accumulate over a period of years, there is always opposition because the total money costs of the authorizations are large. Many projects recommended are urgent while others are not. Prompt authorizations will make it possible for urgent projects to be appropriated for promptly while others less urgent can wait a more convenient time.

I express the earnest hope that the projects I have briefly described may have your careful and favorable consideration. I regret circumstances prevent me from making a personal appearance before the committee and I am therefore asking Mr. Dale Miller, who is assistant to the president of the Intracoastal Canal Association, to submit this brief statement in my behalf.

The CHAIRMAN. You may inform your father that we received his statement with thanks and have incorporated it in the hearing. Mr. MILLER. Thank you.

Mr. PITTENGER. I would like the record to show that your father has a very able representative here and you have presented a very able statement. It sounded like an argument for the St. Lawrence seaway and power project. I wish you would tell the good folks down there that I am for this improvement because I think it is needed; and we need the St. Lawrence seaway. I want them to "get religion' and help us out.

Mr. MILLER. Thank you, sir.

(Sabine-Neches Waterway, Tex., project heard at this point, printed separately.)

BIG SIOUX RIVER, S. DAK.

STATEMENT OF HON. CHARLES B. HOEVEN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF IOWA

The CHAIRMAN. You may proceed, Mr. Hoeven.

Mr. HOEVEN. My name is Charles B. Hoeven, Member of Congress from the Eight Congressional District of Iowa.

Mr. Chairman, I want to state at the outset that I deeply appreciate the consideration which is being given a delegation from Sioux City, Iowa, today, who are here to offer their testimony as to the Big Sioux River project, which, as I understand it, is scheduled for hearing before this committee on the 16th of this month.

Through some misunderstanding, the delegation from Sioux City understood that the hearing would be today, instead of on the 16th, and the chairman of this committee has been kind enough to grant this delegation a short time in which to present their views on the Big Sioux River project.

On the 16th, when the regular hearing will be held, Mr. Chairman, I propose to offer some testimony before this committee, but I do not want to take up more time now, other than to introduce the members of this delegation from Sioux City who, with your permission, will offer their testimony now so that they can return to their homes.

The CHAIRMAN. We will hear them now and go as far as we can. Mr. HOEVEN. I want to present Mr. Forrest M. Olson, of Sioux City, who is the mayor of Sioux City.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you want him before the colonel makes his presentation?

Colonel FERINGA. I wish that I could explain the project briefly, and then it could follow in the normal order of business.

Mr. HOEVEN. I believe that would be better.

Colonel FERINGA. Mr. Chairman, the report of Bix Sioux River, S. Dak., is in response to a resolution adopted by this committee on November 22, 1939.

Sioux River, known officially as Big Sioux River, flows south, forming in its lower reaches the boundary between South Dakota and Iowa and at the westerly limits of Sioux City, Iowa, enters the Missouri River 810 miles above the Mississippi River.

This report considers improvement of Big Sioux River at its mouth to serve as a harbor auxiliary to the authorized Missouri River 9-foot deep navigation channel.

At present the Big Sioux is not under improvement for navigation. The navigation project for Missouri River in effect prior to March 2, 1945, provided for a channel 6 feet deep from the mouth to Sioux City.

Work under that project is about 90 percent completed between the mouth and Kansas City and 84 percent thence to Sioux City.

The River and Harbor Act of March 2, 1945, modified the project to provide for securing a depth of 9 feet between the mouth and Sioux City. When this is accomplished, Sioux City will become the head of navigation on Missouri River for the type of barge tows in successful operation on the Mississippi River.

And right there, Mr. Chairman, lies the importance of this proposed harbor. This will be the treminus of the large amount of traffic which will make use of the Missouri River and flow down the Mississippi River.

From the graphs which we have previously presented, you know that the traffic, the inland waterway traffic, of all the waterways in the United States has gone up by leaps and bounds.

Whereas in 1934 the ton-miles on all the waterways amounted to 9,423,000,000 ton-miles, the waterway traffic in 1944 amounted to 31,343,000,000 ton-miles.

The CHAIRMAN. Traffic on the Missouri is simply grain, is it not? Colonel FERINGA. Mostly, sir; and traffic in the Missouri, of course, has been handicapped by only having a 6-foot channel. The 9-foot channel is now authorized but has not yet been constructed.

The CHAIRMAN. Well, it will take a few years for that to develop under the character of treatment you are putting in there, as I

understand it.

Colonel FERINGA. Pardon, sir?

The CHAIRMAN. I say your improvements there confine the current. Colonel FERINGA. That is right, sir; it is nearly all by restrictive works, such as dikes being built out in the shallow, wide portions bank revetment, and so on.

The CHAIRMAN. And that will take several years, perhaps to develop?

Colonel FERINGA. That will take several years to complete.

Mr. Hogan points out that although we expect that probably the principal cargo will be grain, it also carries coal; certainly petroleum products of every type; and I imagine steel, and even automobiles.

86902-46-5

Mr. COLE. There are seasons of the year now that there can be no traffic on the Missouri River up to Kansas City. Is that not right? Colonel FERINGA. That is right. During the severe winter weather there will not be any traffic.

Mr. COLE. And also during the drouth years? I know I spent quite a lot of time on that Missouri River, fishing, and I have seen it where you could hardly get a rowboat down the river.

Colonel FERINGA. I think with the projects that have been authorized for construction both by the Department and by the Bureau of Reclamation—although I am careful to state that there is no demand on any water supply for navigation, because that was fought out bitterly, you remember, about 2 years ago-that with these contraction works and the water that would become available as it is released, we can have year-around navigation except for the winter months. Mr. COLE. Yes?

Colonel FERINGA. At this time, Mr. Chairman, may I present to the committee these waterway traffic graphs which we have prepared? I will ask Mr. Muller to pass them around. It shows the tremendous increase that has taken place on the waterways of the country.

The immediate area commercially tributary to a harbor at Sioux City includes portions of Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, with a population of about 1,000,000.

Sioux City, Iowa, and Sioux Falls, S. D., with 1940 populations of 82,360 and 40,830, respectively, are its largest cities. Both are important manufacturing and commercial centers and livestock markets. Sioux City is the second largest city in Iowa and the leading industrial center in the Missouri River Basin above Omaha, Nebr. Sioux Falls is the largest city in South Dakota. Six major railroads and well-improved highways radiate from Sioux City into the tributary area, which is an agricultural region producing large quantities of grain and other farm crops, livestock, and dairy and poultry products. Also large quantities of commodities suitable for import by barge are consumed in the area.

Local interests in Iowa and South Dakota desire the construction of a harbor within the mouth of Big Sioux River, where it will be directly accessible to both States, and the use of the dredge spoil to fill the adjoining lowlands so that they will be suitable for future industrial terminal developments.

They point out that a harbor at this location would provide shelter for river craft from Missouri River ice flows and floodwaters.

The Board recommends improvement of Big Sioux River, South Dakota and Iowa, by dredging at the mouth of a channel 6,600 feet long, with project depth of 9 feet, 200 feet wide, in a short guide-wall protected entrance from the Missouri River and thence 400 feet wide to the upper end.

The CHAIRMAN. That is a little more than a mile long?
Colonel FERINGA. Yes, sir, a little more than a mile.

Construction of levees to protect this channel and adjacent areas on which the dredge spoil is to be deposited and provision of mooring facilities along the Missouri River immediately below the entrance. The Chief of Engineers concurs in the recommendations of the Board.

The improvement is recommended subject to the condition that no work shall be undertaken until local interests agree to furnish, with

out cost to the United States, all necessary lands, easements, rightsof-way, and spoil-disposal areas needed for the initial work and for subsequent maintenance when and as required, and give assurances satisfactory to the Secretary of War that they will construct and maintain under public supervision a public terminal with the necessary utilities and rail and highway connections open to all on equal terms.

The district engineer believes that after the Missouri River project channel is sufficiently completed, about 1,690,000 tons of commerce, consisting largely of coal, petroleum products, and grain, will use the proposed harbor annually and estimates the resulting savings in transportation costs at over $1,182,000 during the 8-month navigation season. He attributes $31,000 of this benefit to the proposed harbor. In his opinion, the existence of the harbor will permit navigation operations for 2 weeks longer each season, and he estimates this benefit at $69,000 annually.

The harbor will make available a site for winter base for Government plant engaged in river work and lengthen the working season. The district engineer estimates its value for this purpose at $21,500 annually.

Provision of the harbor and filling the adjacent areas for industrial sites will enhance the value of the land. After offsetting the estimated total enhancement in land value by the cost to local interests for providing access roads and non-revenue-producing utilities, the district engineer estimates the net enhancement in land values at $321,000. At 4 percent interest this represents an annual benefit of $12,840, which he attributes to the harbor improvement.

These estimated annual benefits totaling $134,440, when compared with the estimated annual cost for the harbor of $37,040, indicate a ratio of costs to benefits of 1.0 to 3.6.

In accordance with existing law, we sent this report to the governors. The Governor of Iowa had no comment, and the Governor of South Dakota was in favor of the project but points out that due to the fact that this is a project which is national in scope, in that all the transportation benefits would benefit the entire Nation, he does not believe that anyone except the United States should pay for the costs of lands, et cetera. However, he has no objection to local interests assuming

that cost.

It has gone to the Bureau of the Budget, but we have not had a reply. It has gone to the Department of the Interior.

The CHAIRMAN. Any questions?

Mr. HOEVEN. Now, if I may present Mr. Forrest M. Olson, the mayor of Sioux City—

STATEMENT OF HON. FORREST M. OLSON, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Chairman, first I want to take this opportunity of thanking you very kindly for the courtesy that you are showing us

today by allowing us to appear at a time which really is previous to the time that we should be here.

For the purpose of the record, I would like to state that my name is Forrest Olson, and I am mayor of the city of Sioux City.

I would like to introduce into the record a brochure prepared by Sioux City and the chamber of commerce. With your permission, I would like to read some of the high lights that I have jotted down here, taken from this brochure.

In the interest of the development of the Missouri River Basin and especially in the development of the harbor and barge terminals at the mouth of the Big Sioux River, I wish to submit a brochure prepared by the city of Sioux City and the Sioux City Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with South Dakota interests, pursuant to a discussion with representatives of the engineers, U. S. engineer office, Omaha, Nebr., on December 11, 1944, regarding the plan of improvement to provide harbor and barge terminals at the mouth of the Big Sioux River.

It has been prepared to demonstrate to the district engineers that the city of Sioux City and South Dakota interests, because of the local benefits which will accrue, will provide the required local cooperation and participation in the project; to present a preliminary plan being developed by local interests by which land adjacent to the Federal project will be developed for much needed new industrial sites; to show that the city of Sioux City has initiated measures to promote industrial expansion after the war and will vigorously encourage industry to utilize the proposed sites; and to evaluate the benefits in terms of enhancement of land values which the Federal project and the coordinated local plan will provide.

ADVANTAGES OF SIOUX CITY AS A SITE FOR HARBOR AND BARGE TERMINAL FACILITIES

Transportation: For many years the district engineers of the United States Army engineers of Omaha, Nebr., under the direction of the Chief of Engineers, Washington, D. C., have had as their assignment the task of controlling the devastating floods occuring in the Missouri Valley and the developing of the channel so as to make it navigable in order that this great midwestern area might utilize the opportunities provided in being a part of the great inland waterways system of America.

It is significant that each district engineer has designated Sioux City as the head of navigation in the plans prepared under their supervision. Some definite reason must be responsible for such decisions, and it may well be that the existing transportation facilities afforded at Sioux City, together with the designation of Sioux City as the terminal point of river navigation.

Trade territory: Retail area-Population: Located as it is, at the junction of three States, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota, Sioux City has rightfully been termed "the shopping center of three States." Its retail shopping area is the largest in the State.

Wholesale area: The territory outlined and to which the facts in the tables apply, is the territory already intensely covered by the wholesale houses of Sioux City.