connection with this project. Under the general supervision of the Director of Emergency Conservation Work, Mr. Robert Fechner, the War Department receives, immunizes, conditions, organizes, feeds, clothes, and shelters the men enrolled in the corps. It also establishes, constructs, and administers the work camps. It supervises the health, sanitation, hospitalization, welfare, and recreation of the members of the corps. Practically it has charge of all of the activities in connection with the project except the selection of the men and the supervision of the work performed in the forests, national parks, or other places where the men are employed.

During the fiscal year covered by this report there were in excess of 300,000 men in the corps and these were cared for in more than 2,000 work camps. The immediate administration of these camps was largely under Reserve Army officers called to active duty for the purpose. Their work was directed by the corps area commanders.

The remarkable success of the C. C. C. project has been largely due to the ability, zeal, initiative, and resourcefulness of the Reserve officers. I have been able to visit a number of these camps and to observe the praiseworthy results being accomplished, not only in the conservation of natural resources, through fire protection afforded our forests, the elimination of plant and insect pests, the prevention of soil erosion, and in numerous other ways, but also in the physical and spiritual development of the young men enrolled in the corps, who themselves constitute one of our most valuable national

resources.

At the close of the fiscal year the War Department was preparing to procure the necessary supplies and equipment and to establish work camps to care for nearly 300,000 additional members of the corps, to be enrolled in the authorized expansion of the project.

RECOMMENDATIONS

In concluding the military portion of this report I wish to emphasize the following recommendations:

The Regular Army should be maintained at a minimum strength of 14,000 officers and 165,000 enlisted men. Authority has been given for recruiting the Army up to 165,000 enlisted men, but it should be extended to permit raising the officer strength from 12,000 to 14,000, the increase to be made in annual increments, so that the total number would be attained in 4 or 5 years.

The National Guard should be maintained at a minimum strength of 210,000, which will necessitate an increase of approximately 15.000.

The minimum number of officers of the Organized Reserves to be given 2 weeks' active duty military training each year should be 30,000. Available funds limit the number to be given this character of training during the coming fiscal year to 20,000.

Provision should be made for enrolling 50,000 youths annually in the Citizens' Military Training Camps. The number to be trained this summer at such camps is 30,000.

An enlisted reserve of sufficient size to bring existing Regular Army units to war strength should be maintained.

A 5-year aircraft procurement program should be initiated at once, under which a minimum of 800 military airplanes of the best and most modern design should be purchased annually.

A munitions procurement program should be begun which should have as its objective the acquisition of a full complement of modern weapons and other equipment for the Regular Army and National Guard at peace strength, plus a reasonable reserve of standardized equipment.

Funds should be made available for the completion of the Army housing program, so that the Army may be provided with needed facilities.

A new War Department building in the District of Columbia should be authorized in order that the widely scattered activities of the Department may be centralized and that protection may be afforded valuable military records.

THE CIVIL ACTIVITIES OF THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS

The continuation of the enlarged public construction program by the Corps of Engineers, to relieve unemployment and to aid in the revival of industry, has resulted in another year of material progress and increased construction activities on the river and harbor and flood control improvements.

ALLOTMENTS AND EXPENDITURES

These nonmilitary activities of the War Department received allotments totaling $96,935,033.84 from the emergency relief appropriations during the year, to be applied on 39 projects, making a grand total from these sources of $347,590,786.68, to be applied on 127 projects.

The total expenditures during the fiscal year on all civil works of the Corps of Engineers, including both those under the public works program and those under the appropriations made by Congress for the normal activities of the Department, amounted to $201,240,177.67. These expenditures provided direct employment for 79,500 persons. With indirect employment included, it may be conservatively estimated that over 200,000 persons were given employment during the year. The work not only had great value in stimulating general economic recovery, but at the same time permitted noteworthy progress to be made in the construction of many meritorious navigation and flood control projects, advancing the program for these projects by many years, and making their benefits immediately realizable in the economic, commercial, and social life of the country.

The Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935 has provided additional funds in the amount of $108,986,500 to be applied to the continuation of work on both river and harbor and flood control projects. The necessity for establishing a low cost per man-year for direct labor has made it difficult to select navigation improvements for the emergency program, since the work involved in this class of improvement is of a type which cannot in general be undertaken within the cost limitation established. With indirect labor considered, however, these projects will average as high as, if not higher than, other types of construction in the total employment afforded by any given allotment of funds.

The War Department has realized the need for speed in order that the emergency relief appropriation funds may be used to relieve unemployment promptly. The first allotment from this appropriation, totaling $107,186,500, was received on June 6, 1935. By July 27 work aggregating over $68,200,000 had been advertised or placed under way with Government plant and hired labor.

FLOOD CONTROL

The War Department, as a result of the comprehensive surveys which it has undertaken of the major streams throughout the United States, has prepared studies and reports setting up some 1,600 stream improvement projects, at an estimated construction cost of $8,000,000,000. A careful selection of 280 economically justifiable

flood-control projects, at an estimated cost of $397,000,000 has been made. These projects are regarded as eligible for inclusion in the relief program, and interested communities and other public agencies have been advised that the War Department is prepared to submit applications for undertaking them as a part of the relief program, provided each proposed project is sponsored by a duly established public agency prepared to furnish the necessary rights-of-way without cost to the United States, to accept responsibility for any damages to private property incident to construction, and to agree to maintain and operate the completed structures.

These flood-control projects, involving in large part the construction of levees, earthen dams, and the enlargement and straightening of channels, are particularly suitable for performance with relief labor, in that the work requires but comparatively small expenditures for materials and for skilled labor. Plans and specifications for most of these projects are in such state of advancement that they can be placed under way without delay to provide immediate employment. They have permanent economic value in the protection of communities and areas subject to recurring hazards from flood, and merit careful consideration in the relief program.

BEACH EROSION

The River and Harbor Act of July 3, 1930, authorized and directed the Chief of Engineers to cause investigations and studies to be made, in cooperation with appropriate agencies of various States, with a view to devising effective means for preventing the erosion of shores of coastal and lake waters by waves and currents, and provided for the appointment of a Beach Erosion Board charged with such investigations. This board has conducted a number of studies of specific projects, upon a cooperative basis with State agencies, to determine whether satisfactory protective works would be feasible. Unfortunately, the economic depression has prevented financial cooperation by local agencies and has materially curtailed the activities of the board.

The recreational facilities afforded by our natural beaches are a heritage of the people, and their preservation is essential to our social welfare. The cooperation of the Federal Government has been limited to the planning by the Beach Erosion Board of protective works. Careful consideration should be given to the encouragement of beach protection, with substantial Federal financial and engineering support. Projects to which local agencies are prepared to contribute in large amounts should receive special attention for inclusion in the construction program being undertaken with funds from the Emergency Relief Appropriation. The Beach Erosion Board has also requested an allotment from this appropriation to provide for the accumulation of general data necessary for its future studies. This allotment, if granted, will result in a material increase in the technical knowledge necessary to adequate planning.

STREAM POLLUTION

The rapid growth of urban centers and densely settled areas throughout the United States has resulted in a serious menace to the domestic water supply and recreational facilities afforded by our

many streams. Domestic sewage and industrial wastes have caused contamination to the point that there exists today a serious shortage of safe water for domestic and recreational use and for the support of fish and waterfowl. Here at Washington, our capital city, the beautiful Potomac River is so contaminated by sewage that its extensive use for recreational purposes is dangerous to health. A conference of interested parties was held in my office in December of last year, to consider the creation of a Federal authority over stream pollution. As a result of this conference, an interdepartmental committee is now engaged in a study of stream pollution and purification problems. There are many difficulties involved in establishing legal control over stream pollution. Nevertheless, the importance of safeguarding our domestic water supply and of preserving our recreational facilities justifies the Federal Government in encouraging the formation of appropriate State and inter-State authorities, and in giving careful consideration to the enactment of legislation clearly defining its own responsibilities.

INLAND WATERWAYS

In my annual report for last year I outlined the comprehensive plan for improving our inland waterways, in order to bring to the interior of the continent the benefit of cheap water transportation. The program contemplates providing (1) a 9-foot channel on the Mississippi River for modern barge transportation from its mouth to St. Paul and Minneapolis; (2) an 8- to 9-foot channel on the Missouri River from its mouth to Sioux City, Iowa; (3) a 9-foot channel in the Illinois Waterway forming a part of the Lakes-to-the-Gulf Waterway; (4) the improvement of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway to bring ocean-going ships to Great Lakes ports.

Construction of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway is contingent upon ratification by the United States and Canada of a negotiated treaty authorizing the project. The United States Senate has declined to ratify the treaty, and Canada has not considered it, hence the St. Lawrence project has not been started. The other three items in the foregoing program are under way.

The project for the Mississippi River is now approximately 50 percent completed. In addition, an allotment of $25,000,000 from the Emergency Relief Appropriation provides for the construction of 5 additional locks and 4 additional dams, leaving 1 lock and 10 dams yet to be undertaken.

An allotment of $10,000,000 will practically complete the channel of the Missouri River to Omaha, Nebr. Additional funds could be utilized to advantage to insure completion to Sioux City by the time the Fort Peck Reservoir is ready for use. The channel improvement and the reservoir are parts of the same navigation project, and obviously they should be finished simultaneously.

This improvement, while primarily for navigation, will materially aid in flood control on the Missouri River, stabilizing its course and preventing the erosion of valuable, fertile bottom lands. The special types of regulating works which have been devised and developed are peculiarly adapted to the characteristics of the Missouri, and their magnitude and extent mark this improvement as one of the outstanding river engineering undertakings in the world.