ROAD CONSTRUCTION IN DROUGHT AREAS Mr. TARVER. Are you familiar with the facts sought to justify the extra consideration in the amount of $24,770,000 for road purposes accorded these nine States-Colorado, Florida, Kansas, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin-by the F. E. R. A. and by the P. W. A.? Mr. MACDONALD. Yes, sir; we assisted in making a rather detailed survey. We have extensive reports covering these drought areas that were highly convincing as to the utter desolation in those districtsfields that were at one time in the wheat country profitably producing crops were nothing but stretches of sand, with the sand piled in great banks against the houses. It was not the result of 1 year's drought; it was really the culmination of a period of about 3 years. There are sections that had no crops for at least 3 years; that is true, is it not, Mr. Jump? Mr. JUMP. Yes; for several years. Mr. MACDONALD. In the Panhandle of Oklahoma, none of the area was listed in the drought area, as I understand it, that had as much as 3 bushels of wheat production per acre.. Mг. THOм. What kind of roads are you building in those drought States with this fund that has been allocated? Mr. MACDONALD. They are built with what we call "caliche gravel." Mг. THOм. That is a secondary road? Mr. MACDONALD. They are primary roads there, the main roads through that section. Mr. THOм. Are the roads built by force account, or by contract? Mr. MACDONALD. By force account. Mr. THOм. What does that cost you a mile? Mr. MACDONALD. The average cost of about 8,400 miles is estimated at about $3,600 per mile. Mr. THOм. Is there any drainage on these roads? Mr. MACDONALD. Yes, sir. Mr. THOм. Can you furnish us with the cost figure? Mr. MACDONALD. Yes. We have a mass of detail on all this work. Mr. THOм. Now those are the main roads that lead from the farms to the main road? Mr. MACDONALD. Yes, sir. Mr. TARVER. Were there any distressing drought conditions existing in Florida last year? Mr. MACDONALD. The damage in Florida was due to a flood. Mг. THOм. May I just ask you for a definition of this gravel you referred to, a caliche gravel? Mr. MACDONALD. It is material which is found to a considerable extent in the Southwest. It contains calcium carbonate which cements the gravel and binds it into a hard surface. Mг. THOм. You dig that out right along the road, do you, right out of the hillside? Mr. MACDONALD. Yes; haul it from pits. Practically all of the work that has been done in these sections has been of that type. Mr. THOм. Is that found in all of these States, that type of gravel? Mr. MACDONALD. No; just in the Southwest country. Mr. THOм. Now, what do you use up in Wisconsin, South Dakota, and North Dakota? Mr. MACDONALD. Gravel; but it is not what we call caliche gravel. It is usually a cleaner gravel, and we use clay to bind it. Mr. THOм. Do you just have a rough gravel road, then, without any surface on it, any binder? Mr. MACDONALD. The caliche gravel binds to a smooth surface. Mr. THOм. In these northern States, what do you use for gravel? Mr. MACDONALD. For secondary construction, it is the ordinary clay-bound gravel. Mr. CANNON. You referred to the purchase of cement, Mr. MacDonald. What relation has your Department to the purchase of materials, and to cement in particular? Mr. MACDONALD. We buy no materials. Mr. CANNON. What supervision do you exercise over the purchase of cement by the States? Mr. MACDONALD. We do not exercise any supervision over the purchase of cement by the States for their own work; we do not purchase cement as a separate material with Federal funds. We stopped that practice when this appropriation was made in 1933, and required the contractor to furnish all materials and required the State to test the materials. Mr. CANNON. If there is no further inquiry, we will stand adjourned until 10:30 tomorrow morning. Mr. MACDONALD. May I add for the record some short statements that will give the statistical information on our contracts and such matters? Mr. CANNON. Yes; we will be glad to have them. Thank you, Mr. MacDonald. (The information referred to is as follows:) Federal-aid improvements During the fiscal year 1934 Federal-aid highway work was carried forward at an increased rate, made possible by the $400,000,000 Public Works highway fund provided by the National Industrial Recovery Act. The full program was financed by balances of regular Federal-aid and the second emergency highway appropriation, together with the Public Works highway fund and State funds. A total mileage of 20,227.2 was brought to completion during the year. Of this mileage, 18,073.1 miles were on the Federal-aid highway system and 2,154.1 miles were secondary or feeder roads off the system. The mileage improvements completed, by States, is as follows: Mileage of Federal-aid highway improvements completed during fiscal year 1934 Mileage of Federal-aid highway improvements completed during fiscal year 1934— Continued Unobligated balances of Federal funds available for new projects (as of Feb. 2, 1935) On February 2, 1935, there remained a balance of $91,667,000 available for new projects. This balance was made up of $830,000 of regular Federal aid, $6,870,000 of the 1934 ($400,000,000) Public Works highway fund, and $83,967,000 of the 1935 ($200,000,000) Public Works highway fund. The details of these balances, by States, are as follows: Unobligated balance of Federal highway funds, as of Feb. 2, 1935 |