EMERGENCY FLOOD CONTROL WORK HEARINGS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON FLOOD CONTROL HOUSE ON REPRESENTATIVES SEVENTY-NINTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON S. 938 A BILL TO PROVIDE FOR EMERGENCY FLOOD CONTROL AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 72694 MAY 14, 1945 Printed for the use of the Committee on Flood Control UNITED STATES WASHINGTON: 1945 COMMITTEE ON FLOOD CONTROL WILL M. WHITTINGTON, Mississippi, Chairman A. LEONARD ALLEN, Louisiana HENRY D. LARCADE, JR., Louisiana CHARLES R. CLASON, Massachusetts P. W. GRIFFITHS, Ohio J. GLENN BEALL, Missouri CHARLES R. ROBERTSON, North Dakota DORIS B. HAZUR, Committee Clerk II UHTED STATES OF AMERICA MAY 29 '45 423 A4 19450 EMERGENCY FLOOD-CONTROL WORK MONDAY, MAY 14, 1945 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C. The committee met at 10 a. m. pursuant to call, Hon. Will M. Whittington (chairman)_ presiding. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will please come to order. We have under consideration the bill S. 938. This bill has been passed by the Senate, and may be inserted in the record at this point. (S. 938 is as follows:) [S. 938, 79th Cong., 1st sess.] AN ACT To provide for emergency flood-control work made necessary by recent floods, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the sum of $12,000,000 is hereby authorized to be appropriated as an emergency fund to be expended under the direction of the Secretary of War and the supervision of the Chief of Engineers for the repair, restoration, and strengthening of levees and other flood-control works which have been threatened or destroyed by the recent floods, or which may be threatened or destroyed by later floods, and for completion of work begun under the Acts entitled "An Act to provide for emergency flood-control work made necessary by recent floods, and for other purposes," approved respectively July 12, 1943, and May 29, 1944: Provided, That pending the appropriation of said sum the Secretary of War may allot from existing flood-control appropriations such sum's as may be necessary for the immediate prosecution of the work herein authorized, such appropriations to be reimbursed from the appropriation herein authorized when made. SEC. 2. The provisions of section 1 shall be deemed to be additional and supplemental to, and not in lieu of existing general legislation authorizing allocation of flood-control funds for restoration of flood-control works threatened or destroyed by flood. SEC. 3. The War Production Board, and every other governmental agency which has jurisdiction over allocations and priorities relating to farm machinery and equipment, are authorized and directed immediately to take such steps as may be necessary to provide for the necessary allocations and priorities to enable farmers in the areas affected by floods in 1944 and 1945 to replace and repair their farm machinery and equipment which was destroyed or damaged by such floods, or windstorms, or fire caused by lightning, and to continue farming operations. SEC. 4. The balance of the appropriation of $15,000,000 made in the Second Deficiency Appropriation Act, 1943, for 1943 flood-restoration loans, is hereby also made available until June 30, 1946, to enable the Secretary of Agriculture, in such manner and upon such terms and conditions as he may prescribe, to make loans and grants to farmers whose property is destroyed or damaged by · floods and windstorms (not to exceed $1,000,000 in the case of windstorms) in 1944 and 1945 and to service loans made under such appropriation in connection with the 1943 and 1944 floods: Provided, That not to exceed $3,000,000 of such amounts shall be used for grants. Passed the Senate May 10 (legislative day, April 16), 1945. LESLIE L. BIFFLE, Secretary. 1 The CHAIRMAN. There have been introduced also H. R. 3140, by Representative Cannon, which is identical with the Senate bill as it was originally introduced, and H. R. 3194, by Representative Cannon, embracing parts of the said bill as introduced in the Senate. We have with us this morning General Reybold. Unless there is some member of the committee who wants to make a statement— Mr. Allen said he would like to make a statement-we will proceed. Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Chairman, I want to take occasion to thank the chairman and the members of the committee for coming here on Monday morning, which is a rather unusual time for a committee meeting. This bill, S. 938, passed the Senate on May 10, and I immediately contacted the chairman of this committee, requested him to have a meeting as soon as possible and this Monday morning was the earliest time that we could have it. The chairman of this committee cooperated and called this meeting, and I am profoundly grateful to the chairman for doing that and to the members of the committee for coming. This is a very important matter, especially to the people of Louisiana. We have had the most disastrous flood in all history in some parts of the State, and it is a matter of very great importance that we expedite this legislation. I trust the committee will push through S. 938 as soon as possible, in order to take care of the very distressing situation that now exists in Louisiana and other parts of the country. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. Do any other members of the committee desire to make a statement? Mr. McCOWEN. I do not care to make a statement, Mr. Chairman, but I would like to ask a question. Has there been introduced any measure to provide for the reimbursement of the great expense in fighting floods at any point along the rivers? The CHAIRMAN. Yes. Wherever there has been flood fighting, this bill covers it, and the appropriations made in 1943 and 1944 would cover it. Mr. McCOWEN. I do not mean where it is necessary to repaid flood walls or the levees; I mean the great expense involved in trying to hold the water back, and so forth. The CHAIRMAN. No damage as to property; the Government is not an insurer. But wherever there have been the flood fights, such as on the Ohio in 1943, 1944, and 1945, the Government, through the Chief of Engineers, has rendered some assistance in those areas, or will render it as it was rendered in other areas along other streams in the United States. That flood fighting usually consits of furnishing sacks to enable local people to prevent the overtopping flood walls and levees and such supervision as the Chief of Engineers has available for flood fighting. In other words, whatever has been expended for flood fighting in the Ohio River area will be brought out by General Reybold. The same assistance has been given to the Ohio River as to other areas. Mr. ROBINSON. That money has already been appropriated, and there was sufficient appropriated for that purpose. The CHAIRMAN. Are there any other questions? Mr. CLASON. Mr. Chairman, I have been somewhat disturbed by these two bills. The one which has passed the Senate, which I think |