258 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE PLOIDA CANAL

project. The views of navigation and commercial Interests as to the effect
which the proposed Improvement may have on their operations are an aid to
the board In weighing the public value of the savings and benefits as determined
by the board.
 Senator VANDENBERo. Mr. Chairman, I do not want to interrupt
 your hearing, and I want you to go right ahead. I am 15 minutes
 late at another very important session, I am sorry to say. I am sure
 I won't be missed if I withdraw.
 Senator FLrCHEa. We are glad to have you here.
 The CHAIRMAN. Just a moment. How much more have you, Mr.
 Buckman I
 Mr. BUCKMAN. I am very nearly to the place where I would like
 to take up the last major phase of this question, which is the effect
 on the water supply. I think I have another 20 minutes, Mr.
 Chairman.
 Senator VANDENBEoG. I will leave the geology to Senator Cope-
 land and Senator Fletcher.
 Senator FLECHaR. I gave you the report. That is our answer to
 that.
 The CHAIrMAN. Senator Vandenberg, we are sorry to have you
 go away.
 Mr. BUCKMAN. Likewise the statement of Prof. Emory Johnson,
 Special Commissioner for the Panama Canal. I quote from a letter
 from Professor Johnson to Senator Fletcher, under date of Feb.
 ruary 8, 1935 [reading]:
 As to the method to be followed In deciding what use will be made of a pro-
 posed canaL the only way to do is to do what was done in estimating the
 probable tramc of the Panama Canal and what was done by those who meas-
 ured the tonnage of shipping that would use a trans-Florida canal, 1. e., to
 make up a record of actual vessel movements for a year over routes for which
 the proposed waterway would provide a shorter route, to calculate the saving
 that the vessels so recorded could have made by using the proposed canal, and
 then to credit to the tonnage of probable canal traffic the tonnage that would
 result from shifting to the canal route such vessel movements as could be made
 more safely and more economically via the canal. It may be safely assumed
 that companies owning vessels will have them operated by the most advan-
 tageous and economical route.
 In addition to the above, the committee has before it the affirmative
evidence of the use of the canal by shipping contained in the formal
findings of the Corps of Engineers, the Public Works Administra-
tion, the Department of Commerce, and the board of review.
 Mr. Chairman, there remains the consideration as to possible effect
which the construction of a sea-level canal along the route selected
might have upon the underground fresh-water supply of Florida.
 The CH MAN. I am very much interested in that subject.
 Mr. BUCKMAN. Questions involved in this consideration are highly
technical and highly specific. It should be borne in mind that there
is no record of any specific survey or investigation of this problem
by any competent individual or group, except a group of experts
which have been and are conducting this inquiry under the direction
of the Chief of Engineers.
 There has apparently arisen in the minds of many people an im-
pression that the Florida State Geological Survey or the Federal
Geological Survey has made special surveys of this phase of the
project and has rendered reports upon the same.