DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA CANAL


 Senator VANDENBERG. I think the entire report should go in when
it is available, but at the moment if you have no objection, I would
like to read one sentence from the report on the authority of Mr.
Slattery, who, I am sure, reliably reports the Geological Survey's
attitude.
 The CHAIRMAN. I think the Senator has no objection to that.
 Senator FLZCHEm. No.
 Senator VANDENERm (reading):
 To summarize: There appears to be no reasonable doubt serious adverse
effects will be produced upon the important underground water supplies from
the Ocala limestone in a wide zone extending, outward from the canal line by
the construction of a sea-level canal along route 13-B.
 I think we want to go into the entire report, of course, when we
get around to it, and we also want to go into the report of the State
geologist of Florida and many others.
 So far as P. W. A. is concerned then, Mr. Ickes, the Florida canal
project came to you twice for consideration and review; and so far
as P. W. A. was concerned, and under the rules that you felt it neces-
sary to pursue in approving P. W. A. projects, you rejected the canal
project?
 Secretary ICKEs. That is correct.
 Senator FLmaHE. The question before you was not the adoption
of a project so much as it was the question of a loan to a concern,
and you had to consider the question of whether it was self-liquidating
or would be self-liquidating or not
 Secretary IcKEs. That is right.
 Senator FLMCHER. As a navigation proposition. Independent of
that, as to benefits outside of the revenue, you were not investigating;
you were not concerned?
 Secretary IcKES. We would consider the navigation end of it so far
as the engineering feasibility of it was concerned, but its effect on
general navigation, except insofar as it would throw light on the
amount of tonnage that would go through there and the tolls that
that tonnage could pay in order to make it self-liquidating, we were
not concerned in.
 Senator FLrECHER. Your engineers all found from their examina-
 tion and investigation of the matter that the saving to shipping
 would amount to some $8,524,000?
 Secretary IcKEs. There was never any official finding to that effect,
 Senator.
 Senator FLzrCHE. Did not the engineers report that?
 Secretary ICKEs. No; the engineers did not report that. I think
 that an engineer-examiner did make such a finding which went into
 the engineering division, but the engineering division did not adopt
 that report.
 The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Ickes, in passing upon all of these projects, I
 am right in assuming, am I not, that you took into consideration the
 public interest, whether it was a wise project?
 Secretary IKEIs. Yes; within certain limitations.
 The CHAIRMAN. Let me ask this further question, to be specific:
 I was much impressed by what Mr. Slattery said about the ground
 waters-that is, he was quoting the Geological Survey. Did you
 personally give any consideration to that specific statement?


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