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TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 1937.

NATCHEZ TRACE AND BLUE RIDGE PARKWAYS

STATEMENTS OF HON. AARON LANE FORD, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI; HON. ZEBULON WEAVER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA; AND A. E. DEMARAY, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE

Mr. SCRUGHAM. Do you have a statement to make, Mr. Ford? Mr. FORD. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, the nat ter on which I appear before the committee at this time is an authorzation of the National Parks Service under H. R. 11,687, Public A No. 686, passed at the last session of Congress. By referring to the Public Act on page 2, you will find the section that I particulary refer to and desire to call the attention of the committee to. It s known as section 5 and provides:

For the construction and maintenance of parkways, to give access to m tional parks and national monuments, or to become connecting sections of a national parkway plan, over lands to which title has been transferred to the United States by the States or by private individuals, there is hereby authe ized to be appropriated the sum of $10,000,000 for the fiscal year ending Je 30, 1938, and the sum of $10,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1939.

It is my understanding that the National Parks Service through the Department of the Interior in making up their estimates for the fiscal year 1938 recommended that an appropriation of $10.000.000 be made for construction work on the Natchez Trace Parkway and Blue Ridge Parkway; and then submitted this estimate and recom mendation to the Bureau of the Budget for its approval as is cus tomary in all such matters.

The Bureau of the Budget, according to Mr. Bell, the acting director, in a conversation that I had on the telephone with him yesterday, cut the National Park Service estimate and recommendation to $5,000,000 and confined it particularly and exclusively to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The only reason Mr. Bell, Acting Director of the Bureau of the Budget assigned to me over the telephone for reducing the amount to $5,000,000 and confining it to the Blue Ridge Parkway was that the Natchez Trace Parkway, in the interest of which I am appearing before the committee, is not authorized and had never been authorized by Congress.

I want to briefly call the committee's attention to that particular point, because I am positive that Mr. Bell is in error.

If you will turn to the hearings before the Senate committee on S. 4213, on March 11, 13, and 30, 1936, which was a companion bill to H. R. 11687, you will find that during the course of the hearings Senator Hayden, when Mr. Demaray, the Associate Director of the National Parks Service, was on the stand, asked Mr. Demaray this question:

Senator HAYDEN. Let us now discuss section 5, which relates to parkways What national parkways have been established?

Mr. DEMARAY. Two parkways have been established-the Blue Ridge Parkway, in North Carolina and Virginia, connecting the Shenandoah National Park

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d the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the Natchez Trace Parkty, in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.

Then during the further course of the hearing the chairman the Senate committee, Senator McKellar, called upon Mr. Demay to explain exactly how this $10,000,00 authorized in the passage the bill if it became a law would be expended. And if you will rn to page 76, you will see a table inserted there disclosing exactly ow much would be spent and the manner in which it would be bent in 1938 and 1939 if the $7,500,000 was authorized, and also ow and where the money would be spent in the event the $10,00,000, which at that time the committee had under consideration, as authorized. On April 16, 1936, the House of Representatives assed H. R. 11687 and upon reaching the Senate it was referred > the Senate Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, where 5. 4213 was under consideration. On April 24, 1936, H. R. 11687 was reported to the Senate with sundry amendments. Section 5 of H. R. 11687, as reported to the Senate is one of the amendments nserted by the Senate Committee. When H. R. 11687 was reported o the Senate, a written report of Senator Hayden accompanied it. By turning to page 7 you will find an explanation of section 5. Senator Hayden in his report said:

National parkways.-Section 5 is a new provision to authorize an appropriation of $10,000,000 for the fiscal year June 30, 1938, and the same amount for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1939, for the building of national parkways. Two important projects of this character have been commenced. One is the Natchez Trace through Tennessee and Mississippi, and the other the Blue Ridge Parkway, which, when completed, will join the Shenandoah National Park with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Section 5 would also provide for building sections of approach roads necessary to give ready access to national parks and monuments from the main system of highways. Probably the most difficult problem in connection with the important recreational areas of the country is to control the encroachment of undesirable commercial activities, including billboards, disreputable appearing roadside stands, and tourist camps along the approaches to our most beautiful natural scenic regions. Experience has demonstrated that the establishment of parkways of adequate width is its only satisfactory solution.

Now, Mr. Chairman, hastening along, when this bill came up in the Senate for consideration by that body, we find by referring to the Congressional Record, volume 80, part 6, at page 6907, which is May 8, 1936, that Senator Hayden, who had charge of the bill on the Senate floor, had this to say in explanation of this section (Congressional Record, 74th Cong., 2d sess., vol. 80, pt. 6, p. 6907):

There follows a new provision for the national parkways, and the amount is $10,000,000 a year. Today two great parkways have been established. One is to connect the Shenandoah National Park with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, extending through Virginia and North Carolina. Another is known as the Natchez Trace, in Tennessee and Mississippi. That is a new but highly desirable activity of the National Parks Service.

Senator Hayden failed to mention the fact that the Natchez Trace Parkway also crosses the northwest corner of the State of Alabama. That bill subsequently passed with the provisions contained in section 5 and then came over to the House; and there being several amendments of the Senate appearing in the bill, the House disagreed to the Senate amendments, and conferees on the part of both Houses were appointed; and in submitting the conference report to the House on June 2, Mr. Cartwright, chairman of the Committee on

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Roads of the House, submitted a report which provided, an other things (Congressional Record, 74th Cong., 2d sess., vols pt. 8, p. 8698):

Amendment no. 5 provides for the authorization of $10,000,000 for end the fiscal years ending June 30, 1938, and June 30, 1939, for the constrai and maintenance of parkways to give access to national parks and m monuments over lands to which title has been transferred to the United S as proposed by the Senate.

And in explanation of the conference report on that amendme Mr. Whittington, one of the conferees, had this to say (Congressio Record, 74th Cong., 2d sess., vol. 80, pt. 8, p. 8700):

Section 5 provides for an authorization of $10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years mentioned for the construction and maintenance of parkwa give access to national parks and national monuments, or to become corte section of a national-parkway plan. I favored the provision as nee when the bill was under consideration in the House, and I reserved the t to support this provision.

It is an authorization primarily for the construction of the Natchez T Parkway in the States of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, with a length of 460 miles, and for the Blue Ridge Parkway, in the States of M Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee, with a total length of 490 miles.

Provision has otherwise been made for both the Natchez Trace and the E Ridge Parkways by the President out of the allocation for relief in the Ea gency Act of 1935 and out of the National Industrial Recovery Act of 15. The work is already in progress on both of the parkways.

The Blue Ridge Parkway connects the Shenandoah and Great Smoky M tains National Parks. Provision will be made in the Blue Ridge and Nat Trace Parkways for about 900 miles of highway.

In order that I might know how the Park Service intended spend the $10,000,000 should it be authorized, and while the mar was under consideration by Congress, I wrote Mr. A. E. Demary Acting Director of the National Park Service, and asked him advise me exactly how this $10,000,000 was proposed to be spe and I received from him a letter dated May 12, 1936, which I the committee's attention to. Being primarily interested in Natchez Trace Parkway, I wanted to know how much of the 000,000 would go toward its construction. With the committee's mission I now read his reply.

(The letter referred to is as follows:)

Hon. A. L. FORD,

House of Representatives.

WASHINGTON, May 12, 19

MY DEAR MR. FORD: In compliance with your request of May 9, a table *. included in the National Park Service testimony before the Senate Post Of and Post Roads Committee indicating a division of funds between the national parkway projects now under construction. On the basis of the Se amendment to the Federal road bill, the division of the $10,000,000 REST authorization contained in section 5 of H. R. 11687 for parkway construct for each of the fiscal years ending June 30, 1938, and June 30, 1939, wo as follows:

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Mr. FORD. Now, Mr. Chairman, I am sure it is obvious to you and committee why I wanted to come before you today. I respectfully : this committee to include $5,000,000 for the Natchez Trace Parky in the bill you are about to bring before Congress.

might call the attention of the committee to the fact that the use approved the conference report, after explanation had been de that the Natchez Trace would be constructed along with the ue Ridge Parkway, by a vote of 238 to 99. (Congressional Record, h Cong., 2d sess., vol. 80, pt. 8, pp. 8704-8705).

Mr. RICH. May I ask a question right there?

Mr. FORD. Yes.

Mr. RICH. Do you mean to say that this was discussed on the floor the House when the bill for the parkway between the Shenandoah tional Park and the Smoky Mountains Park was under contemation on the floor of the House?

Mr. FORD. Yes, sir.

Mr. RICH. Can you show us anything in the Record indicating at?

Mr. FORD. Yes. I have it right here. That is what I have been ferring to.

Mr. RICH. That was in the Senate, wasn't it?

Mr. FORD. No. This was in the House. That was when the conrees appointed on the part of the House submitted the conference port.

Mr. RICH. There was nothing in the bill that stated that the parky would include anything further than the roadway of 447 miles tween the Shenandoah National Park and the Great Smoky Mounins National Park, was there?

Mr. FORD. No, Mr. Rich. It did not mention it that way. The etion of the bill provided for this appropriation of $10,000,000 for e year 1938 and $10,000,000 for the year 1939 for the construction national parkways; and in the report that was submitted to the

Senate it mentioned that the two parkways to be constructed out of th authorization would be the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolm and Virginia and the Natchez Trace Parkway in Tennessee, Alaba and Mississippi.

When the matter came back to the House the conferees informa the House-the minority members and also the majority memies discussed it at great length-that it was for the sole and only pr pose of these two parkways; and the House approved it with the knowledge.

Mr. RICH. It might have been that the House approved it i that knowledge; but I know the part that I played in that. I jected to unanimous consent that the bill be brought up until the at day of Congress. It was brought up under a special rule put thro and I don't recall anything of that kind being in the bill.

Mr. FORD. If you will look at the record of June 2, 1936, when the conference report was called up, at pages 8698, 8699, 8700, 52, 8702, 8703, 8704, 8705, and 8706-Congressional Record-Seventyfourth Congress, second session, you will see that the main dise sion revolved around that one proposition.

Mr. RICH. What was the number of that bill?

Mr. FORD. H. R. 11687. It is in Public Act no. 686 on page 2. Mr. JOHNSON. As I understand the situation, Congress authorized $10,000,000 for both projects.

Mr. FORD. For both projects. Yes, sir.

Mr. JOHNSON. And the Budget has recommended $5,000,000 for one project.

Mr. FORD. For the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and Nort Carolina.

Mr. JOHNSON. But it has not made any recommendation for the project that you are interested in?

Mr. FORD. That is true, Mr. Johnson.

Mr. JOHNSON. It seems that you evidently overlooked by the Bureau of the Budget.

Mr. FORD. You know, the Budget is usually arranged in the lat fall when Congress is not in session, and when Members of Congres are in their district. I know the National Park Service requeste the $5,000,000 appropriation for the Natchez Trace Parkway, through the Bureau of the Budget, and I had no knowledge that the Budget had turned their recommendation down until the other day. Ar of course, it shocked me to learn that the Bureau of the Budget would favor an appropriation of $5,000,000 for a parkway in Virginia and North Carolina, and turn down a $5,000,000 appropriation for 1 parkway in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, especially in view of the fact that both parkways were authorized by the same act of Congress.

Mr. RICH. Were the original bill and the original act for the purpose of building a parkway between the Smoky Mountains National Park and the Shenandoah National Park?

Mr. FORD. No, sir, Mr. Rich. There is just as much authorization by the Congress for the building of the Natchez Trace Parkway as has ever been given by the Congress for the Blue Ridge Parkway The only explanation is that last year Congressman Doughton cured the passage of a bill giving the Department of the Interior authority to manage this parkway after it had been constructed.

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