132 DOCUME TARY HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA CANAL

 Mr. Ga=w. 1988 was a comparatively low year. During 1928 and 1929 it
 was much higher than in 1988 or 164.
 Mr. RAMamcK. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
 Mr. Gumw. I yield to the gentleman from Georgia.
 TONNAGE OF MERCHANT FIA Tr
 The gross tonnage of merchant fleets of the world has shown a marvelous
 growth over the past 20 years; for Instance, tonnage of the chief nations were
 as follows:
 1918: 1923-Continued.
 United States ---- 7, 88, 551 Norway ---------- 2,551,912
 Great Britain .------ 18, 6, 287 Holland ..-..----- 2,625,741
 Germany --------- 5, 08 061 Italy --- ----- 8, 03,742
 Prance --- 2,201,164 Belgium ------------ 606,050
 Japan------ -- 1, 500,014 1984:
 Norway.--- .. 2, 457,890 United States ..--.. 18,045,087
 Holland.------. 1,808,849 Great Britain ------- 20,841,218
 Italy ------------- 1 1, 94 Germany -...- ---- 8,690,990
 Belgium -------- 80, 886 France-..--------. 3, 298, 053
1923: Japan----- --- 4,072,707
 United States----- 16,92, 018 Norway ---------- 8,981,354
 Great Britain--..- 19,281,549 Holland -------.. --. 2,618,016
 Germany -------- 2,590,078 Italy -------- 2, 928,896
 France ---- --- 8,787,244 Belgium ---.-------. 414,655
 Japan -------------- 8,604,147
 During the peak years from 1922 to 1980 the tonnage was greater than at the
 present time on the account, of course, of general depression conditions
 throughout the world.
 UNrrmI) TATES EZPOBrs AND IMPOrTS
 In the year 1840 the value of exports sent out from the United States was
 $12,000,000, and our imports were $107,000,000.
 in 1915 our exports had increased to $2,768,000,000, while our imports were
valued at $1,674,000,000.
 In 1920 we exported $828,000,000 worth and imported $5,279,000,000.
Owing to adverse conditions throughout the commercial world, our exports and
imports are not now as great as they were in 1920.
 The value of imports and exports in the South Atlantic States and Gulf
Coast States has shown a healthy increase.
 Mr. RAMSazcK. I was called out of the Chamber a moment ago and I do not
know whether the gentleman has Indicated the difference in elevation or lift
on the different routes and the estimated cost of each one of them.
 Mr. GmE. I shall be pleased to put that in the Record. We brought out a
portion of the cost of the different routes and I will be pleased to go into that
further in my extension of remarks.
 Mr. COLmv. Are all these routes sea-level canals?
 Mr. G r. In the surveys of practically all the routes the engineers have
considered both a sea-level canal and a lock canal. They considered one of
them, which is marked here in yellow, first as a lock canal with two locks of
610 feet by 1,000 feet and having 40-foot clearance over the sills, but my belief
now is that practically all engineers have come to the sea-level canal in the
interest of upkeep in the future and speed in passage through the canal, general
economy, and eliciency.
 Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see the keen interest in this project because
we realise the great benefit that will accrue to the American shippers after
this project is completed.
 I firmly believe that the President is going to see fit to allocate sufficient
funds for the construction of this canal and will do so in the near future.
As an unemployment-rellef measure alone, It is fully justified, especially when
we think about the manner in which we have spent money, we might say,
with nothing at all in view except to keep people from begging for something
to eat, cutting grass and raking leaves and various minor projects in order
that American citizens may earn something rather than beg for something to
eat or accept a direct dole.