sort of building and if an opportunity were present they may choose this as their occupation. "Ding" Darling, the famous cartoonist and conservationist, may have been thinking along these lines when he suggested the Lewis and Clark Parkway and trails, creating recreational areas, marinas, and historical sites. Thank you for your interest and willingness to work for this very important need of our people. Sincerely, FORREST W. WAKEFIELD, Superintendent of Recreation. Senator GAYLORD NELSON, Washington, D.C. BETTENDORF PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION, DEAR SENATOR NELSON: I am answering your letter dated June 16, 1964, asking about our opinions as to the legislation providing funds for Federal, State, county, and municipal agencies to utilize unemployed workers on conservation projects such as park development, roadside improvement, timber stand improvement, etc. I feel at this time that these people could be of great help to the park movement across the United States in the usage of specific specialized-type people which could help in getting certain planned projects completed. I certainly feel that if the funds are available our department could utilize these workers, and certainly a substantial number of others could be used in many different ways. We have areas that need to be cleaned as far as debris, etc.; they could do this type of work. If they are skilled-type workers they could help with the building of shelters, fireplaces, park entrances, etc. Also, anyone who might be interested in working in the areas of forestation or with flowers or plants could also be of great use to our department. We are small in the frilly areas and we cannot afford to hire people to do this type of work. I think your question as to the estimate of the number of man-years of work which could be usefully undertaken in the immediate future, would certainly vary as to the projects that you might accomplish, the type of individuals you would obtain through this system to help you with your work. I know that certainly in some areas the man-years of work would never cease, it would depend on the number of men that you would have available to get the work done. I would estimate, though, that this work, providing we had from 6 to 10 extra men a year working, it would probably take up to possibly 10 years to complete the main projects and beautification that we would like to accomplish within our community. Certainly if our community, which is supposedly the fastest growing city in the State of Iowa, continues to grow and the park department continues to blossom out and continually expand as it has, this certainly is a very low estimate on man-years because as we obtain and purchase new areas many more man-years of work will be needed to complete the projects which we might have set out for the areas. I would also like to comment that I feel that particularly municipal and State recreation and park departments can use this type of help if it is available, if it isn't an added income problem for the city or State which might be using it. It certainly could benefit many, many thousands of people throughout our United States. We thank you for the letter and hope that some of these small comments which we made might be of sufficient value to you. DEAR SENATOR NELSON: Enclosed is a brochure of our present city park and recreation system. Among our parks is a large island in the Mississippi. We certainly could use unemployed workers for riverfront road improvement and timber improvement, both cleanup and new timber. Similar situations are possi ble in our other 26 park areas. If we were to purchase additional new park lands, naturally we could use additional men. The above-mentioned projects could be activated with very little new preparation. We could use from 10 to 100 annual workers depending on available men and extent of work approved by the board of park commissioners of Davenport, Iowa. Sincerely, EMIL C. PLAMBECK, General Superintendent, Board of Park Commissioners. Hon. GAYLORD NELSON, KANSAS RESPONSES STATE OF KANSAS LABOR DEPARTMENT, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR NELSON: We have been asked by the Kansas Department of Economic Development to reply in part to your letter relating to the utilization of unemployed workers on conservation projects in Kansas. Unemployment in Kansas at mid-May was estimated at 21,300, representing about 2.6 percent of the civilian work force. Several areas in Kansas, mostly in the southeastern section of the State, recorded higher unemployment rates, however. Some of the counties in the southeastern part of Kansas have sustained substantial or substantial and persistent unemployment for a period of years and several have become eligible for assistance under the area redevelopment programs, Defense Manpower Policy No. 4, and/or accelerated public works. Unemployment rates in most other sections of the State have been substantially below those recorded in southeast Kansas. It would appear however, that unemployed workers could be recruited and utilized to good advantage on whatever conservation projects might be planned in Kansas. Very truly yours, Hon. GAYLORD NELSON, Washington, D.C. MARTIN GRANTHAM, Chief, Research and Statistics. STATE OF KANSAS, KANSAS STATE PARK AND RESOURCES AUTHORITY, DEAR SENATOR NELSON: In response to your recent request, May 21, 1964, I do not believe we would utilize substantial numbers of workers if Federal funds were provided to us. The State park authority administers 13 areas, with 5 of these having honor work camps utilizing inmates from our boys industrial reformatory. With the areas remaining we could utilize possibly 100 to 120 workers on an annual basis. It is assumed the members of Kansas unemployed workers would be considerably higher than the above. Should funds be made available, the type of projects contemplated without extensive new preparation would be (1) tree trimming, brush removal; (2) tree planting and tree maintenance; (3) erosion control; (4) installation of minor park facilities such as walks, curbs, road signs, and park entrance structures, and installation of picnic tables, grills, and individual campsites and camping areas. Incidentally the park authority last year accommodated slightly over 2 million visitor days, which represents approximately one-sixth of those visiting roadside parks administered by the State highway commission, forestry, fish and game commission-game management areas, Federal reservoirs, and county and municipal lakes. Please understand the above only applies to the State parks under our administration. We could not suggest how one might assess the number of unemployed workers that could be used in municipal and county lakes. I hope the comments above will be helpful to you. Hon. GAYLORD NELSON, LYNN BURRIS, Jr., Director. STATE OF KANSAS, FORESTRY, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION, Pratt, Kans., June 15, 1964. U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR NELSON: In reply to your letter of May 29, our program would not require a large number of additional personnel, however, we could use a number of temporary personnel during certain periods of the year. Most of this work would be involved in the planting of trees, shrubs, and food and cover crops, preparing lake sites, and doing a certain amount of lake work. I am unable to estimate the number of man-years of work that might be involved. Yours truly, GEORGE C. MOORE, Director. JUNE 2, 1964. Hon. GAYLORD NELSON, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR NELSON: In response to your recent request, May 21, 1964, I do not believe we would utilize substantial numbers of workers if Federal funds were provided to us. The State park authority administers 13 areas, with 5 of these having honor work camps utilizing inmates from our boys industrial reformatory. With the areas remaining we could utilize possibly 100 to 120 workers on an annual basis. It is assumed the members of Kansas unemployed workers would be considerably higher than the above. Should funds be made available, the type of projects contemplated without extensive new preparation would be (1) tree trimming, brush removal; (2) tree planting and tree maintenance; (3) erosion control; (4) installation of minor park facilities such as walks, curbs, road signs, and park entrance structures, and installation of picnic tables, grills, and individual campsites and camping areas. Incidentally the park authority last year accommodated slightly over 2 million visitor days, which represents approximately one-sixth of those visiting roadside parks administered by the State highway commission, forestry, fish and game commission-game management areas, Federal reservoirs, and county and municipal lakes. Please understand the above only applies to the State parks under our administration. We could not suggest how one might assess the number of unemployed workers that could be used in municipal and county lakes. I hope the comments above will be helpful to you. Yours truly, LYNN BURRIS, Jr., Director. KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Senator GAYLORD NELSON, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR NELSON: This society is not involved in large-scale conservation projects such as you suggest in your letter of May 29, and therefore could not employ any substantial number of currently unemployed workers. However, we do administer 11 State-owned historic sites where laborers could be used. We have resident caretakers at most of these places, and laborers could well be employed to help improve the properties. Our need perhaps would be insignificant in such a program as you are considering, for at most only a dozen men could be put to worthwhile work as grounds keepers. I believe we could truthfully say that this number of workers could be used indefinitely, for we operate these sites on extremely small budgets and seldom have funds to hire as many men as we could advantageously use. Since you invite general comments, I would say that we wonder if anything like another WPA is needed at this time. Although we are aware that some areas of the country may be in trouble, and that "poverty pockets" may exist more widely than many of us realize, we might question whether the general economy is in such condition that make-work programs on a national scale are required now. With kindest good wishes, I am, Cordially, NYLE MILLER, Secretary. CITY OF TOPEKA, KANS., July 15, 1964. Hon. GAYLORD NELSON, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR NELSON: I am certain that legislation relative to your letter of July 1 on the employment on conservation projects would be a great opportunity. I was born and raised in Wisconsin; my family were longtime settlers in the Mineral Point area; and I graduated from the University of Wisconsin in engineering in 1929. From 1931 to 1933 I was a graduate instructor in the agricultural engineering department at the university and you will recall, starting in the spring of 1933, the first soil conservation work was started in western Wisconsin under the direction of the university agricultural engineering department. At that time I was camp superintendent of a number of camps in the western part of the State from Durand all the way down to Platteville and, as you may recall, the Civilian Conservation Corps had numerous camps working on just such type of conservation activities as your legislation undoubtedly envisions. Of all of the Federal projects of this character, I believe the civilian conservation program had one of the greatest impacts on our young people and was one of the most highly successful and acceptable programs that has ever been developed. There are tremendous opportunities to get young people into this type of work between the years that they graduate from high school and until they reach an age where industry will accept them. Furthermore, as you stated in your letter, there are large numbers of unemployed workers who can do this type of work and I can assure you that in our own city we have tremendous opportunities and requirements for this type of work with little opportunity to provide the necessary funds to implement the programs. I am asking our commissioner of parks, Mr. John Goodin, to comment on your letter and to also send you some factual data as to what might be done in this type of work. Thanking you very kindly for writing to me and, if I can be of any help to you on this I would be very pleased to lend my support. I can assure you that I have had a long and personal background with this type of activity and believe that it is a tremendous challenge and opportunity for us to pursue further. Sincerely yours, Hon. GAYLORD NELSON, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. H. W. GERLACH, Mayor. CITY OF TOРЕКА, Topeka, Kans., June 25, 1964. DEAR SENATOR NELSON: This is in response to your letter of June 16, 1964. In answer to your questions, I could use a substantial number of workers in my program. I could use from 10 to 30 workers all year round. In regard to specific kinds of projects, we currently have two undeveloped parks. We need manpower to develop them. I am currently at my statutory limit of 2 mills for park maintenance. If I am to keep the parks at the current level of operation I am going to need help from somewhere. It appears that we will add two or three parks per year to our system and our tax levy isn't growing fast enough to provide additionally needed money. Our current setup allows the county all the welfare workers; the city none. We occasionally get trustees from the city police department, but not regularly enough to help much. I endorse your proposed program heartily. The State park authority has made tremendous use of trustees from the State reform school in developing State park areas at Tuttle Creek Reservoir, Manhattan, Kans. This has saved the Kansas taxpayers plenty and allowed for development to proceed ahead of schedule. Sincerely yours, D. E. SHOWALTER, Superintendent of Parks. CITY OF LAWRENCE, KANS., July 27, 1964. Hon. GAYLORD NELSON, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. NELSON: This letter is in reply to your inquiry of June 16 concerning utilization of unemployed workers. At present Lawrence does not have a need for any assistance to utilize workers in the manner you suggest; however, with the development of several reservoirs in the immediate Lawrence area, we could possibly need extra workmen to assist the city in clearing and preparing areas for parks. It is difficult at this time to predict such a program as the reservoirs themselves are still in the planning stage. Yet this is a definite possibility. Also we will be building a levee with Federal funds to protect the north part of Lawrence. Our master plan calls for a parkway to go the length of the levee. Here again is a possible use of unemployed laborers. Unemployment has not been too heavy in this area. The following is a 6-month breakdown: Through the winter we have little use for extra help. In the summer the students swell the unemployment total. The projects mentioned above could be done without extensive new preparation other than minimum training for the men. Thank you for your interest and I hope this information will be of some help to you. Sincerely yours, VERN COOPER, Park Superintendent. CITY OF KANSAS CITY, KANS., Hon. GAYLORD NELSON, Washington, D.O. DEAR SENATOR NELSON: In further reference to your letter of July 1, 1964, regarding funds for municipalities to utilize unemployed workers on conservation and recreation projects, such as park development, roadside improvement, etc., I am not sure whether I would agree with legislation along this line. It seems to me that the matters mentioned in your letter should be handled by local government; either cities or States. It appears to me that if we continue to run to Washington, D.C., for the various funds needed to take care of such problems which you have discussed that sooner or later all municipalities and States will be controlled through Washington. I personally feel that the time has come when local government should begin to handle some of these problems which need to be taken care of without help from Washington, D.C. Our city has received money in the past from Washington for highways and trafficways, urban renewal, and Federal housing projects. Perhaps there was a time when this was necessary but I just wonder how long it should be continued. I realize that there is unemployment in all localities. There, again, I believe that is the responsibility of local government and we should not lean too heavily on legislation in Washington to handle the situation. I trust this answers your letter. Sincerely yours, PAUL F. MITCHUM, Mayor. |