378 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA CANAL

 Engineering Division of the Public Works Administration also
 examined the project as a lock canal, and made its report on October
 19, 1933 (see Doc. No. 39). The President's board of review reviewed
 both of these reports and recommended to the President the construc-
 tion of a sea-level canal. Their report was under date of June 28,
 1934 (see Doc. No. 49). The sea-level canal was authorized by the
 President under the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935 on
 August 30, 1935, and the Chief of Engineers was instructed by the
 Secretary of War to proceed with its construction. De facto, there-
 fore, the canal is a sea-level canal, and, in order to bring up to date
 and constitute the findings of the original special board of survey of
 the Army engineers, both as to construction, features, cost, and eco-
 nomics, the Chief of Engineers, under date of April 16, 1936, ordered
 the setting up of a board of Army engineers to review the project
 and make a report which would be available for the Chief of Engi-
 neers and the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors for the
 purpose of making a report to Congress in response to the provisions
 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1930.


 DOCUMENT NO. 128 (FILES OF THE NATIONAL RIVERS AND HARBORS
 CONGRESS) APRIL 16, 1936
 CoxxuNIcATIO FROM THz PaoJucrs CoMMrrrim, NATIONAL RivEas
 AND HARBORS CONGRESS, TO REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPH J. MANSFIELD

 Under date of April 16, 1936, the projects committee of the
 National Rivers and Harbors Congress addressed the following com-
 munication to the Honorable Joseph J. Mansfield, chairman of the
 House Committee on Rivers and Harbors, and to other Members of
 the Congress:
 NALomAX. RILms AND HABBOBa CONGowes,
 WashMngton, D. 0., April 16, 19S6.
 Subject: The Florida Canal.
 Hon. JoSezP J. MANSrnIE ,
 House of Representatives, Washingtos D. 0.
 MY DAs JUDGn MANsMBID: The following is submitted for your information:
 The National Rivers and Harbors Congress, upon recommendation of its proj-
 ects committee, has voted unanimously to endorse as a national project the
 Atlantic-Gulf ship canal across Florida as being sound, needful, and sufficiently
 advanced in status, and a project that should be promptly constructed in the
 public interest.
 The projects committee of the congress is composed of an outstanding water-
 way leader from each of the 10 Army engineer divisions of the United States.
 It gave exhaustive consideration to the project, including public hearings. The
 committee voted unanimously to recommend its approval, and the report was
 adopted without a dissenting vote by the convention composed of delegates from
 40 States, the District of Columbia, Alaska, and Puerto Rico, and representing
 the Federal Government; States; cities; counties; State, municipal, and local
 governmental agencies; chambers of commerce; waterway associations; agri-
cultural, labor, industrial, and trade organizations throughout the country.
 Yours very truly,
 THE PROJECTS ComuTrrnE
 By H. H. BucKxAN, Vice Chairman.