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CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM

All construction work during the fiscal years 1934 to 1936, inclusive, except the Bouider Canyon dam, power plant, and appurtenant works, was financed with emergency funds. For Boulder Dam a direct appropriation of $14,000,000 from the general fund of the Treasury was made available for 1936. There was allotted to the Bureau by the Federal Emergency Administrator of Public Works $94,664,000 from appropriations made pursuant to the National Industrial Recovery Act of June 16, 1933, and by Presidential allocations of $61,922,000 from the Emergency Relief Appropriation of 1935. These allotments are available for expenditure until June 30, 1937, and construction is now in progress on many of the projects.

The emergency fund allotments made available to the Bureau are as follows:

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Completion of projects dependent upon emergency funds being continued available during 1938.-In many cases emergency fund allotments were sufficient to complete the construction work planned or to carry out planned investigations and surveys, but the work cannot be completed by June 30, 1937. Unless these emergency funds are continued available during the fiscal year 1938, construction and investigational work must be discontinued, and the incompleted work will be largely useless. Projects in this category are as follows:

Colorado: Blue River-South Platte transmountain diversion surveys and investigations; eastern slope surveys and investigations; western slope surveys and investigations; Uncompahgre project, Taylor Park Reservoir, Gunnison Tunnel repairs, rehabilitation of irrigation facilities and drainage.

Idaho: Boise project, Arrowrock Dam enlargement; upper Snake River storage project.

Montana: Chain Lakes storage project; Sun River, canal and lateral extension, and Gibson Dam spillway betterment.

Nevada Truckee River storage project.

New Mexico: Caballo Dam and reservoir, Conchas project surveys, Rio Grande Basin water-supply surveys.

Oregon: Burnt River project.

Texas: Colorado River project.

Utah: Moon Lake project. Sanpete project.

The Bureau's estimates for the fiscal year 1938 are submitted on the assumption that all emergency allotments will be continued available until expended and that the unexpended balances of the appropriations for 1937 will remain available during 1938.

Appropriations for 1937 and estimates for 1938. The following is a statement of appropriations available for construction during 1937 and the estimates of appropriation for 1938.

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FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC SURVEY OF RECLAMATION PROJECTS

The act of April 14, 1935 (Public, 519, 74th Cong.), created a commission to estigate the financial and economic condition of various United States reclanation projects, with particular reference to the ability of each project to make Lets of water-right charges without undue burden on the water users, dist, or association or other reclamation organization liable for such charges, Ken investigation to include an examination and consideration of any statement d with the Commission or Department of the Interior by any such district, temeration, or other reclamation organization, or the water users thereof, and, were renggested by any such district, association, or other reclamation organizasad Commission would proceed to such project and hold hearings, the protugs of which are to be reduced to writing and filed with its report. The art of .rther required the Commission to report to Congress at the beginning of eventy-fifth Congress, with recommendations as to the best, most feasible act.cable comprehensive permanent plan for repayment.

act authorized an appropriation of $5,000, and an estimate was submitted gress for that amount. The estimate was not included in an appropria

Manifestly, $5,000 would be insufficient to pay the expenses of a on to undertake so extensive an investigation, especially in view of the (March 4, 1909 (35 Stat. 945), which prohibits the use of regular approimmy and the detail of any personal services to assist such a commission. Pin-au recognizes that such a survey should be made. However, sufficient stion should be authorized to permit of an exhaustive study by capable grized men well versed in western irrigated agriculture and economic because the recommendations of a commission such as contemplated et might materially change reclamation policy. A very thorough study quation was made in 1925 pursuant to subsection K of section 4 of the 4 December 5, 1924 (43 Stat. 672), which resulted in the Adjustment Act of 25 1926 (44 Stat. 636).

SETTLEMENT OF DEVELOPMENTS

Mr. PAGE. I will review briefly a number of subjects covered by general statement. The first one is the matter of settlement of pments, giving a summary of the lands which are irrigated by Breau of Reclamation, being 2,935,616 acres in 1935, an increase 2,411 acres over the previous year.

The total value of crops grown on this land is $106,781,294, an increase of $5,800,000 over the value for 1934. Preliminary figures, excluding Warren Act lands, for which reports are incomplete, show a marked increase in crop value for 1936. The cumulative total, exclusive of 1936, amounts to $2,177,965,009. I would like to call particular attention to the paragraphs in the statement dealing with settlement, the results of which have been very gratifying. There has been a tremendous influx of people into the irrigated sections from the drought areas, seeking new locations. This is one of the most important trends now apparent. New opportunities must be provided for these people.

There were 170 public-land farms opened to entry in 1936, and they were on a number of projects. They were 80 to 90 percent settled during the year.

There is a very small number of desirable farm units now available on any of the projects.

VALUE OF CROPS RAISED ON LANDS OF FEDERAL RECLAMATION PROJECTS

Mr. FITZPATRICK. What you stated with respect to that figure of 2,177,000,000 was not quite clear to me. Is that the total land in irrigation projects?

Mr. PAGE. Oh, no. That is the cumulative value of the crops raised on lands in the Federal reclamation projects in about 35 years. Considerably less than 3,000,000 acres are irrigated by Federal projects.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. Are the crops produced on these projects sold in competition with those produced on other farms?

Mr. PAGE. I have here some tables showing what crops our projects produce. I can say, generally speaking, that these products are not sold in competition with those of any other area.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. The reason that I asked that question is because we are taking millions of acres out of production, and in the reclamation projects we are putting millions of acres back into production. On the one hand we take them out of production, so as to reduce the amount produced and to bring up the prices, and it would be very poor business on the other hand, if we are spending millions of dollars on reclamation plans, to put more acreage into production in competition with products raised elsewhere. But you have stated that it is not in competition, that it is more for people to settle on and to make their living. Mr. PAGE. That is the common argument of the opponents of recclamation, and we have made it a point to investigate carefully the types of crops which are produced on Federal projects and the destinations to which they go. Of course, there are five major crops in which there are surpluses existing, and the contribution of the Federal reclamation projects to the surpluses in those five crops is entirely insignificant.

These tables will show very clearly what the situation is. (The statement referred to is as follows:)

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Relative order of importance by value-Crops for 1934 on 25 Federal irrigation projects

1. SIX CROPS ON EACH PROJECT OF HIGHEST VALUE

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