370 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY' OF THE FLORIDA CANAL

 and, in addition thereto, they give them bed and possibly food. I believe they
 get food.
 Mr. TAB= That is more than the going wage in that locality?
 Mr. GOaw. I believe in this locality in Florida, is paid from $1 to $1.50 per
 day. That is for common labor.
 Mr. TABm. They do not work every day for W. P. A.
 Mr. Ganm. I think they pay for 5 days per week on the canal; so they are
 complying with the usual prevailing rate in that locality.
 Mr. TABe The usual rate is $1 for a 10-hour day.
 Mr. GCaU. It is $1 to $1.50 for an 8-hour day. That is what we usually pay.
 They are making unusual strides on this work.
 Now, as to whether or not Congress has approved it is a question for each one
 to decide for himself. I say that it has approved it, because it was approved
 in the general works bill that passed with the authorization of $4,800,000,000,
 and the President began it under this express authorization and direction.
 The Chief of the Army Engineers has approved it; the Public Works engineers
 have approved it; the special board of review appointed by the President
 approved it. This board consisted of two Army engineers, two P. W. A. engineers,
 and one engineer from civilian life, and it has had every approval except the
 direct passage of a bill by Congress, the naming of the project.

 mE Trrs TO BE DnmVED WBOM THE CANAL
 There is one thing, gentlemen, that I would like for you particularly to bear
 in mind.
 This project is of general benefit. Thirty-nine States in the Union are directly
 interested in it. It will save to the shipping public in transportation costs
 $30,000,000 to $32,000,000 a year. Those figures have been given by the Depart-
 ment of Commerce under Secretary Roper. That does not mean the cost of
 operating the ships; that is eight million and something. It will save the Gov-
 ernment in mail contracts alone $800,000 a year. It will save in distance time
 almost 3 days round trip in traveling from the east coast of the United States-
 Philadelphia, for example-to New Orleans. That saving is enormous. It has
 been estimated-not by me, but by commerce experts; the Department of Com-
 merce and the Board of Army Engineers made this estimate-that one and one-
 half times the tonnage which now goes through the Panama Canal each year
 will pass through this canaL This tonnage will be procured from all the States
 of the Mississippi Valley, and the tonnage going the other way will be procured
 from all the East Coast States and foreign countries. Ports like Philadelphia
 and New York will experience a decided increase in their water-borne tonnage.
 Every State in the Union, practically, will share in the benefits in producing
 the material that goes into construction.
 Men today, not only from Florida but from practically every State in the
 Union-I am referring to skilled labor--are now working on this canal. They
 are taking them from the civil-service rolls-all skilled laborers and office per-
 sonnel-and they are drawn from all over the United States The steel that
 goes into the dredges-and they now have a large number of dredges operating
 there-comes from the iron-producing sections of our country; cement likewise,
 and all of the material.
 Now, then, I say the Congress is morally bound to carry on this project. My
 people, a year ago-a little less than a year ago-when the project was ready
 to be initiated, bonded themselves for a million and a half dollars to purchase
 the right-of-way. That bond has been voted by a vote of 27 to 1. A large block
 of the bonds has been sold; the money has been exchanged and paid for the
 deeds to the land, the right-of-way, and that has been turned over to the
 Federal Government.
 That was one of the stipulations made to the President-an oral stipulation;
do not misunderstand; an oral stipulation-that I, for one, promised the Prest-
dent would be carried out if he would embark upon the construction of this
canal; that Florida would furnish the right-of-way. Our people have done this
now, and this Government, by this act of the Chief Executive beginning con-
struction on the project, is morally bound to my people to complete it. We
have done all that they have asked us to do.