HEARINGS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE SEVENTY-FIRST CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON H. R. 11781 AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE CONSTRUCTION, REPAIR, AND PRESERVATION OF CERTAIN PUBLIC WORKS ON RIVERS AND HARBORS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 111747 ᏢᎪᎡᎢ 4 MAY 19, 1930 Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce UNITED STATES WASHINGTON: 1930 RIVERS AND HARBORS UNITED STATES SENATE, The committee met pursuant to adjournment, at 10 o'clock a. m., in the committee room, Capitol, Senator Hiram W. Johnson presiding. Present: Senators Johnson (chairman), Jones, McNary, Vandenberg, Deneen, Patterson, Howell, Ransdell, Sheppard, Simmons, Harris, Copeland, and Brock. The CHAIRMAN. Will the committee come to order, if you please. Are you ready, Senator Simmons? Senator SIMMONS. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. We will be pleased to listen to you, Senator. STATEMENT OF HON. FURNIFOLD M. SIMMONS, SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA Senator SIMMONS. Mr. Chairman, I had expected to take up this morning first, the Cape Fear item, but in conference with the Chief of Engineers Department on Saturday they stated they would have that report up here this morning. I phoned them this morning, and they said it had left their office Saturday and it ought to be here. It may be at my office, and I have sent around to see if it is there. Until I can get that report, I will not be able to go on with that item, but there is another item in the bill, at page 11, inland waterway from Norfolk, Va., to Beaufort Inlet, N. C. The CHAIRMAN (reading): Inland waterway from Norfolk, Virginia, to Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, in accordance with report submitted in Senate Document No. 23, Seventy-first Congress, first session, for a tidal guard lock in the Albermarle and Chesapeake Canal at or near Great Bridge, Virginia, at a limit of cost, however, of not to exceed $500,000, conditioned upon contributions from local or other interests in the amount of $100,000. Senator SIMMONS. There is no objection to that item, except to that contribution proposition, which is wholly gratuitous. I will first state it briefly, and then I would like to read an explanation, which is not very long. Quite a number of years ago the Government purchased the Albermarle & Chesapeake Canal, which was a privately owned canal running from Elizabeth River, near Norfolk, to Currituck Sound, into Albermarle Sound, and on to the Beaufort, N. C. It is now being extended to Wilmington, on the Cape Fear River, N. C., which is a part of the inland waterway. At the time we purchased this canal, it was privately owned and only 8 or 9 feet deep; in fact, I do not think it was more than 8 feet. It |