER. As approved by the Budget?

Mr. MAHON. Yes.

General WHEELER. Of the total amount of $663,219,000 in the request now before you, 29 percent is for river and harbor and 71 percent for flood control.

Mr. ENGEL. General, you may proceed with your statement on rivers and harbors.

GENERAL STATEMENT FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS

General WHEELER. The budget estimates for river and harbor work contain two principal features on which I would like to comment at this time: that for construction and that for maintenance and operation and care.

The feature for construction provides for the continuation of projects on which work has been done previously with two exceptions: St. Thomas Harbor in the Virgin Islands, for which there is an urgent need in the present Federal program for the rehabilitation of the islands, and Sacramento River, Calif., where rapidly expanding industries require additional transportation facilities to be provided by the deep draft ship channel. You will recall that during your consideration of our 1948 appropriation, a construction program was prepared at your request for the purpose of developing what future appropriations would be needed to carry forward at an economical rate the work that would be undertaken with the 1948 appropriation. The amount set up for fiscal year 1949 in that program was $141,000,000. The estimate before you of $107,350,000 for construction falls well within that amount and is required for continuing an economically sound, balanced program for 1949.

A further indication of the extent to which our construction program conforms with the views of your subcommittee is evidenced by the fact that the percentage of funds according to the magnitude of the projects closely conforms with the ratios recommended by your chairman. The table for river and harbor projects follows:

The other general feature which is worthy of specific comment is that for maintenance and operation and care. As you know, we confine the maintenance dredging of our harbors and rivers to that for which there is an urgent need. In this connection it is significant that for the latest year for which our records are complete, the calendar year 1946, the foreign and coastwise traffic of our country reached an all time high of 263 million tons as compared with the 10-year prewar average of 204 million tons. Likewise, while there have been postwar adjustments in the type and direction of flow of traffic on certain inland waterways, the total inland waterway traffic for 1946, the first postwar year, amounted to 28 billion ton-miles or more than 6 billion ton-miles above the prewar record year of 1940 when the traffic reached 22 billion ton-miles.

Mr. ENGEL. Just how do you arrive at those figures; who reports them?

General WHEELER. Some are secured by our lock tenders along the rivers, and we also get from the bridge operators reports of the movements of vessels of steamship companies, barge lines, and so forth.

Colonel FERINGA. Also, as you know, by law all ship operators must furnish commercial statistics to us. They are then, collected by our district engineers and are sent in to the Board for Rivers and Harbors where they are all compiled, and every year General Wheeler, in his annual report, gives the commercial statistics for every port and every waterway in the country.

General WHEELER. These reports include cargo destinations and points of origin, too.

It is interesting to note that the only 2 years in which the record for 1946 for the inland waterways has been surpassed have been the wartime years of 1944, in which a total of over 31 billion ton-miles was registered, and 1945 when the figure reached was almost 30 billion ton-miles. There are indications that the inland waterway traffic has increased during 1947. As an example of how the inland waterways fill a vital need in the transportation pattern of the country it is noteworthy that the Illinois Waterway is being kept open at the present time beyond the ordinary navigation season so that supplies of coal and petroleum products may be delivered to meet the critical shortage now existing in the metropolitan area of Chicago.

With such widespread activity in vessel traffic there is an equivalent widespread need and demand by vessel operators, industries, and port and inland waterway authorities for adequate maintenance of channels to authorized project depth and for prompt and efficient lock operation. While the most essential immediate postwar requirements of restoration of project depths and emergency lock and dam repairs have been met, additional work of that nature remains to be done. In 1949 we also plan to devote more attention to the urgently needed repairs to breakwaters at important ports.

We have shown two charts there, one showing the curve of ocean traffic, foreign and coastwise, and one showing the inland waterway traffic, excluding the Great Lakes.

MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT OF EXISTING RIVER AND HARBOR WORKS

STANDARD CLASSIFICATION SCHEDULE

Mr. ENGEL. Taking up the appropriation for maintenance and operation of river and harbor works, we will insert in the record at this point the summary of projects.

(The summary is as follows:)

Maintenance and improvement of existing river and harbor works-Continued

Mr. ENGEL. General Wheeler, I was rather surprised at two things. First, I was surprised at the increase in construction; second, I was surprised at the decrease in the maintenance. You have $57,269,109 in 1948, and you have $53,000,000 in 1949-a reduction of $4,269,109. I was under the impression that all this deepening of channels was maintenance work.

Colonel FERINGA. There is an actual increase in the amount to be appropriated for maintenance next year, but there was a carry-over from last year which will be applied to this year. You remember last year we had a limitation on expenditures. That limitation was removed as of June 30.

Mr. ENGEL. June 30, 1947?

Colonel FERINGA. Yes, sir.

Mr. ENGEL. How much will you have in addition to the $53,000,000?
Colonel FERINGA. About $4,000,000 of carry-over into 1948.
Mr. ENGEL. That will give you $57,000,000?

Colonel FERINGA. The estimated obligations shown for 1948 is made up from the $50,000,000 appropriated last year and a carry-over of $7,000,000 plus.

Mr. ENGEL. That will give you, with the carry-over, $57,000,000 this year for maintenance?

General WHEELER. That is correct, sir.

Mr. ENGEL. What was the total for the entire rivers and harbors program for 1947?

General WHEELER. The appropriation for 1947, total for rivers and harbors, was $113,925,250. That includes the Deficiency Act of July 23, 1946, too, which had $3,800,000.

Mr. ENGEL. And how much in 1948?

General WHEELER. In 1948, $116,718,700.
Mr. ENGEL. That is with everything?

General WHEELER. Yes, sir, that is with everything under the appropriation title for maintenance and improvement of existing river and harbor works.