Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

Mr. MACDONALD. We can illustrate with military projects. The Navy follows essentially the same routine. In the case of military projects, a letter comes from the War Department certifying an area to be one in which a reservation or production plant of particular importance to the War Department is located, and asking for a study of the roads in that vicinity.

Mr. STARNES. They ask that of the Bureau of Public Roads?

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes; through the Federal Works Administrator. Mr. STARNES. How does it come through? It goes through the War Department to the Federal Works Administrator?

Mr. MACDONALD. Exactly.

Mr. STARNES. And from the Federal Works Administrator to you? Mr. MACDONALD. To us; yes. It is a direction to us to undertake a study in that particular area. After a report is made by our district engineer, the corps area commander calls a meeting.

For example, on this map of the ordnance plant at Burlington are shown the conclusions of a conference called by the corps-area commander after the State highway department and our district engineer had made a study of the roads and traffic in that area.

Mr. STARNES. We are getting lost in another conference now. I want to know where it goes after it leaves your office.

Mr. MACDONALD. It goes to the district engineer.

Mr. WOODRUM. Can you not tell us in a few words, without wandering all over the road, just what is done?

Mr. MACDONALD. It goes from our office to the district engineer. The district engineer makes a study in the field.

Mr. STARNES. That is the district engineer of the Public Roads Administration?

Mr. MACDONALD. Of the Public Roads Administration in cooperation with the State highway department. They are always called in. Then we have finally a report sent in to the War Department that indicates the roads that are improtant. The War Department certifies a list of projects to us that they will approve as defense highways.

Mr. HENDRICKS. Or the Navy Department.

Mr. MACDONALD. Or the Navy Department; yes, sir.

Mr. STARNES. Your district engineer works in cooperation with the State highway department of the particular State?

Mr. MACDONALD. That is right.

Mr. STARNES. And they hold a conference with the corps area commander, and then it comes back from that corps area commander to the War Department?

Mr. MACDONALD. And we get this list of projects that they consider important. The real difficulty in getting a definite statement has been the fact that we have three or four hundred million dollars worth of access roads and only $125,000,000 to build them with.

Mr. WOODRUM. In other words, you are a little shy of cash.
Mr. MACDONALD. Yes. That is the whole story.

Mr. HENDRICKS. Cannot these road projects originate with a request from the commander of a base, saying that he needs a certain road? I am talking about these access highways. Suppose the commander of the naval air base over on the east coast of Florida makes a request to the Navy Department, what happens?

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes; he can send in that request to the Navy Department liaison officer who takes it up with us.

Mr. HENDRICKS. And then it starts through this process that you have described?

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes. Both the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy each have designated liaison officers to work with us, and the officers at the post can, through these liaison men, get any kind of information to us.

Mr. STARNES. Frankly, it is the most beautiful example I have ever seen of getting lost in this whole merry-go-round game.

FEDERAL-AID HIGHWAY SYSTEM

Mr. WOODRUM. The next item is the "Federal-aid highway system." The item is as follows:

For carrying out the provisions of the Act entitled "An Act to provide that the United States shall aid the States in the construction of rural post roads, and for other purposes", approved July 11, 1916 (39 Stat. 355-359), and all Acts amendatory thereof and supplementary thereto, to be expended in accordance with the provisions of said Act, as amended, including not to exceed $1,135,000 for departmental personal services in the District of Columbia, $60,000,000, to be immediately available and to remain available until expended, which sum is composed of $20,000,000, which is the remainder of the amount authorized to be appropriated for the fiscal year 1941 by section 1 of the Act approved June 8, 1938 (52 Stat. 633), and $40,000,000, which is a part of the amount authorized to be appropriated for the fiscal year 1942 by section 1 of the Act approved September 5, 1940 (54 Stat. 867): Provided, That none of the money herein appropriated shall be paid to any State on account of any project on which convict labor shall be employed, except this provision shall not apply to convict labor performed by convicts on parole or probation: Provided further, That not to exceed $55,000 of the funds provided for carrying out the provisions of the Federal Highway Act of November 9, 1921 (23 U. S. Č. 21, 23), shall be available for the purchase of motor-propelled passenger-carrying vehicles necessary for carrying out the provisions of said Act, including the replacement of not to exceed one such vehicle for the use of the Commissioner, Public Roads Administration at a cost, including the exchange value of the vehicle to be replaced, of not to exceed $1,200: Provided further, That, during the fiscal year 1943, whenever performing authorized engineering or other services in connection with the survey, construction, and maintenance, or improvement of roads for other Government agencies the charge for such services may include depreciation on engineering and road-building equipment used, and the amounts received_on account of such charges shall be credited to the appropriation concerned: Provided further, That during the fiscal year 1943 the appropriations for the work of the Public Roads Administration shall be available for meeting the expenses of warehouse maintenance and the procurement, care, and handling of supplies, materials, and equipment stored therein for distribution to projects under the supervision of the Public Roads Administration, and for sale and distribution to other Government activities, the cost of such supplies and materials or the value of such equipment (including the cost of transportation and handling) to be reimbursed to appropriations current at the time additional supplies, materials, or equipment are procured, from the appropriation chargeable with the cost or value of such supplies, materials, or equipment: Provided further, That the appropriations available to the Public Roads Administration may be used in emergency for medical supplies and services and other assistance necessary for the immediate relief of employees engaged on hazardous work under that Administration: Provided further, That the appropriations for the work of the Public Roads Administration shall be available for the transfer of household goods and effects as provided by the Act of October 10, 1940 and regulations promulgated thereunder; for necessary expenses (not exceeding $9,000) of attendance at meetings and conferences of highway departments, associations, organizations, and other agencies concerned, and (not exceeding $15,000) for the temporary employment, by contract or otherwise, of technical consultants and experts without regard to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes, and classification laws.

JUSTIFICATION OF ESTIMATE

Mr. MACDONALD. The following is our justification statement on this item.

[blocks in formation]

Under the terms of the Federal Highway Act, the authorization for any fiscal year is apportioned among the States not later than January 1 next preceding the beginning of such fiscal year and becomes available immediately for obligation (exhibit A). The first step in the obligating of these funds is accomplished through the submission of programs of projects by the State highway departments, following the approval of which individual projects are advanced to the construction stage. The construction contracts are entered into by the State highway departments, and claims for the Federal pro-rata share of the cost are submitted as the work progresses.

This appropriation carries the funds necessary to make payments to the States and for the necessary administrative and engineering costs of supervising the program initiated under the authorization.

On November 28, 1941, the designated Federal-aid highway system included 235,833 miles of the main highways of the country, connecting all principal cities, county seats, and other market centers in the United States (exhibit B). As of June 30, 1941, about 153,654 miles of this system had been improved with Federalaid funds and 10,436 miles were under construction or approved for construction. (Details included in general statement.)

In order that Federal-aid highway funds might be used on projects which would be of importance to national defense as well as meeting civilian highway_needs, the Bureau of Public Roads formally requested the advice of the War Department in this connection in 1919 and there has followed close cooperation with the War Department since that time. In the selection of the Federal-aid highway system which was authorized in the Federal Highway Act of November 9, 1921, routes indicated by the War Department as having importance from a military standpoint and shown on the so-called "Pershing" map dated August 23, 1922, were incorporated in the original system. Also Federal-aid highway and bridge work has been carried forward under specifications and construction standards designed to accommodate military equipment. For the past several years the Public Roads Administration and State highway departments, in cooperation with the War Plans Division of the General Staff, have been engaged in an intensive study of highways important to the national defense. As a result a War Department map was recently issued showing the traffic routes of military importance, dated May 15, 1941. The routes shown diagrammatically on this map approximate 78,600 miles and is referred to as the "strategic network." The Defense Highway Act of 1941 formally recognized the strategic network in the following language:

"That as used in this Act the term 'strategic network of highways' means all existing or proposed highways which conform to routes designated on the diagrammatic map of principal highway traffic routes of military importance dated October 25, 1940, revised to May 15, 1941, and approved by the Secretary of War. The Federal Works Administrator is authorized to designate existing or proposed highways conforming to such approved routes and interconnections as lines of the strategic network of highways."

Since July 1, 1940, a separate record has been kept of Federal-aid highway and grade-crossing projects which were either on the strategic network or provided access to a defense activity As of December 31, a total of Federal funds of $159,879,102 has been allocated to such projects. This work involved 6,331.5 miles of construction-2,226.3 miles on which preliminary engineering or construction supervision has been provided; 1,231 structures, of which 228 eliminated highway-railroad grade crossings; and 202 flashing light signals, gates, or similar protective devices at highway-railroad grade crossings During the continuance

of the present emergency the Federal-aid highway and grade-crossing program will be restricted to projects of importance to the national defense.

AVAILABLE FUNDS, 1942

The sum of $100,000,000 was appropriated in the Independent Offices Appropriation Act of 1942 to provide for highway work on the Federal-aid highway system (exhibit C). This amount was composed of $95,000,000, a part of the amount authorized for the fiscal year 1941, and $5,000,000, a partial reimbursement of regular Federal-aid funds expended on flood-damage repairs and reconstruction in accordance with the provisions of section 3 of the act approved June 18, 1934 (48 Stat 994).

ESTIMATE FOR 1943

The estimate of $60,000,000 is composed of $20,000.000. the remainder of the amount authorized for the fiscal year 1941, and $40,000,000, a part of the amount authorized for the fiscal year 1942.

[blocks in formation]

The purpose of this authorization is to permit the use of not to exceed $55,000 of the administrative funds available to the Public Roads Administration for the purchase of passenger-carrying vehicles It is estimated that this amount will permit the needed replacement of 89 vehicles at an average net cost of about $615 each, as set forth in detail in the Budget schedule These vehicles are necessary to provide highway transportation to engineers of the Public Roads Administration engaged in the survey, inspection, supervision, etc, of Federal and Federal-aid highway projects including access roads to defense activities

PROMOTIONS

Mr. WOODRUM. For personal services in the present year you had $1,100,000 and you are asking for $1,135,000 for the coming fiscal year. I assume that increase is represented by promotions under the Ramspeck Act?

Mr. MACDONALD. That is due to promotions under the Ramspect Act.

Mr. WOODRUM. That is accounted for almost entirely by that?
Mr. MACDONALD. Yes, sir.

NEW LANGUAGE REQUESTED

Mr. WOODRUM. What is the explanation of this new language on page 167:

$20,000,000, which is the remainder

of the amount authorized to be appropriated for the fiscal year 1941 by section 1 of the act approved June 8, 1938, and

$40,000,000, which is a part of the amount authorized to be appropriated for the fiscal year 1942, by section 1 of the Act approved September 5, 1940.

What is the explanation of that new language?

Mr. MACDONALD. That is language to indicate the authorizations under which the appropriation is being made. Mr. WOODRUM. It carries them forward?

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes, sir.

Mr. WOODRUM. That is the $20,000,000 and the $40,000,000?

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes, sir.

Mr. WOODRUM. And that is the $60,000,000 that we are appropriating; is that the idea?

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes, sir; that is correct.

PURCHASE OF AUTOMOBILES

Mr. WOODRUM. There is a change in the amount, indicated on the next page, from $45,000 to $55,000, to be available for the purchase of motor-propelled passenger-carrying vehicles.

What is that?

Mr. MACDONALD. That is to provide for automobile replacement and purchase.

Mr. WOODRUM. What is the explanation of the change in the limitation of cost from $750 to $1,200?

Mr. MACDONALD. That refers only to one vehicle. That is to replace the vehicle used by me personally, but under present circumstances I do not expect that we will buy a new one.

Mr. WOODRUM. You think you will be riding a bicycle before it is all over?

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes. I am willing to have that item taken out for the Commissioner's car.

Mr. WOODRUM. We just wanted the information, Mr. MacDonald.

TRANSFER OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND EFFECTS

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Referring to page 169 of the bill, you have struck out the limitation, "not exceeding $5,000," with reference to the transfer of household goods and effects. What is the explanation of that?

Mr. MACDONALD. The exigencies of our present program have been such that our $5,000 limitation is not sufficient.

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. How much do you expect to spend in 1942 for that purpose?

Mr. MACDONALD. We are asking that the limitation be taken off. Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. How much do you expect to expend in fact during this fiscal year? You cannot spend more than $5,000, but how much do you expect to expend in the fiscal year 1943?

Mr. MACDONALD. I do not think more than double that amount. We might need double that amount.

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Would $10,000 cover it?

Mr. MACDONALD. I think so.

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. Why are you going to spend so much more? Mr. MACDONALD. Because of the necessity of moving personnel to replace men that are called into the service or due to the dislocation of our normal programs; we will have so much more work in defense areas for example, at the moment, on the West coast.

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. I thought that you are going to do less work. Mr. MACDONALD. We will do less work in the regular program, but that will be more than made up by the defense program provided under the defense road appropriation.

Mr. WIGGLESWORTH. The access roads, and so forth?

Mr. MACDONALD. Yes, sir.

« AnteriorContinuar »