75TH CONGRESS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 3d Session { REPORT No. 2295 GOETHALS MEMORIAL APPROPRIATION MAY 5, 1938.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. BLAND, from the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 2676] The Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, to whom was referred the act (S. 2676) to amend the act approved August 24, 1935, entitled "An act to authorize the erection of a suitable memorial to Maj. Gen. George W. Goethals within the Canal Zone," having had the same under consideration, report it back to the House without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. This bill increases the amount authorized to be appropriated for this memorial to $160,000 in lieu of $75,000 as provided in section 2 of the act approved August 24, 1935. The Secretary of War recommends the increase in appropriation and urges favorable action on this bill. He says that the Bureau of the Budget has advised that this proposed legislation is not in conflict with the program of the President. The President has expressed himself as deeply interested in this object for which the commission was created, and the hope its efforts will be successfully concluded after the many years the project has been pending. Following the passage of this act of August 24, 1935, the Goethals Memorial Commission, of which Gen. John J. Pershing is the chairman, selected Dr. Paul Phillippe Cret, an eminent architect, to make an investigation of possible sites and recommendation as to a desirable site and the type of memorial to be built. As a result of the investigation made by Dr. Cret, General Pershing submitted a report, from which the following is quoted: The Commission thinks the authorization of $75,000 "for every object connected with the creation of the memorial, including site development and any essential approach work," as provided in the act which you approved, is inadequate. Clearly, a monument to commemorate the gigantic work of cutting the Isthmus for the benefit of American and world commerce must be dignified and impressive; and such dignity and impressiveness cannot be obtained within the sum fixed. The President has approved the type of memorial recommended by the Commission, and an estimate of the cost of such a memorial has been made. The estimated cost of the approved type of memorial is $160,000 of which $75,000 will be required for the construction of the memorial proper, and the balance will be necessary to cover the cost of preparing the site and the other expenses connected with the completion of the memorial, including architectural and engineering services. The Commission reported that the Cristobal mole site was the most desirable; first, because of its location at the Caribbean Sea entrance of the Canal where the work of construction was begun; second, because a memorial there would be easily visible from passing ships; and, third, because the causeway proposed to be constructed would enable convenient access to be had by visitors. The Commission was further of the opinion that the memorial should be in the form of a shaft or obelisk of American marble, that a statue should not be authorized but that at the base of the shaft or obelisk there should be a medallion or inscription testifying to our national pride in the construction of the Canal by General Goethals. It is necessary to secure the authorization now in order that the Commission may proceed with the fundamental preparations; that is, with the outlines, plans, and so forth. The Honorable Morris Sheppard, United States Senator from Texas, and a member of the Commission, testified before your committee and said: Passing from the question of site, which necessarily involved the cost of the memorial, the Commission considered the general type of memorial. It disapproved the erection of a statue of General Goethals not only because of its great cost but because it did not represent the entire purpose of the memorial which, erected in honor of the builder of the Canal, was yet to be a tribute to the entire organization which performed this gigantic feat of construction. The Commission felt a shaft or obelisk should be erected, carrying a medallion or inscription testifying to our national pride in the construction of the Canal by General Goethals. It became obvious that the sum of $75,000 would be inadequate to fill and grade the end of the mole and build the seawall, the approach from the roadway and mat foundation to support the memorial, and, at the same time, to meet the expense of the shaft. Indeed, the cost of filling, grading, etc., alone would be $65,000. It was the belief of the Commission that Congress would not want a memorial which would not truly represent the dignity of the United States and be unimpressive. It was further testified before your committee that at the entrance of the Suez Canal, the north breakwater, there is a very impressive statue of Ferdinand de Lesseps on a round base. In the city of Colon there is a small statue of De Lesseps. At the present time there are no memorials in the Canal Zone of any kind, except one or two buildings or structures that have been named after persons connected with the construction. There is a Gorgas Memorial Institute in the city of Panama. There follows a copy of a letter of the Secretary of War, dated August 14, 1937, to the chairman of your committee recommending the proposed legislation: Hon. S. O. BLAND, WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, August 14, 1937. Chairman, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR MR. BLAND: I have your letter of August 11, enclosing two copies of S. 2676, providing for the erection of a memorial to Maj. Gen. George W. Goethals within the Canal Zone, concerning which you request my views and recommendations for the consideration of your committee. This bill increases the amount authorized to be appropriated for the erection of this memorial to $160,000, in lieu of $75,000, as provided in section 2 of the act approved August 24, 1935. Following the passage of the act of August 24, 1935, the Goethals Memorial Commission, of which Gen. John J. Pershing is the chairman, selected Dr. Paul Philippe Cret, an eminent architect, to make an investigation of possible sites and recommendation as to a desirable site and the type of memorial to be built. As a result of the investigation made by Dr. Cret, General Pershing submitted a report to the President under date of April 2, 1937, from which the following is quoted: "The Commission thinks the authorization of $75,000 for every object connected with the erection of the memorial, including site development and any essential approach work', as provided in the act which you approved, is inadequate. Clearly, a monument to commemorate the gigantic work of cutting the Isthmus for the benefit of American and world commerce, must be dignified and impressive; and such dignity and impressiveness cannot be obtained within the sum fixed." The President has approved the type of memorial recommended by the Commission, and an estimate of the cost of such a memorial has been made. The estimated cost of the approved type of memorial is $160,000, of which $75,000 will be required for the construction of the memorial proper, and the balance will be necessary to cover the cost of preparing the site and the other expenses connected with the completion of the memorial, including architectural and engineering services. The Goethals Memorial Commission has recommended that the authorization for the construction of the memorial be increased from $75,000 to $160,000. I concur in this recommendation, and urge favorable action on this bill. The Bureau of the Budget has advised that this proposed legislation is not in conflict with the program of the President. Sincerely yours, HARRY H. Woodring, In compliance with paragraph 2a of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by the bill are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italics, existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman): [PUBLIC-No. 315-74тH CONGRESS] [S. 2743] AN ACT To authorize the erection of a suitable memorial to Major General George W. Goethals within the Canal Zone Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President of the United States is authorized, through such person or persons as he may designate, to select an appropriate site within the Canal Zone and to cause to be erected thereon a suitable memorial of heroic size to Major General George W. Goethals in commemoration of his signally distinguished services in connection with the construction and operation of the Panama Canal. SEC. 2. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of any moneys in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, a sum not to exceed [$75,000] $160,000 for every object connected with the purposes of this Act, including site development and any essential approach work. Approved, August 24, 1935. о |