DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA CANAL


mentioned, that was made by the Department of Commerce at the
request of the Chief of Engineers, and which has been published in
five volumes.
 Senator VANDENBEao. And which I have painfully read.
 Mr. BucKrxN. And a third and independent economic survey made
by the examining engineers of the Public Works Administration.
Those are public records.
 Senator VANDENBERO. All right. That is the basis
 Mr. BUCxMAN. Those are the bases.
 Senator VANDENBERG. All right. And you are going to discuss this
Department of Commerce report later, as I understand it?
 Mr. BucKMAN. No; I am not going to discuss it at all. I think I
 told you that I was going to mention it; that is all.
 Senator VANDDENBEG. Oh.
 Senator FLizTCHE. This report of the special board gives the ship,
 the name of the ship, and the entire cargo, and all the details.
 Mr. BucKMAN. The original survey picks out each ship by name
 and its record and the cargoes carried.
 Senator VANmENBao. There is not any question but what that is so,
 and then they assume they are going to use the canal, and then arrive
 at the subsequent figures
 Mr. BUCXMAN. May I point out to you, Senator, the Corps of Engi-
 neers uses the same method in determining the use of any waterway
 by commerce. They have always done it in the past and presumably
 will do it in the future.
 Senator VANDENrEG. I am terribly sorry to disagree with you, but
 I was never interested in a Great Lakes project that I was not required
 to produce witnesses in presenting the actual which was in existence
 or in dependable contemplation.
 Mr. BUCKMAN. That is auxiliary testimony that it is well to have,
 and which the Army engineers bring to bear, but as I shall read to
 you in a moment from a statement of the Chief of Engineers, that is
 not the chief basis for their economic justification, or their conclusions
 regarding the economics of the canal; if you will bear with me one
 moment, I will come to that.
 Senator VANDENBERG. All right.
 Senator FIzTCHE. I was going to ask, Mr. Chairman, if you re-
 member the tolls of the Panama Canal. I forget what they do
 charge down there.
 The CHwamiRA. $1 a ton.
 Senator FLPTcaHR. $1 a ton. So this 8 cents a ton is a pretty low
 estimate.
 Mr. BUCKMAN. On August 30, 1935, by virtue of authority vested
 in him under the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935, ap-
 proved April 8, 1935, the President authorized the project and
 directed the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer to the War Depart-
 ment, Corps of Engineers, $5,000,000 of the funds provided in that
 act for the initiation of work.
 On September 3, 1935, construction was begun under the direction
 of the Chief of Engineers, and is continuing at this time, with an
 average employment of approximately 5,000 men.


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