DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA CANAL


 And if you are excavating in soft, loose, dry sand, experience has
shown-
 The CHAIRMAN (interposing). Like Florida loam?
 Mr. BUCKMAN. Yes; like Florida sand and Florida loam. And
experience has shown that a man with a shovel can throw an amount
of dirt which is somewhat comparable in its economy with small or
moderate-sized machines, provided it does not have to be transported
any particular distance. So this divergence between the economy
of machine tools and hand tools in the excavation of soft, dry ma-
terials would not be anything like as great as in the case of the
divergence in the harder materials.
 Senator VANDENBEBG. But there would be a divergence, would
there not, at all times?
 Mr. BUOKMAN. There would always be a divergence in favor of
the machine.
 Senator VANDENBERG. Yes. And if there are five or six thousand
more employees employed primarily for the purpose of making work
it would seem to me to be a fair assumption that the cost figures
would be substantially increased over the normal contractual esti-
mate; I have no right to an expert opinion on it. I would like yours.
 Mr. BUCKMAN. No; I cannot entirely agree with you on this par-
ticular work that is now going on, because they have many other
things to do down there. They have had many other things to do
besides excavation. They have been building quarters in which the
men may live. They have been clearing and grubbing right-of-way,
a great deal of work which is always hand labor.
 Senator VANDENBERG. Excuse me. Go ahead.
 Mr. BUCKMAN. That is why I declined to pass an opinion as to
 whether that work is being done at a greater cost on account of the
 work-relief program at the present time and otherwise. It could be
 at a greater cost, but whether it is or not I am not in a position to
 state.
 Senator VANDENBERG. The cost of constructing quarters for work-
 men and so forth, does not that involve an additional expense which
 would not be included in the contractual estimate?
 Mr. BUCKMAN. No; I think that would be included in the con-
 tractual estimate because the prices at which a contractor would be
 obliged to take that job would be automatically scaled down if the
 Government furnished the quarters, and if he had to furnish the
 quarters it would go up in accordance with the expense involved in
 furnishing the quarters.
 Senator VANDENBERG. Have you seen any plans for construction
 of these houses?
 Mr. BUCKMAN. No; I have not seen any.
 Senator VANDENBERG. You do not know whether the same speci-
 fications were used at Passamaquoddy which were used down there?
 Mr. BUCKMAN. I have not any idea. I have not seen them.
 Senator FLETCHER. I have seen the houses. They are very simple
 pine buildings.
 Senator VANDENBERG. I think you ought to protest, Senator, that
 you ought to have at least the same treatment they had in Maine,
 where they get two grandfather clocks in each house.
 Mr. BUCKMAN. The only thing I know is that the particular
 houses are not heated except for small portable stoves.


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