DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE FLOBIDA CANAL 399

place of business in Ocala has had the same increase. For every man that
was given a job directly on the canal there were two men given jobs in private
businesses. When it is all figured out that the canal has helped each business
in general it is as follows: There has been $5,400,000 allotted to the Florida
Canal and today there is over $7,000,000 worth of machinery or equipment that
private contractors are now using on this canal. This equipment was manu-
factured in the East, North, West, and Central States. It gave employment to
thousands of men. There are more than 300 trucks and cars now in use on
the canal job, and most of them were manufactured in the honorable Mr.
Vandenberg's home State. Even his own people were greatly benefited by
the project he is so cleverly fighting. The railroad companies alone have
received more than $100,000 in freight for the hauling of this machinery for
the contractors of this job. The express companies, the air lines, and every
line of business in existence are receiving benefits from projects of this kind.
There has been more than 5.000,000 feet of lumber used in connection with the
canal projects. This lumber came from mills in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida,
thereby giving employment to thousands of men.
 You men that represent the people of Florida and the people of the United
 States can do more in putting men to work, not directly but indirectly, with
 $25,000,000 for the Florida Canal than with $100,000,000 for such projects that
 have been approved in the past. Remember that it is this kind of projects that
 enable privately owned businesses to employ more men.
 Let me hear from you.
 Very truly yours,
 J. W. HILL
 You will note from Mr. Hill's letter a brief statement of a portion of the
 benefits which this project is now carrying to practically every State in the
 Union. After it is completed every State in the Union will share for all genera-
 tions to come great benefits. The same opposition which opposed the Panama
 Canal without ultimate success is opposing the completion of the Florida Canal
 This effort of the special interests will meet defeat in this case as in the
 Panama Canal, because the Florida Canal will be completed. It is my intention
 to at a later date discuss this project in more detail and to give you further
 information and facts concerning the project. In the meantime I urge each of
 my colleagues to make a thorough and careful study of this great project and
 the benefits which it will carry to our American people, and to cooperate for its
 completion as the project carrying the most lasting improvement of the present
 administration.


 DOCUMENT NO. 131 (FILES OF WAR DEPARTMENT), APRIL 27, 1936

 STATEMENT BY THE SECRETARY OF WAR

 On April 27, 1936, the Secretary of War gave the following state-
 ment to the press:
 The Florida Canal is a feasible and worth-while project
 People who deride the proposed waterway as an impractical scheme don't
 know what they are talking about


 DOCUMENT NO. 132 (FILES OF THE NATIONAL RIVERS AND HARBORS
 CONGRESS), APRIL 28, 1936

 ACTION BY THE NATIONAL RIVERS AND HARBORS CONGRESS AT WASH-
 INGTON, APRIL 28, 1936

 At its annual convention in Washington on April 28, 1936, the
 National Rivers and Harbors Congress adopted the following resolu-
 tion:
 Gulf-Atlantic ship canal across Florida: * The project is sound,
 needful and sufficiently advanced in status, and should be promptly constructed
 in the public interest