opposing in no way anything else that might be recommended by the engineers. We are not putting forward any figures as to any size or any particular flowage. We will grant them whatever room they need and whatever depth they want. Senator OVERTON. I want to get that clear. You are perfectly willing to leave the construction to the engineers? Mr. HEBERT. Absolutely. I not only make that statement, Senator, but I mean it. I believe that statement has been made before, but I have had my doubts about its being meant. But we people do mean it, because we have signed options. That is evidence. It is easy to suggest giving somebody else's land away. Senator OVERTON. Your people have no objectionMr. HEBERT (interposing). None, whatsoever; no, sir. Senator OVERTON. Wait a moment. You do not know what I am going to say. You have no objection to a bankful at Morganza or underbankful? Mr. HEBERT. Providing our drainage is entirely cared for. We are not putting ourselves on record as engineers, but from the expeence we have had with flood ways and with crevasses and different things down there we expect the flow of water to be of public relief for all concerned, north of us and ourselves included. Senator OVERTON. Let me ask that same question of Mr. Martin, because he lives down in the Atchafalaya Basin. Is there any objection, as far as you know, Mr. Martin, to leaving it to the discretion of the engineers as to whether the Morganza waterway be a bankfull or a rock weir? Mr. MARTIN. No objection at all, Senator. Senator BILBO. I am curious to know how many families live on those 60,000 acres involved in that spillway. Mr. HEBERT. Twelve thousand. Senator OVERTON. The Senator is asking how many families live in the Morganza spillway area. Mr. HEBERT. Oh. Where it is going to be? Senator BILBO. Yes. Mr. HEBERT. We do not know that yet. We will leave to the engineers what the space will be. Senator BILBO. How many have given options? Mr. HEBERT. About 90 percent. Senator BILBO. You do not know how many hundreds? Mr. HEBERT. No, sir; I do not. Senator BILBO. Is that land in cultivation which is involved in the spillway? Mr. HEBERT. Quite a good bit of it, and class A land at that. Senator BILBO. Plantations and small homes? Mr. HEBERT. Plantations and small homes, too. I want to thank you gentlemen for having listened to me, and I am glad to have had an opportunity to appear before you. (The documents referred to and submitted by the witness are here printed in full as follows:) Recapitulation of lands that will be affected by Morganza spillway (Sketch accompanying above table on file with the committee.) 6. Total of home and farm improvement, including public utilities, which might be impaired by flood waters, in the event of inundation_ $1,825, 660 6. Total of home and farm improvement, including public utilities, which might be impaired by flood waters, in the event of inundation__. 58,045. 6 $3, 430, 170 15, 990 $3, 000, 000 $1,250,000 $2, 000, 000 AVOYELLES PARISH 1. Total cultivated area of the parish......... acres- 2. Total value of lands in the parish (assessment rolls show $9,824,830)--- 3. Total number of people in the parish. 4. Total value of agricultural crops. 5. Total value of livestock. (a) Cattle (42,000). (b) Hogs (50,000)_. (c) Horses and mules (10,000) 6. Total of home and farm improvement, including public utilities, which might be impaired by flood waters, in the event of inundation__ 1 Estimated between $3,000,000 and $4,000,000. 125, 000 $20, 000, 000 40, 000 $3,080, 000 $1, 654, 000 $504,000 $400, 000 $1, 000, 000 (1) IBERIA PARISH acres__ 1. Total cultivated area of parish... – 5. Total number and value of livestock: 23,000 head of cattle, value.. 100,000 chickens, value... 8,000 mules and horses, value.... Total value of all livestock.. 6. Total of home and farm improvement, including public utilities which might be impaired by flood waters in the event of inundation__ 105, 800 $6,900,000 30, 000 $4, 000, 000 $500, 000 65, 000 2, 100 50,000 1, 200, 000 1, 817, 100 4, 000, 000 6. Total of home and farm improvement, including public utilities, which might be impaired by floodwaters, in the event of inundation___ 75, 500 $6, 208, 891 25,000 $2, 356, 400 $855, 000 $4,853, 167 POINTE COUPEE PARISH _acres__ 1. Total cultivated area of parish.. ST. LANDRY PARISH 1. Total cultivated area of parish__. acres.. 79, 363 $4, 459, 902 21, 007 $2,089, 700 177, 510 $1, 634, 468 $6, 459, 902 2. Total value of lands in parish (assessed) 3. Total number of people in parish.. 4. Total value of agricultural crops (approximate). 5. Total number (143,000) and value of livestock. 6. Total of home and farm improvement, including public utilities, which might be impaired by flood waters, in the event of inundation, third, fourth, and fifth wards (assessed) _ . 221, 000 $6, 460, 230 620, 000 $6, 000, 000 $2, 000, 000 $5, 489, 570 60, 856 $3, 402, 918 29, 397 5. Total number (9,187) and value of livestock.. 6. Total of home and farm improvement, including public utilities which might be impaired by flood waters, in the event of inundation___ Approximately one-fourth of St. Mary Parish. 56088-38- -8 $3, 676, 020 $537, 650 (2) ST. MARTIN PARISH 1. Total cultivated area of parish.. 2. Total value of lands in parish. 3. Total number of people in parish. 4. Total value of agricultural crops 5. Total number and value of livestock_. acres.. 108, 000 $5, 400, 000 28, 000 6. Total of home and farm improvement, including public utilities, which might be impaired by flood waters, in the event of inundation___ $2,880, 000 $1, 000, 000 $10, 000, 000 6. Total of home and farm improvement, including public utilities, which might be impaired by flood waters, in the event of inundation__ $2,500, 000 $850,000 $1,500, 000 1. Total cultivated area of parish... WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH acres. 32, 815 $1, 454, 051 9, 715 2. Total value of lands in parish (from assessment) 3. Total number of people in parish (from 1930 census) 4. Total value of agricultural crops- 5. Total number (24,700 head) and value of livestock. 6. Total of home and farm improvement, including public utilities, which might be impaired by flood waters, in the event of inundation (from assessment) _ $1,300, 000 $785,000 $6, 549, 309 The following information was not requested, but it may be of some value: 1. Poultry in the parish (60,000 head). $30,000 Senator HEBERT, THE FEDERAL LAND BANK OF NEW ORLEANS, c/o Mr. Harry Jacobs, New Courthouse Building, New Orleans, La. DEAR SENATOR HEBERT: In answer to your inquiry concerning the land bank's making loans in the Morganza spillway area, I would like to say that this section has for some time been closed to land-bank loans. However, applications are received by the bank for land-bank commissioner loans, which may be made on properties located in the Morganza spillway area. While you did not ask for information on the Atchafalaya area, the land bank follows the same policy as that outlined for the Morganza spillway except that commissioner loans cannot be made in the area below the vicinity of Krotz Springs. I trust that this information answers your inquiry. Very truly yours, R. L. THOMPSON, President. RESOLUTION BY MR. LACOUR, AND DULY SECONDED BY MR. LANDRY Be it resolved, That it is the sense of this police jury that it hereby approves the immediate construction and completion of the Morganza spillway to be constructed from the present lower guide-line levee of the said Morganza spillway to a point approximately 4 miles north of Morganza to a point known as the Kornbacker line; be it further Resolved, That it is the sense of this body that the construction of the Morganza spillway should be divorced and separated from the construction of the Eudora spillway; be it further Resolved, That it is the sense of this body that the permanent location and line of said Morganza spillway should immediately be fixed and designated, for the reason that under the present condition the same works quite a hardship on a number of the citizens located in the upper end of the parish of Pointe Coupee; be it further Resolved, That our Representatives in Washington are hereby requested to use all necessary and proper efforts for the purpose of securing an amendment to the Overton bill for the divorcement of the construction of the Morganza and Eudora spillway, and that provision be made for just and fair compensation for all private property taken for the construction of the Morganza spillway; be it further Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be sent to Col. William F. Tompkins, chief of engineers, representing the War Department, New Orleans, La., Sentators John H. Overton, and Allen J. Ellender, and all Congressmen representing the State of Louisiana, and copies also be furnished the Atchafalaya Levee Board, and also that copies be sent the Louisiana Flood Control Committee, and all other parties in interest. A vote having been taken resulted as follows: Yeas: Davis, Bergeron, Landry, Lacour, Plauche, Melancon, Isaac, Jewell, Guerin, and Rougon. Nays: None. The president then declared the resolution unanimously carried. I, Hazel Langlois, secretary, police jury, parish of Pointe Coupee, La., do hereby certify the above resolution to be a true and correct copy of resolution adopted by the police jury at its regular meeting held December 6, 1937. HAZEL LANGLOIS, Secretary, Police Jury. Senator MILLER. May I make one suggestion, Mr. Chairman? It is your hearing, of course, but I have some people here from Martinville, and from the peculiar way the hearing has turned I doubt whether we want to present any testimony at this time, except possibly four witnesses in the morning, all laymen, and very briefly. We had hoped to do so this afternoon. They have got to plant their crops down there. Senator OVERTON. I presume that is true in reference to all the witnesses. I thought the logical way would be for the proponents of the bill to be heard first. Senator MILLER. You are right. We do not object to that. Senator OVERTON. I think we will be through in a very short time with the statements of those who are advocating the passage of the bill. We are going to take a recess now until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. Senator BILBO. I want to announce that the Mississippi witnesses will be put on tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock. (Whereupon, at 4:40 p. m., a recess was taken until tomorrow, Wednesday, March 30, 1938, at 10 a. m.) |