Hon. EMANUEL CELLER, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, DEAR CHAIRMAN CELLER: Enclosed herewith is a tearsheet from the February 29th issue of U.S. News & World Report, which I would appreciate your having filed as a part of the written memorandum submitted to your committee in connection with my oral testimony given on February 29, 1960. This testimony was in support of the omnibus judgeship bill, wherein, among others, an additional judge for the southern district of Florida has been recommended. My testimony dealt in part with the rapid growth of the State of Florida, and the fact that the southern district of Florida already needs not one, but two, additional judges, and that as the population figures clearly demonstrate, our situation is becoming progressively more acute. Thanking you and the members of your committee for your real interest in these problems, I am, Sincerely, EMETT C. CHOATE. [From the U.S. News & World Report, Feb. 29, 1960] SPECIAL REPORT THE LATEST ON HOW STATES ARE GROWING Changes are showing up in the pattern of U.S. growth. Some States are gaining population faster than anticipated. These changes are important to businessmen looking for larger markets, and to officials planning for the future. This new State-by-State projection of population trends points out the direction in which the United States is growing. If you want to ride the boom in America's population: Go to Florida. It is to grow much faster in population than any other State in the next 10 years. Or go to the Far West. Every State in that region is marked for population growth above the national average. California, by 1970, is expected to be the most populous State in the Union-passing New York. Or go to the Nation's newest States, Hawaii and Alaska. Both are heading into periods of rapid growth. These are the directions shown by the latest State-by-State projection of population trends. Dollars and problems.-For the businessman, these trends have significance in dollars and cents. They point to the places where markets will expand, the labor force will grow, and land values are likely to rise. It has been the history of this country that profits and prosperity have flowed from a rapid rise in population. For public planners and officials, these trends suggest the problems that will arise in the decade ahead-new needs to be met in streets, highways, public schools, water and power supplies, all kinds of public facilities. To politicians, population changes mean a shift in political power-more voters and more Representatives in Congress for some States, fewer Representatives for others. To see what lies ahead, refer to the State-by-State table on page it you can check the outlook for each State. From What these figures indicate, in general, is a continuation of the two main population trends that have been in evidence for years: The Nation, as a whole, will keep on growing rapidly-16.4 percent in the next 10 years. By 1970 the United States will have 29,570,000 more people than it has now, with a total population of 209,570,000. The center of the country's population will keep on shifting westward. Those wide-open spaces that America used to boast are beginning to fill up. Obsolete forecasts.-Major changes, however, are appearing in the pattern of this country's growth. These changes already have rendered obsolete population forecasts made only a few years ago. Growth, in many States, has not followed as closely as expected the pattern that prevailed when those forecasts were made. The last official projection of future population, State by State, was made by the U.S. Census Bureau in 1957. It forecast the population of each State in 1960, 1965, and 1970, on the basis of trends up to 1955. Compare those projections with the official estimates of State-by-State popnuation in 1959, made recently by the Census Bureau, and you find important discrepancies in the figures for about two-thirds of the States. And the next official projection is not expected before 1961, after analysis of the 1960 census returns. So, to bring the population picture up to date, the economic unit of U.S. News & World Report has made its own projections for the future, on the basis of the Census Bureau's latest information. According to these new projections: The outlook now is that the 1970 population of 23 States will be more than the highest range of the official 1957 projects for those States. In nine States the outlook is that the population in 1970 will be smaller than the lowest range of the official projection made in 1957. These changes can be important to businessmen and public officials trying to plan for the future. Florida's boom.-Biggest change you find in the pattern of growth is in Florida. Official forecast was that this State would grow by 15 to 22 percent between 1955 and 1960. Instead, official estimates up to last year indicate that this booming State has grown 40 percent in the last 5 years. Project this upsurge into the future, and Florida appears as the fastest growing State among all the 50 States in the next 10 years. The population gain indicated for Florida between now and 1970 is 55.2 percent. Other States that now appear to be growing far faster than was foreseen in 1957 are Virginia, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Montana. In each of these, the indicated 1970 population is to be 9 to 12 percent higher than the most optimistic official projections of the 3 years ago. On the other hand, Oregon and the District of Columbia are growing significantly more slowly than the rate foreseen in 1957. The West, up 25 percent.-Although Florida is the fastest-growing single State, a study of the chart will show that the fastest growing region of the country, on a percentage basis, is the West. There the population is expected to grow by nearly 25 percent in the next 10 years. This will mean big gains in political and industrial power for that region. The South, as a region, is expected to match the national average in growth with a rate of 16.4 percent between now and 1970. The north central region is marked for a 10-year growth of 15.9 percent. The northeastern part of the country is expected to grow most slowly of all regions-11.8 percent. On a State-by-State basis, you come out with the following ranking of the top 10 States in the order of their projected percentage growth for the next 10 years: 1. Florida, up 55.2 percent. 2. Alaska, up 45 percent. 10. Maryland, up 24.7 percent. Look at this list, and you find that many of them are comparatively small States, in respect to population. So rapid percentage growth, in some cases, does not mean a large growth in numbers. Put the growth of the next 10 years on the basis of numbers instead of percentages, and you come out with a different ranking. Following, in order, are the States which will gain the most new residents between now and 1970: A 10-year projection-Population growth ahead, State by State Source: Projections by U.S. News & World Report economic unit, derived by use of latest State projections by U.S. Census Bureau. 1. California, up 3,812.000. 2. Florida, up 2,770,000. 3. Texas, up 2,020,000. 4. Illinois, up 1,998.000. 5. Ohio, up 1,955,000. 6. Michigan, up 1,654,000. 7. New Jersey, up 1,394,000. 8. New York, up 1,364,000. 9. Pennsylvania, up 1,148,000. 10. Virginia, up 915,000. Some States lose.-On the other end of the scale you find States that are falling behind the national growth. The projections indicate that three StatesArkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota-actually may lose in population in the next decade. Growth is indicated to be less than 7 percent in West Virginia, Vermont, Oklahoma, Missouri, Alabama, the District of Columbia, and Mississippi. Altogether, it adds up to half the States growing faster than the national average, the other half growing more slowly than the national average. One result will be the first major change in years in the ranking of the States according to population. New York, which has been first for many years, California is gaining fast, and will probably is now seen slipping to second. overtake New York by 1970. Florida is marked for a big jump from 20th place in the population rankings in 1950 all the way up to eighth place in 1970. Ten years from now, if the population changes according to these latest projections, the top 10 States in population will rank in this order: 1. California, 18,751,000. 2. New York, 18,054,000. 3. Pennsylvania, 12,603,000. 5. Ohio, 11,820,000. 6. Texas, 11,738,000. 8. Florida, 7,786,000. 9. New Jersey, 7,456,000. 10. Massachusetts, 5,507,000. The bulk of the Nation's population, even in 1970, will still be concentrated along the east coast and the Great Lakes. But the picture is changing. The West is gaining. You can see, in these latest projections, the direction that America's population boom is taking. Our next witness will be Chief Judge J. Cullen Ganey. STATEMENT OF HON J. CULLEN GANEY Judge GANEY. May I likewise express my appreciation and that of my colleagues for the opportunity to come here and testify before this committee whose activities we appreciate no end in what they have done to bring this bill out. The eastern district of Pennsylvania is in the next worst situation to the southern district of New York, to which Chief Judge Ryan testified this morning. The eastern district of Pennsylvania comprises about five million people, the principal city in it being the city of Philadelphia, but also among larger cities includes Lancaster, Reading, Allentown, Easton, and Bethlehem and has a very cosmopolitan population. The court sits in Philadelphia and in Easton. Easton, however, has not too many cases, only those assigned which are of convenience to lawyers in the western section of the eastern district, principally Lancaster, Reading, and Allentown, and there we only hold arguments. There are no jury trials held there, and some nonjury cases, the vast bulk of the work is done in the city of Philadelphia. Nothing I can say with persuasion, nor with the assertion of a very vigorous conviction would speak more eloquently than the figures which the administrative office under the very able direction of Warren Olney has compiled. However, I do want to advert to certain figures and circumstances which I feel warrant the appointment of, as a minimum, the three judges asked for in this bill. We have since 1957 had a backlog of anywhere from 3,000 to, presently, at the end of January, 1960, we are 4,400 cases behind. There are eight judges of the United States sitting. We have two senior, retired judges who have been very helpful, but the vast bulk of the work falls on these eight judges. |