The CHAIRMAN. That is right. Mr. D'EWART. I have six bills. The CHAIRMAN. Those bills, of course, will be referred to that particular subcommittee. It would pinpoint the views a little better before that committee. In .connection with the pictures and that sort of thing I want to remind the committee that we have a whole library of films. I very proudly displayed one to the committee at the last session. I have that film-I am afraid I sneaked out a copy, and there were a limited number at that which is on Arizona. However, I have recently seen some other films, produced by the Bureau of Mines at the expense of some great donors. The Arizona picture was produced by the Bureau of Mines and paid for by the Phelps-Dodge Mining Co., although you will recall that less than 30 percent of the views pertained to mining. There are available some more recent State pictures. There is one of Texas, for instance. I am sure that Mr. Regan would say we ought to see that. It is a great film on Texas. It is ours for the asking. It is highly educational. There is a great film on Nevada, and there is one on Wyoming, and I understand there is one on Missouri, though I have not seen it. All of these films are available, and with your permission I am going to arrange that they be shown us by the Library of Congress. They will be borrowed from the Bureau of Mines. On Tuesday we have the National Park Service present their study. On Wednesday we want to continue with the general work, which we shall begin today, on water resources and that sort of thing. This will chiefly be by the Reclamation Division of the Department of the Interior. Now, before going to our other work, we have a full staff and we want to make full use of them. In addition to that staff I have insisted that we make full use of Dr. Mahoney, who is the senior specialist in the Library Reference Service. We have already used him to good advantage, and I hope to use his services to an even greater advantage. Each one of you has been supplied with this document, No. 706, and you find it on your desks, a House document of the last Congress. Late last year there were two bills introduced on related subjects. One was H. R. 6257, water resources basic data program, introduced by myself; and another was H. R. 6900, an accelerated surveying and mapping program which was introduced by Chairman Peterson. Hearings were held on these bills. The bills were reported out by the committee last year, in the last Congress. These hearings are available. The clerk informs me that each member has been supplied with a copy of them. I reintroduced both bills this year, though slightly changed. To that change I called attention at the last meeting, I believe. I do not know when Congressman Engle will take up the one, or when Congressman Bentsen will take up the other for action, but perhaps it will be soon. A glance at this House document, which is House Document No. 706, Eighty-first Congress, second session, dated November 1950, entitled "A Program to Strengthen the Scientific Foundation in Natural Resources" gives some idea of the extent of the jurisdiction or field of operation of this committee. This ought to be carefully studied, because several of the divisions in the Department of the Interior have had a hand in accumulating this material. However, I find that when I want information it is sometimes difficult to get that information, although an agency has been established for a century or a half century to accumulate the information. There are many questions I would like to ask of the Weather Bureau, and I can ask but sometimes they are not adequately answered. The question then is "Why?" What has the Weather Bureau been doing all these years? There are questions I would like to ask of the Geological Survey. I can ask, but I do not always get an adequate answer. I have even had trouble getting modern topographic maps. It is an actual fact that I have asked for maps of my part of the country and I have been supplied with maps which were prepared by Major Powell about the time I was kicking the slats in the crib. Now, the purpose of these two measures that have been reintroduced, of course, is to strengthen the scientific foundation. It will call for more effort, more knowledge, so that we may legislate better. We have the report of the President's Resources Commission. I think the last issue is just about out. We must give it study. I was talking with Dr. Mahoney a few days ago, and he tells me that he is in touch with scientists, and university men, who delve into these matters to a greater extent than we have been accustomed to do heretofore. We cannot do it now, but I am asking Dr. Mahoney to accumulate all the scientific information he can. Perhaps at some time we will be able to call in some of these eminent men, if they are in nearby universities, and have them as witnesses. I am asking Dr. Mahoney to accumulate statements of these men, so that we may have them for the consideration of the committee. This is an atomic age. We have learned a lot about Nature that we did not know 6 or 7 years ago. We spent a whale of a lot of money learning it, and in a way we had to learn it the hard way. I doubt not but that there is new scientific information which this committee ought to have as a background of knowledge for the wisest kind of legislation. We want to delve into that, but we will not take more time on it at this moment. It is my hope that we may have at least one, and perhaps two more House documents, of which House Document No. 706 is the beginning. In general we have dealt with surface water flowing in streams and have been giving too little attention to underground water, which is equally important. Another study which ought to be engaged in is the relation of both land and water to climate, particularly sunshine and radiant energy. Much is being discovered with regard to photosynthesis which depends so largely upon the radiant energy of the sun in production of food and fiber. I for one would like to trace the connections between land, water, and radiant energy. I notice that the clerk has handed out a great amount of material. If you are burdened with this it is because I asked the Department to furnish it, as is usually the case at the beginning of a session. This pertains to irrigation and reclamation chiefly. We are expected to study this for the rest of the year. In addition, I have asked Mr. Lineweaver, in the absence of the Commissioner, to come before us this morning and open up our discussion with regard to this matter. Mr. Lineweaver, this is in answer to a letter which I wrote the Department asking for a kit of material, hoping that you or the Commissioner himself would come up to make some preliminary remarks. Mr. ASPINALL. Mr. Chairman, I suggest that the members at the lower end of the committee rostrum be allowed to sit out of order. The CHAIRMAN. That is perfectly satisfactory. Would you gentlemen please move in a little closer. Now, Mr. Lineweaver, I take it that this kit of material indicates reclamation projects in the several classes. Of course, right now we are interested in the matter of appropriations, but I take it that this is not quite the function here this morning to deal with that, except to treat the reclamation program as you see it. STATEMENTS OF GOODRICH W. LINEWEAVER, ACTING COMMISSIONER, BUREAU OF RECLAMATION; AND WESLEY R. NELSON, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER, BUREAU OF RECLAMATION Mr. LINEWEAVER. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. So that we may be informed and especially heartened in our efforts. Mr. LINEWEAVER. Mr. Chairman, so that the members of the committee will have some idea as to the way we thought about presenting this matter, may I say that several weeks ago, in accordance with the custom of the chairman of the former Committee on Public Lands and the chairman of the subcommittees, we followed the usual procedure. Each year as Congress convenes a letter is sent to the Commissioner requesting that the members of this committee as well as all western Members of Congress be advised as to the analysis of the President's budget estimates with respect to reclamation. In response to that request and I will submit the correspondence for the record, but not the material-we distributed to the members of the committee and the western Members of Congress and the members of the Appropriation Committee at their request a compendium of information on the President's budget estimates relating to reclamation, which are entitled, "Summary Statements of Work Proposed for Fiscal Year 1951 in the President's Budget as Transmitted to the Congress." (The correspondence is as follows:) G. W. LINEWEAVER, COMMITTEE ON THE PUBLIC LANDS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C., January 12, 1951. Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. LINE WEAVER: Last January, you will recall, I requested your Bureau to furnish myself and other members of the Public Lands Committee statements on the items included in the Bureau's phase of the President's budget for the fiscal year 1951. This was done and I feel the information furnished was highly informative to the members. Would it be possible for you to furnish this same information this year in connection with the budget estimates for the fiscal year 1952? I believe this information should include not only construction items on each project or unit but also operation and maintenance, general investigations, administrative expenses, and other items contained in the budget. Since many Representatives in Congress from the Western States, who are not members of the Public Lands Committee, frequently ask about specific items in the reclamation budget, it might also be well to furnish them with this same material stating that it is being furnished at my request. Thanking you for your cooperation, I remain Sincerely, JOHN R. MURDOCK, M. C. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, Washington, D. C., February 6, 1951. Hon. JOHN R. MURDOCK, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR JOHN: The following letter has been sent to committee members as well as all western Congressmen in response to your letter of January 12: "Chairman John R. Murdock of the House Public Lands Committee, as shown by his letter of January 12, has requested that members of the House Public Lands Committee as well as all western Congressmen be furnished factual statements on the items in the Bureau of Reclamation's section of the President's budget for the fiscal year 1952. "Enclosed are concrete statements and tabulations of the reclamation program as reflected in the President's budget. "For reference to construction and rehabilitation items relating to projects in a particular State, a table of contents, arranged by States, is found on page I. General statements of Bureau-wide activities relating to general investigations, operation and maintenance, general administrative expenses, and emergency funds are shown at the end of the table of contents under 'Various States.' In addition, another table of contents is on page VI arranged by appropriation items. "If you should desire further information, the Bureau of Reclamation will be pleased to furnish additional data." Sincerely yours, G. W. LINEWEAVER, Acting Commissioner. Mr. LINEWEAVER. We feel that perhaps this hearing might very well have as a background a synopsis which is tabulated of the budget estimates, together with the appropriations made for fiscal year 1951. This tabulation will show the budget estimates for 1951 as sent up by the President, the appropriations made by the Congress for fiscal year 1951, the reductions under section 1214 of the general appropriations bill which authorized, as you recall, the Director of the Budget to make reductions aggregating not less than $550 million. Then the tabulation shows the net appropriations for 1951 after the reductions under section 1214, and the last column shows the budget estimates for fiscal year 1952 as contained in the President's budget message. I will submit that for the record. (The document is as follows:) |