DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA CANAL 379

 DOCUMENT NO. 129 (FILES OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON
 APPROPRIATIONS), APRIL 17, 1936

STATEMENTS OF REPRESENTATIVES SEARS AND CALDWEIL BEFORE THE
 SuBoMxxrrrEE OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS IN
 CHARGE OF FIRST DEFICIENC BIu, 1936, SEVENTY-FOURTH CON-
 GREss, SECOND SESSION, APRIL 17, 1936

 On April 17, 1936, Representative William J. Sears, of Florida,
appeared before the subcommittee of the House Committee on Ap-
propriations, in charge of the first deficiency bill for 1936, and made
the following statement:
 FLOBIDA SHIP CANAL
 FRDAT, April 17, 1936.
 STATEMENT OF HON. WLIAM J. SEARS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
 CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA
 SENTIMENTS IN FLORIDA RE SHIP CANAL

 The CHAI=MAN. Mr. Sears, I understand you desire to make a statement to
the committee, and we will be glad to hear you at this time.
 Mr. Swas Mr. Chairman, I want to give you and the other members of this
committee, in as brief a form as possible, the facts in reference to the Florida
ship canal, so that the other members of the committee, not members of this
subcommittee, and my colleagues in the House, not members of this committee,
may have the benefit of the printed hearings and know what the facts are.
 I therefore ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to place in the record
a statement prepared by Senator Fletcher in reference to the cross-State canal.
 Mr. BACON. Is the statement in favor of it or in opposition to it?
 Mr. Smas. It is in favor of it.
 (The statement above referred to is as follows:)
 "OPPoesITIN T AtTLAhNT-GOxL SHIP CANAL Across FLORID
 "The Emergency Appropriation Act of 1935 gave the President full authority
to select, initiate, and approve projects to be undertaken by the Government
and to allot funds for prosecuting work thereon. The President was vested with
complete discretion in the matter and $4,800,000,000 was placed in his hands for
the purpose of discharging that trust.
 "On August 80, 1935, the President issued an Executive order to the Secretary
of the Treasury to set aside $5000,000 for the Atlantic-Gulf ship canal, describ-
ing It, generally, as the project which the board of review, composed of two
Army engineers from the Corps of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, two Public
Works Administration engineers (the chief and his assistant), and a chairman
selected by the four, a distinguished engineer from New York, recommended to
him.
 "Upon recommendation by the Chief of Engineers and the Secretary of War,
the Director of the Budget approved and placed in the Budget an item of
$12,000,000 for prosecution of work on this canal during the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1987. This was approved by the President when he transmitted the
War Department budget to Congress.
 "The appropriation bill, of course, had to originate in the House, and these
matters were reported there and were taken up by the subcommittee handling
the War Department appropriation bill. There were five projects in like situa-
tion-all inaugurated by the President-work begun on them, funds allotted
for them, and under construction-the five projects calling for a total appro-
priation of $29,000,000. Opposition arose before the subcommittee by a Be-
publican member who insisted that as these projects had never proceeded along
the course of ordinary river and harbor projects and been approved by the
Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, reported to the House, referred to
 82710-8---25