DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA CANAL


 Senator FuEImHE. Did that include the report of the district
engineer and the division engineer?
 Mr. BUCKMAN. The district engineer did not report on this project,
sir. It was investigated by a special board.
 Senator FIzCHEm. I see.
 Mr. BUCKMAN. Called a Special Board of Survey, which made the
report which we have just been discussing.
 The CHAMMAN. That was the report made by five men which you
named?
 Mr. BUCKXAN. No. The five men which I named were a board
of review appointed by the President.
 Senator VANDENBEmG. The regular routine by the district engineer,
and so forth, have not been pursued in this case at all
 Mr. BUCKMAN. It has not been completed in this case, Senator.
 Senator VANDENBEBG. Excuse me. Go ahead with your statement.
 Senator FLzCHER. This special board took the place of the district
and the division engineers?
 Mr. BUCKMAN. Yes, sir. In large projects it is customary to
appoint a special board of survey, rather than leave the survey to the
district and division engineers.
 Senator VANDENBEM. Just to be sure we have the record straight,
General Pillsbury's statement to me on December 21:
 The customary procedure for the authorization of river and harbor projects
has not been followed in the authorization of this canal.
 Senator FLrcmHE. Yes; because it stopped there, as you ex-
plained, with the request of time to furnish further information.
This special report reached the Board of Engineers for Rivers and
Harbors, and it was held up, as you were just explaining.
 Mr. BUCKMAN. And it was held up and is held up at the present
time, presumably.
 I was about to explain, Senator Vandenberg, that the Board for
Rivers and Harbors before considering the report of the Special
Board of Survey early in 1935 issued an invitation to interested
parties to be present at a public hearing, which would be a part of
the examination of that report.
 The proponents of the canal requested that the examination by
the special board be postponed in order to give them ample time in
which to prepare their case. In addition to that, and as a second
reason, the project was already being processed by Executive order
in the Public Works Administration, and had not at that time been
disposed of, and it was deemed inappropriate by the proponents to
attempt to process this project through two separate channels at the
same time. Therefore they held the matter in abeyance, and it has
never gotten out of that groove. 'It is still where it was at that time.
 Do I make myself clear as to the reasons why they required that
postponement ?
 Senator FLEzCHE. Then followed the board of review?
 Mr. BUCKMAN. Certainly; I mean it was taken out of the hands
of the proponents.
 Senator VANDENBERG. I understand what you say, but I still do not
understand why the normal processes should be interrupted, inas-
much as anything that illuminated the subject ought to be welcome.


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