The higher portions of the district are in a high state of cultivation. The principal crops are cotton, corn, oats, and hay. Cattle raising is an important industry. McGehee is the principal city within the district, which has a population now estimated at 4,500 and is growing rapidly. This city's outlet for drainage is wholly through the Black Pond ditch of this district.

The area is served by main lines of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Co., and McGehee is an important junction point, having railroad shops. There are improved highways paralleling the railroad and from McGehee. west to Bartholomew, together with other public roads which are unsurfaced.

The ditches of this district and their outlets in Chicot County and Dermott drainage district are greatly in need of improvement, which condition is partially due to silting and washing of the 1927 flood, when the whole area was inundated from the crevasses on the Arkansas River in Desha County.

In the recommended plan for drainage improvement in southeast Arkansas the proposed work stops at the junction of Big slough and Bland Pond slough, about 4 miles below Dermott.

We urge that the plan be extended up Big Bayou slough and Black Pond slough to include the area of this district. Such extension of the proposed work will drain 30,000 acres of land and the cities of Dermott and McGehee, bringing great benefits to said lands and cities, and to approximately 12,000 people in the area, insure future development and growth, provide additional homes for people, and will promote the general welfare of the country; and we think this work could be extended from Big Bayou north through this district, along both ditches, at an additional first cost of $200,000, and will result in annual benefits of more than $50,000 to farm lands, in additions to the benefits accruing to the cities of McGehee and Dermott. This is a most favorable ratio of benefits to estimated costs, and is therefore economically sound.

STATEMENT OF HON. FAY JOYNER, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF

MCGEHEE, ARK.

Mr. JOYNER. McGehee, Ark., is a city of the second class, with a population of around 4,500, and is situated in the southern part of Desha County, on United States Highways 65 and 165, and on State Highways Nos. 1 and 4, in the heart of the Delta section in southeast Arkansas. This was primarily a railroad town, and is now a division point on the Missouri Pacific Railroad. An enormous amount of freight is handled through its yards daily for points north, east, and south. But for several years McGehee has been going forward with rapid strides as an agricultural trade center. We are located in the Delta section and some of the most fertile land along the Mississippi River is located in Desha and Chicot Counties. With adequate drainage much more of these fine lands could be placed in cultivation, and the production on the lands now in cultivation could be increased 50 percent or better.

This city is built along the banks of Crooked Bayou, for a distance. of some 2 miles, and for drainage we depend entirely upon the Black

Pond slough ditch (of drainage district No. 4). Crooked Bayou is connected by ditch with said district's ditch, on the south boundary of the city. Drainage district No. 4 was formed some 30 years ago, but now is wholly inadequate to carry the water. During periods of excessive rainfall, which are frequent, some of our streets are flooded to a depth of a few inches to 2 or 3 feet. And this same condition prevails on the lands adjacent to this ditch over its entire length.

Black Pond ditch merges with Big Bayou in the northern part of Chicot County and on into Boeuf River. It is my humble opinion that this drainage problem and the providing for outlets is much too large to be handled by local interests, and that there is justification for inclusion of Black Pond slough and Big Bayou slough as major drainage, in view of the benefits accruing to the cities of McGehee and Dermott and their environs, and to more than 30,000 acres of farm lands. We urge approval of the recommended plan for drainage improvement in southeast Arkansas and that it be extended to include the Black Pond slough area.

STATEMENT OF I. N. MOORE, SECRETARY OF DRAINAGE DISTRICT NO. 5, DUMAS, ARK.

Mr. MOORE. I live at Dumas, Ark., in Desha County, and have lived here for many years. Am an attorney at law, secretary of drainage district No. 5 in the Dumas area; and am now mayor of the city. When the ditches were first put in it was my understanding that ditch No. 19 was not intended to carry the water from such a large area to the north as it now does; water from above, toward Pine Bluff, was supposed to be diverted into Bayou Bartholomew, but later on ditches were opened into No. 19 of the Cypress Creek system, and we now have six or seven ditches in this area and above us emptying into No. 19. We didn't suffer from water from 19 until after ditches were opened into it, which gave us more water, and the ditch began to fill up and the water to back up. During excessive rains No. 19 overflows its banks and a large area, and instead of the ditches of district No. 5 carrying the water off, it flows up these lateral ditches and spreads over the land. In other words, canal No. 19 is not large enough to carry the water, and excessive rains will and do cause several thousand acres of land along said ditch to be overflowed.

I wish also to say that in the last 4 to 6 years about 600 families moved into those lands from the hill country of this State, trying to improve their condition in this rich land area. Some homesteaded; some bought lands; some opened up new land from the wild state; but after clearing the land and building houses, the water overflowed their lands and many moved back to the hills. That is what is happening to our country as a result of rain water mostly. That is the situation. Of course we have a malaria condition brought about by water, just like similar places.

Our people strongly favor the plan for enlargement of our drainage outlets, and will cooperate in the matter of furnishing rights-ofway and in maintaining the works after completion.

STATEMENT OF ROBERT S. MOORE, CIRCUIT CLERK, DESHA COUNTY, ARK.

Mr. MOORE. My name is Robert S. Moore. I live at Arkansas City, Ark. I am the circuit and chancery clerk for Desha County. I own a farm near Arkansas City. I am also a member of the Arkansas City School Board. The board has been trying to cooperate in absorbing some of the small school districts, as the State of Arkansas will require in the near future the consolidation of as many small school districts as possible. We are unable to operate our school buses in this county over many of the roads because the roads become impassable due to lack of sufficient drainage in the county. The roads can be improved permanently only when the drainage condition is improved. Our schools, therefore, in this part of the county must suffer, and many school children are now unable to attend school because the buses cannot reach them.

I find the same situation confronts all of the other school districts in this county. I know that the roads necessary for the operation of school buses cannot be constructed and maintained until the drainage system has first been completed. This inconvenience not only affects the school children, but families cannot obtain medical attention and the people are unable to market their produce and/or transport their supplies.

STATEMENT OF W. W. GRUBBS, SECRETARY, SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS DRAINAGE PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION

Mr. GRUBBS. The Southeast Arkansas Drainage Protective Association was organized a few months ago by representatives of the eight drainage districts and the southeast Arkansas levee district. The main purpose of the organization was to provide unified action of the whole territory affected by the proposed improvement as outlined in the Army engineers' report for drainage for southeast Arkansas, which is now before you. The several drainage districts embrace about all the lands in the territory that will be benefited or affected by the proposed improvement, and most of the lands in the several drainage districts are also embraced within the boundaries of the southeast Arkansas levee district. The members of the association therefore feel that, as a group, they are in a position to state that the sentiment of the people of the territory affected is in perfect accord for this improvement. There is no opposition to the improvement in any part of the territory insofar as we have been able to learn.

The general feeling of the people of the territory is that over the period of the past 25 years, the Federal Government, largely by its own acts, has created and imposed a drainage burden upon our territory that is too expensive for local interest to discharge, and that our appeal for help from the agency that has caused or greatly aggravated our present plight is warranted and justified. Our people are deeply interested in the proposed plans and are earnestly urging their approval, together with the passage of the necessary legislation to make the proposed improvement a reality in as short a time as possible.

STATEMENT OF G. C. JOHNSTON, MEMBER OF BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, DERMOTT DRAINAGE DISTRICT, VICE CHAIRMAN AND TREASURER, SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS DRAINAGE DISTRICT PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION

Mr. JOHNSON. The Dermott drainage district is located in the west central part of the Boeuf River-Bayou Macon drainage area of southeast Arkansas. The district embraces approximately 74,000 acres of land, and within this area is located the town of Dermott and several other smaller towns. This area will receive most of its benefits from the proposed improvement to Big Bayou. The general topography of the district is typical, fertile, alluvial Mississippi River bottom lands. The principal crops are cotton, corn, beans, oats, and hay.

A recent survey of the district reveals that 500 farms, averaging 80 acres each with about one-half of the acreage in cultivation, are now located within the boundaries of the district. The survey further reveals that approximately one-fourth of the cultivated acreage is not dependable for crops because of overflow from the main and lateral ditches of the district, and that a large part of the remaining cultivated acreage is damaged each year because of the lack of proper outlets and the resulting sluggish water flow.

The survey also reveals that a small percentage (5 percent) of the lands within the area not adversely affected by the water produce an average annual income of $75 per acre. With adequate drainage and outlets sufficient to carry the water, all cultivated acres now within the district would produce this income per acre, or a total income of $3,000,000 annually. Furthermore, it would, within a few years, assure a hundred percent increase in farms. It would then be possible for these 1,000 farms to produce a $6,000,000 annual income, and ultimately, these farms would be in a position to increase their cultivated acres an additional 75 percent, thereby providing more than a $10,000,000 annual income.

In addition to financial benefits, complete overflow protection will provide residents of the area better health conditions through elimination of malaria and many water-borne diseases that are now prevalent and are a menace to persons and livestock in the area, will provide recreational opportunity, will provide increased crop production and increased land values, will facilitate rural electrification, new housing and improvements to existing houses. Diversified farming and livestock raising would then become a sound agricultural venture. Industrial plants to process farm products will be established. Better schools, hospitals, churches, and other private and public services will become economically sound and feasible. Tax assessment will be greatly increased and will yield increased revenues for local and State governments. Income-tax revenues to State and National Governments will be increased substantially. New and improved highway, railroad and air transportation facilities will be prudent and safe investments, and finally, the standard of living will be greatly improved.

The citizens of the district inaugurated a system of drainage for the area more than 20 years ago and bonded their lands for the sum of $190,000 in 20-year, 6-percent bonds for which they have paid a total of over $400,000 as principal and interest. Adequate main

Jine and lateral ditches were installed for the area that would have permitted the full development referred to above. However, their efforts were brought to naught by backwater, diverted water, and the 1927 floodwaters flowing through levee crevasses. We were unable to maintain the system because of the large amount of additional water that was not anticipated in the first instances and because our original funds for this purpose had been exhausted, we were unable to extend our credit further for the maintenance of the ditches, thereby permitting silt, timber growths, fallen timber, and debris to clog their channels. This condition, together with insufficient outlet on the south, has made our ditches very inadequate.

The United States Army engineers have approved a plan for mainline drainage for this drainage area. Our people will comply with the requirements made of them for lands, easements, and rights-of-way necessary for construction of the improvements and will maintain all works after completion. As a concrete illustration of our desire to cooperate in this work, all drainage district officials, representing the landowners of this entire drainage area, recently organized into one cooperative unit known as the Southeast Arkansas Drainage District Protective Association, and all districts, through this organization, have pledged themselves to participate fully in all requirements made by the Army engineers in their approved plan for the relief of this drainage area.

We urge you to recommend the necessary legislation based upon the United States Army engineers' approved plan so that the development program started in this territory a number of years ago may be completed, thereby permitting our citizens to overcome the hardships placed on them through no fault of theirs and allow them opportunity to prosper equal to opportunities offered to all other citizens of this great Nation.

STATEMENT OF J. B. GILLISON, ATTORNEY FOR CHICOT COUNTY DRAINAGE DISTRICT

Mr. GILLISON. The facts and figures set forth in the following report were taken from record in Chicot County, Ark., and from contacts with a large number of farmers and businessmen owning land and residing in Chicot County, Ark.

The area of Chico County, Ark., is 414,080 acres of which 147,794 acres are in Chicot County drainage district. This district was created in 1921 and was made necessary after the closing of what was known as Cyprus Gap just north of Arkansas City, Ark., by the United States engineers. This gap formerly provided a drainage into the Mississippi River of all floodwaters from Pine Bluff territory south to said gap; that to continue and assist the flow of this water through Chicot County, Ark., there was established in said county the following drainage districts which bounded lands in each district as follows: