a feeling of security, and would be better citizens due to a more stable income." (h) The Vicksburg Chamber of Commerce, since January 1943, has had bona fide inquiries from 35 companies indicating an interest in Vicksbufg as a new site for the location of a plant. A listing of these 35 companies has been prepared by the Vicksburg Chamber of Commerce showing their names, addresses, dates of inquiry, and the signature of the official signing the letter. The original inquiries are available for presentation to you if desired. Not a single one of those companies has located in Vicksburg to this date. A number of them have located elsewhere and some have even located in cities adjacent to Vicksburg, namely Jackson and Natchez. This record demonstrates clearly that unavailability of suitable industrial sites has precluded favorable consideration of our community in the past and it betokens the fact that commercial concerns are continually interested in becoming established here. (i) Under the provisions of the Balance Agriculture With Industry Act of Mississippi, from 1940 to 1942, twenty-two new plants located in this State, only one of which, Le Tourneau, came to Vicksburg. The BAWI Act was repealed in 1942 but reinstated in 1944. From 1944 to 1946 twenty-one additional plants were located in the State of Mississippi through the medium of the Mississippi Agricultural and Industrial Board. Not a single one of those additional plants. came to Vicksburg. (j) The value of an industrial plant to a community is very thoroughly demonstrated by the fact that the one plant (Le Tourneau) which located in this area during the last 10 years has, during the last 4 years, paid out more than $4,500,000 in pay roll. This plant is located approximately 10 miles south of Vicksburg and its location that far removed from the city indicates forcefully the nonavailability of industrial sites in closer proxmity to the city. (k) The Civil Aeronautics Authority has already approved an appropriation of approximately $800,000 for a municipal airport at Vicksburg. It is not unreasonable to assume that at least $200,000 of additional improvements would ensue, thus providing at least a $1,000,000 valuation upon such a project. Six months ago there were 10 applications before the Civil Aeronautics Board for service into this city. Mr. C. E. Woolman, president, Delta Air Corp., Atlanta, Ga., in a letter dated December 11, 1945, says, in part: "We have always expressed a willingness and a desire to render air service to the cities along our route and for many years rendered service to all such cities as the Civil Aeronautics Board designated as stops along the route. Upon completion of your airport and upon approval of it by the CAA, we will be glad to request authority of the CAB to render service to your good city." (1) Already located within the area of the proposed Vicksburg-Yazoo project is the Anderson-Tully Lumber Co., with a $1,000,000 plant investment. Mr. Bart Tully, president of this company, has stated that his plant is subject to flood damage approximately 6 months out of each year, which curtails production during that half-year period, and that any permanent expansion to the plant is precluded until a flood-control project is provided. (m) About 3 miles north of the corporate limits of Vicksburg, within the Vicksburg-Yazoo area, are located the operations for the Warren County Heading Co. and Kings Stave Mill. It is estimated that an approximate value of $400,000 is represented in these two operations. For the same reasons that pertain to he Anderson-Tully plant they are prevented from expansion and, during flood, from operating at full capacity. (n) The present scarcity of industrial sites is illustrated by the fact that within the last 90 days an outside company seeking a site for a simple commercial operation has taken an option on a 44 acres area, 11⁄2 miles from the Vicksburg business district, at a price of $16,000. It seems to us to be reasonable to predict on the basis of the competent opinions cited above that, as a conservative estimate, an increase in value of $400 per acre for land suitable for industrial sites will follow upon the construction of the Vicksburg-Yazoo levee. The ensuing direct benefits, without even considering the many other indirect and intangible, but nevertheless real and substantial, benefits which would result from flood protection would greatly outweigh the Federal Government's outlay for construction costs. Furthermore, it appears entirely probable that there would be increased use of the existing navigation channel, both for commercial and recreational purposes, which would bring increased returns upon the Government's investment. We are cognizant of currently increasing needs on the part of large agricultural marketing firms and concerns supplying nearby oil and gas operations, as well as the oil companies themselves, for river-front shipping facilities. We have not as yet undertaken to prepare any detailed plans for the development of river terminals, airport and other specific allocations for the actual future usages of the protected area. However, as soon as authorization of the floodcontrol project is obtained, we contemplate proceeding with the preparation of comprehensive plans and studies to guide us in planning the ultimate development in the most effective manner. The possibilities of an uncontrolled boom in land values, which might prevent a prospective industry from obtaining a site at a reasonable cost, have been given serious consideration. Although we have concluded it to be impracticable for the city and county to obtain title to all the lands involved, options are being taken on a considerable area of desirable land. It is believed that these options will enable us to meet initial demands for industrial sites at a reasonable price and will serve as a steadying influence in stabilizing supply and demand. We have deemed it advisable to await approval of our flood-control project before perfecting the organization of a local levee district or similar special Government body. We are confident, however, that there will be no obstacles to the creation of such a body when the need for its establishment becomes crystalized. In the meantime, inasmuch as the Vicksburg-Yazoo area lies wholly within Warren County and outside the corporate limits of the city of Vicksburg, the Board of Supervisors of Warren County has undertaken to give the assurances required by the Flood Control Act with respect to furnishing rights-of-way for construction and taking over the operation and maintenance of the completed work. A formal resolution to that effect will be furnished if and when desired by your office. The proposed Vicksburg-Yazoo project has received enthusastic endorsement from our newspapers, from our business concerns, and from all of the civic clubs and similar groups in our community. In fact, it has met with unanimous approval from the mass of our citizens. We are fortunate in having the full 'support of our Congressman, Hon. Dan McGehee, as well as the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Mississippi, in our efforts to obtain favorable consideration. We are taking the liberty of furnishing a copy of this communication to Maj. Gen. Robert W. Crawford, president, Mississippi River Commission, to Lieutenant Colonel Sauer, district engineer at Vicksburg, to Congressman McGehee, and to Senators Bilbo and Eastland for their information. Respectfully submitted. Gen, ROBERT W. CRAWFORD, VICKSBURG, MISS., April 10, 1946. President of the Mississippi River Commission, Vicksburg, Miss. DEAR GENERAL CRAWFORD: We, the undersigned, being the five members of the Board of Supervisors of Warren County, Miss., do hereby certify that we are unanimous in our determination to sponsor what has been designated as the Vicksburg-Yazoo levee project, and that is our purpose and that we shall, as the duly elected officials of said Warren County, constituting the board of supervisors thereof, do all within our power to legally effectuate the furnishing of the necessary rights-of-way toward the completion of said project in collaboration with the United States Government or any agency or department thereof having jurisdiction thereover, and that we shall, should it later prove to be requisite, levy the necessary taxes for the upkeep and maintenance of said works following the erection and completion of said project. In short, we here bespeak our wholehearted approval of said project, and pledge ourselves as sponsors to cooperate toward its attainment and upkeep. Sincerely yours, ALBERT E. TUCKER, President of Board. T. B. HARRIS, J. H. HENDERSON, Members. Gen. ROBERT W. CRAWFORD, VICKSBURG, MISS., April 6, 1946. President, Mississippi River Commission, Vicksburg, Miss. DEAR GENERAL CRAWFORD: This is to certify that the mayor and aldermen of the city of Vicksburg hereby agree to act jointly with the Warren County Board of Supervisors in acquiring necessary rights-of-way for the proposed Vicksburg-Yazoo levee project. They also agree to cooperate officially in sponsoring the maintenance of the levee after completion by the Government of the United States. DEAR MR. TUCKER: It is my understanding that Warren County and the city of Vicksburg are interested in the development of the area north of the city of Vicksburg and alongside the Yazoo River as industrial sites. If this land could be developed through proper flood control, I am sure that it would mean much to the industrial development of your county as well as to the State of Mississippi, and I am sure that there are many industries which are looking for such locations. The Mississippi Agricultural and Industrial Board is interested in helping you as well as other sections of the State in attracting industries here and I hope that you will be able to secure the necessary Federal assistance in making this development possible. If I can be of service to you in this matter, please call on me. Very sincerely yours, THOS. L. BAILEY, Governor. To Whom It May Concern: STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, Please be advised that I have been apprised of the proposed Vicksburg-Yazoo project and am acquainted with the purposes and objects thereof. I was born and have spent my life in Rolling Fork, Miss., approximately 40 miles north of the city of Vicksburg. I have had close contacts with that city and its environs. I am familiar with the topography of the land and I know that the progress of Vicksburg has been hampered extremely by the lack of sufficient level land for development. Likewise the harbor area in Vicksburg has become congested and it is imperative, if Vicksburg and that section is to grow from an industrial and river harbor standpoint, that additional facilities be opened. I do not know of any other area which could be utilized for the purpose than the one selected. The development of the area proposed would be of immense benefit not only to the city of Vicksburg and the county of Warren but also to that entire section of the State of Mississippi, as well as to the interests of the State as a whole. Yours respectfully, F. L. WRIGHT. THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK & TRUST CO. OF VICKSBURG, To Whom It May Concern: and in the chamber qualifies me, in a small way at least, in assessing values of land in this section. Year after year we have traveled over the hills of Warren County to try to locate a site for some industry that was knocking at our doors; but, due to the topography of this section, no sites were available except at a prohibitive cost due to grading or filling. To my mind, the proposed Vicksburg-Yazoo project is the most constructive piece of work offered this community in its entire history. It will reclaim several thousand acres of land subject to overflow immediately north of Vicksburg. Many of these acres have been sold in the past as low as $1 per acre and at inflated prices much of it is worth only an average of $10 to $12 per acre. If the proposed levee were built, all the land enclosed would immediately become available for intensive farming, industrial sites, and other uses, and the price per acre would jump to $300 to $500 per acre and that most closely located to Vicksburg much higher. These suggested prices are based, of course, on the possibility of the lands being used for industrial sites, airport facilities, residential subdivisions, and the like. For farming purposes the land could easily run $75 to $100 per acre. This institution is backing our mayor and commissioner and our board of supervisors 100 percent in putting this project over. Respectfully yours, S. E. TREANOR, President. THE MERCHANTS NATIONAL BANK & TRUST CO. OF VICKSBUG, To Whom It May Concern: For the past 23 years I have been an officer of the Merchants National Bank & Trust Co. of Vicksburg, Miss., and during a good part of that period I was in charge of the real-estate loan department and we did a large mortgage loan business in the city and farm property in this area, so I feel that I have a reasonably good idea of present and past values of lands in this area. One of our problems in Vicksburg for many years has been the lack of level land for industrial purposes that was not subject to overflow. We are in the hilly section and there are practically no large tracts of level land available. The territory to be embraced by the proposed Vicksburg-Yazoo project will be exceptionally valuable to Vicksburg in my opinion and will give us some land which we badly need for industrial expansion. Some of this land in past years has been almost worthless and was worth not more than $10 to $15 an acre. In fact, not many years ago a considerable tract of it sold for less than those prices. If it is protected by the proposed levee it should increase considerably in value and will be worth per acre many times what it formerly could have been sold for. The potential development of this land in my opinion is vital to Vicksburg's interest and the actual increase in value is hard to estimate depending, of course, upon the demand for industrial sites, but the poorer land in my opinion would easily sell for 10 to 20 times as much as its present value. Yours very truly, Mr. M. L. MILES, Chamber of Commerce, Vicksburg, Miss. R. A. GEARY, President. P. L. HENNESSEY & BRO., Tickburg, Miss., March 22, 1946. DEAR SIR: As a life-long resident of Vicksburg and Warren County and being actively engaged in the real-estate business for the past 17 years I feel adequately equipped to determine land values in this vicinity. From 1935 through 1942 our firm represented the Home Owners' Loan Corporation as contract management and sales brokers and at the present time are the sole representatives of the Federal Public Housing Authority in this territory. We are also serving as appraisers for the Veterans' Administration and the Equitable Life Assurance Society. For a number of years Vicksburg and the surrounding territory has lost a wealth of opportunities for commercial and industrial expansion due exclusively to the unavailability of desirable sites, and this condition unfortunately will continue indefinitely unless the territory adjacent to the city is protected from recurring floods. In the proposed Vicksburg-Yazoo project, the present average value of the land involved is $15 per acre. A number of acres in this territory within the past 5 years have been sold for taxes. If this land is given permanent flood protection, its market value will rise immediately to $400 per acre, and when this same territory, comprising approximately 11,000 acres, is developed for commercial, industrial, and airport facilities I believe most sincerely the per acre value will rise to $800. Yours very truly, To Whom It May Concern: LAWRENCE H. HENNESSEY. BRUNINI & BRUNINI, Vicksburg, Miss., March 22, 1946. I am a native of Vicksburg, Warren County, Miss., and for the past 17 years have been actively engaged in the practice of law in Vicksburg. A large proportion of my practice has been in connection with the handling of real estate, including the making of abstracts, title opinions, and the closing out of transactions involving real-estate trades. In this manner I have handled numerous transactions all over Warren County, as well as elsewhere in the State of Mississippi. Additionally, my firm represents the First National Bank & Trust Co. of Vicksburg, Miss., in which bank I am serving, and have served for approximately the past 10 years, as a director. In this connection I have frequently been called upon to assess the value of lands for the purposes of making loans thereon. As a result of the foregoing, I am very familiar with the going value of prices for real estate in Warren County, as well as alined with uses thereof in connection with the city of Vicksburg. There has been an extreme scarcity of suitable lands for industrial purposes. As a result, extremely large prices are paid for commercial sites. I am familiar with the territory to be embraced by the proposed Vicksburg-Yazoo project. The normal going value of the land embraced therein at the present time, and has been for many years, is, in my judgment, between $10 and $15 an acre, as an average. There are some pieces thereof which naturally have a much higher value, but there are other and greater areas which have little market value. If this area is enclosed in the project proposed and is protected from overflows, due to the scarcity of available land in this area close to the city of Vicksburg, and due to the advantages which would be derived to the land itself, in my judgment the average value per acre of the land thus enclosed would be in the neighborhood of $400 to $500 an acre. This potential value is assuming what should be the natural result of the project, namely, the use of the land for industrial and other purposes, such as airport facilities, river facilities, and the like. Yours very truly, A. J. BRUNINI. VICKSBURG, Miss., March 26, 1946. Mr. M. L. MILES, Secretary-Manager, Chamber of Commerce, Vicksburg, Miss. DEAR MR. MILES: I have taken a great deal of interest in the recent publicity given to the proposed leveeing of approximately 11,000 acres immediately north of Vicksburg, which is overflow land. With the tract protected from high waters, it will give this area a new industrial and farming section. As for agricultural purposes there is no land more fertile and productive. As the situation is at present, it is a hit-and-miss proposition as to farming, and wholly unsuited for industrial usage. On account of cramped locations in this vicinity, I have recently sold tracts of less than an acre for $6,000 and more. Having been active here as a realtor for 26 years, I feel like I am in a better position to realize just how much it will mean in the increase in values of this protective area. While I do not intend to convey that this will increase all of this land the price that I have given in this statement above, I do say the increase would be enormous, especially over the present average value of approximately $25 per acre. Very truly yours, |