The detail of these allotments, by States, is as follows: National recovery work relief projects approved by the Public Works Administration as of Nov. 1, 1933 Mr. SANDLIN. The statement you have submitted covers that item, does it not? Mr. MACDONALD. I know of no new business of any kind under that item. It is all routine. TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1934. FOREST ROADS AND TRAILS STATEMENTS OF THOMAS H. MacDONALD, CHIEF BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS, AND T. W. NORCOSS, CHIEF ENGINEER FOREST SERVICE Mr. SANDLIN. There is an item on page 460 of the bill in regard to forest roads and trails as follows: For carrying out the provisions of section 23 of the federal highway act approved November 9, 1921 (U.S.C., title 23, sec. 23), including not to exceed $10,521 for departmental personal services in the District of Columbia, $1,878,124, a part of the amount authorized to be appropriated for the fiscal year 1933 by the act approved May 5, 1930: Provided, That this appropriation shall be available for the rental, purchase, or construction of buildings necessary for the storage of equipment and supplies used for road and trail construction and maintenance, but the total cost of any such building purchased or constructed under this authorization shall not exceed $2,500: Provided further, That during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1935, the expenditures on forest highways in Alaska from the amount herein appropriated or from similar appropriations heretofore made shall not exceed $350,000. Mr. NORCROSS. The following statement is presented for the record: Decrease, Budget 1935 compared with estimated obligations 1934 2, 536, 492 35962-34- -42 There is a reduction of $2,579,276 in the 1935 estimate of $1,878,124 as compared with the 1934 appropriation of $4,457,400. This reduction consists of: Impoundment of 6% percent of 15-percent pay cut Further reduction of working funds for construction and mainte nance of Forest Highways in 1935... 5-percent salary restoration.. The decrease of $2,547,776 is explained as follows: -$42, 784 -2,547, 776 +11, 284 -2, 579, 276 The forest roads and trails appropriation of which this item is a part is authorized by the provisions of the Federal highway act approved November 9, 1921. Under this act an authorization to appropriate $12,500,000 for the fiscal year 1933 was approved by the act of May 5, 1930 (46 Stat. 261). The agricultural appropriation act for the fiscal year 1933 required that the entire $12,500,000 be obligated. Prior to June 30, 1934, all except $204,476 in the Alaska appropriation will be obligated. Of the entire $12,500,000 authorized for appropriation, all excepting $2,082,600 has been appropriated. To discharge obligations incurred under legislation, an appropriation of $1,878,124 is estimated as sufficient. Due to Congress having approved no legislative authorization subsequent to that for the fiscal year 1933, no appropriation other than that remaining in the authorization for that year can be approved. Accordingly, the amount to be appropriated for the fiscal year 1935 is the amount required for the discharge of obligations falling due in that year. CHANGE IN LANGUAGE It is recommended that in the third line the amount $74,269 be eliminated and $10,521 be substituted. This is due to curtailment in expenditure for Departmental personal services in the District of Columbia brought about by reduction in the size of the regular program. In the last proviso, the change from 1934 to 1935 is made to make the proviso applicable to the fiscal year 1935. WORK DONE UNDER THIS APPROPRIATION This appropriation is made for forest roads and trails under the provisions of section 23 of the Federal Highway Act of November 9, 1921. It is divided into two parts, the forest highway fund and the forest road development fund. The forest highway fund is expended for roads necessary to the forests but of primary importance to the States, counties, or communities within, adjoining or adjacent to the national forests in the highway systems of the States. The forest road development fund is appropriated and expended for roads and trails of primary importance to the administration, protection and utilization of the national forests. Due to the forest road development fund having already been allotted its entire share of the total authorized for appropriation, none of the money from the recommended fiscal year 1935 appropriation will be available for that fund. The forest road and trail system as planned includes 92,064 miles of road (forest highways 16,852 miles, and forest development roads 75,212 miles, and 149,838 miles of trails). The road system when completed will provide a mile of road for 2,442 acres, or approximately 4 square miles as an average. COOPERATIVE CONSTRUCTION OF FOREST ROADS AND TRAILS This appropriation was entirely expended in the fiscal year 1933, total obligations amounting to $26,099. EMERGENCY FUNDS APPLICABLE UNDER THIS HEADING National Industrial Recovery, Agriculture, Forest Service, 1933–35 (forest roads and trails).-Allotments aggregating $25,000,000 were made to the Secretary of Agriculture by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works under section 205 of the National Industrial Recovery Act for the construction and maintenance of forest highways, roads, trails, and bridges. The estimated obligation by projects under these allotments are given below: Projects 1934 (esti- 1935 (estimated) 1. Forest highways: Construction and maintenance of forest roads of primary importance to States and counties. 2. Forest roads, trails, etc.: Construction and maintenance of forest roads, trails, etc., of primary importance to protection and utilization of the national forests.. Total obligations WORK DONE UNDER THIS ALLOTMENT The total of $25,000,000 is divided into $15,000,000 for forest highways and $10,000,000 for roads, trails, and bridges necessary to the protection, administration, and utilization of the national forests. The $15,000,000 will be expended in the construction and improvement of national forest highways of the same character as are approved for regular appropriations made under section 23 of the Federal highway act. $350,000 has been apportioned to Alaska and the balance apportioning the regular forest highway fund. The allotment of $10,000,000 is available for the construction and maintenance of roads, trails, and bridges of the same character as specified in the section "Improvement of the national forests" of the agricultural appropriation act for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1932, approved February 23, 1931. These comprise transportation facilities of primary importance for the protection, administration, and utilization of the national forest land and resources and in general are of the same character as are usually financed from the forest development fund obtained as a part of the appropriation for the forest road and trail item made under the provisions of the Federal highway act. GENERAL STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES Mr. SANDLIN. Is there anything further on that item? Mr. NORCROSs. Regarding the forest road and trail item I believe the situation is well covered by the explanatory notes already given. Congress has not authorized any appropriations beyond the amounts for the fiscal year 1933. It has previously authorized the obligation of that money. All except $2,082,600 has previously been appropriated. We are asking now for a further appropriation, so that the amount remaining unappropriated will be $204,476. The $1,878,124 that we are asking to be appropriated includes $350,000 for Alaska. That amount does not include all that is still due Alaska from its apportionment. The amount still due will be the $204,476 that will be left unappropriated if the $1,878,124 is appropriated for the fiscal year 1935. Mr. SANDLIN. You might give us a statement about the work you. have done in the last year. Mr. NORCROSs. Of the appropriation made for the fiscal year 1934 under this item, all went to the forest highway fund. As you know the appropriation under section 23 of the Federal highway act is split into two parts, one being the forest highway fund and the other the forest road development fund. The entire amount appropriated for 1934 was allocated to the forest highway fund. But through utilizing the indusbursed balance in the forest road development fund and the emergency appropriation of July 21, 1932, it was possible to make decided progress on the system of development of roads, truck trails, and trails, as well as on the forest highway system. Up to June 30, 1933, there had been constructed 5,850 miles of forest highways; 24,026 miles of development roads and truck-trails, and 97,902 miles of trails. Besides that, a very large amount of maintenance work had been done. During the fiscal year 1933 there were constructed 340 miles of forest highways, 4,115 miles of development roads and truck trails, and 5,514 miles of trails. During that year 2,125 miles of forest highways were maintained at an average cost of $237 per mile, 40,894 miles of development roads and truck trails at an average cost of $18 per mile, and 135,238 miles of trails, at an average cost of $3 per mile. The system as now planned-that is the roads and trails now necessary, or that will be necessary within 10 years-is now 40 percent satisfactory, for the roads, and about 82 percent satisfactory for the trails. Mr. HART. Do you mean that with 18 percent more the trail system would be complete? Mr. NORCROSS. Yes, sir; if we repair the existing trails, and construct others where there are no trails right now, the planned trail system will be complete. There are now about 27,388 miles of trails which must be constructed or repaired. That work will cost $3,137,410. Mr. HART. Have you had any money assigned to you by the Public Works Administration? Mr. NORCROSS. Yes, sir. A description of that is given under the heading "emergency funds applicable under this heading." Two allotments were made, one of $15,000,000 for the forest highways, and the other of $10,000,000 for development roads, truck-trails and trails. The forest highway allotment is expended on the forest highway system in the same manner as the regular forest highway appropriation. Mr. SANDLIN. Is that being expended now? Mr. MACDONALD. We have under the approved program, $13,000,000 of the $15,000,000. Mr. SANDLIN. I notice that out of this fund $350,000 was apportioned to Alaska. Mr. NORCROSs. Out of the Emergency money? Mr. SANDLIN. Yes. Mr. NORCROSS. $350,000 was apportioned to Alaska and the balance apportioned to the States by utilizing the method approved for apportioning allotments for the forest highway fund under section 23 of the Federal highway act. Mr. SANDLIN. Under the allotment of $10,000,000 what contracts have been made? In Mr. NORCROSS. Very little of that is handled by contract. The work is progressing very fast. The present indications are that the entire amount will be expended by about October of this year. fact an increase of $5,000,000 has been requested from the Public Works Administration. Mr. HART. How is that being handled? You say it is not contracted. Mr. NORCROSs. It is done by day labor. Mr. HART. Under the forest service? Mr. NORCROSS. Yes, sir. The projects and the crews are small and the construction standards are very low. The average cost of trucktrails is only $1,066 per mile, while the trails run a little over $100 per mile. The average expenditure per project is $3,000 or less. There are many projects, thousands of them, scattered all over the forests. Mr. SANDLIN. Are you using boys in the civilian conservation camps to do that work? Mr. NORCROSs. Not on the same projects or in the same locality. Due to the size of each conservation camp-there are some 200 boys and men in each camp-mountainous conditions, difficulties in transportation, and other factors, the truck-trail and other trail work handled by C.C.C. must be restricted to that located in the immediate vicinity of the camps. There are a very large number of urgently needed projects scattered through the forests that cannot be handled by C.C.C. Ordinarily the separate, detached, and scattered projects are handled from the Public Works allotments. Mr. HART. Are not these men in the Civilian Conservation Camps. working on trails and forest roads? Mr. NORCROss. Yes, sir, on truck-trail and other trail work, but not on forest highways. A truck-trail is a very simple, inexpensive, and low-standard road. Many different activities, including thinnings, selective cuttings, erosion work, and all sorts of forest work are handled by C.C.C. We will have somebody here on Thursday who will give you the details of the work. Mr. HART. With reference to the allotment made to Alaska, can that be spent to the economic advantage of Alaska, or will they build roads starting from nowhere and going nowhere? Mr. NORCROSS. We believe that this amount of money will be a wise expenditure. We were very strongly urged to allot decidedly more, but we held the amount down to $350,000. If we had followed the regular apportionment scheme or basis, Alaska would have received over $1,500,000 out of the $15,000,000 of Public Works money. The Forest Service and the Bureau of Public Roads believed there was no urgent need for that amount of money. We included $350,000 for work which is needed now. This is very largely for reconstruction or repair of roads which have been constructed in past years, and which have shown by their use that a higher standard of road is necessary. Mr. MACDONALD. I might add that we made a very careful study, extending over 3 years, of the highway needs of Alaska, along the coast, which is the area practically all included in the forest reserves, set up on the basis of a 10-year program, which would result in or require the expenditure of three-quarters of a million dollars a year, and on the basis of a 15-year program, would require more than half a million dollars a year. It is quite true, from practical experience, that as these sections of roads are extended out from the settlements, they are open to the objection that they lead nowhere, apparently; but they do enlarge the area that is available for settlement, for homes and truck gardens. Mr. SANDLIN. One reason that they go nowhere, is that they have no roads to go on? Mr. MACDONALD. They have no place to go, unless they take a boat and go along the coast. We are actually going through the pioneer work of building a stable population and stable civilization in Alaska. Once established in the home, with the garden plot along a road that remains usable the year around, the family becomes a permanent thing, its members become permanent residents of the |