CONTENTS Page Brockel, Harry, municipal port director, board of harbor commis- Chartrand, J. S., manager, transportation department, board of trade 166 158 128 Clark, J. W., commissioner, department of business development, State Cohen, Maxim M., general manager, Chicago Regional Port District-- Corbett, R. H., secretary, Great Lakes Overseas Shipping Association. Coulter, Thomas H., chief executive officer, Chicago Association of Cowles, Willard B., deputy legal adviser and George S. Vest, Canadian Desk officer, Department of State.. Danielian, N. R., president, Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Association. Fast, Marvin, acting executive director, Great Lakes Commission___ Hachmeister, Albert W., chairman, Great Lakes Commission's com- mittee on the seaway and navigation___ Itschner, Maj. Gen. E. C., Assistant Chief of Engineers for Civil Manley, Capt. John J., representing the mayor of Chicago- 157 McWhorter, Roger B., Acting Chairman of the International Joint Naujoks, Herbert H., counsel, Great Lakes Harbors Association__ Smith, Robert H., traffic commissioner, Duluth Chamber of Com- merce, and traffic manager, Duluth Board of Trade, Duluth, Minn. Somers, Lucius, State senator of Indiana__ Sullivan, Henry J., chairman, Port of Detroit Commission, Detroit, 144 141 Thomson, Vernon W., attorney general of Wisconsin.. Tulane, Roy, assistant attorney general of the State of Wisconsin... Zwartverwer, Louis F., manager, Chicago office, James W. Elwell 170 Closing remarks of Senator Wiley- Statements and letters inserted in the record by- Aandahl, Fred G., Assistant Secretary of the Interior, Department of Castle, Lewis G., administrator, St. Lawrence Seaway Development Rogers, William P., Deputy Attorney General, United States Depart- Additional information— Special study made by Chicago Bar Association on legal aspects of 108 Great Lakes connecting channels. THE GREAT LAKES BASIN MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 1956 UNITED STATES SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10 a. m., in the committee room, United States Capitol Building, Senator Alexander Wiley presiding. Present: Senators Green and Wiley (presiding). Senator WILEY. The meeting will come to order. We are glad to see so many handsome and distinguished looking ladies and gentlemen this morning. The meeting is, as you know, called to get the benefit of your judgment and wisdom on S. 2688, a bill which would grant the consent and approval of Congress to a Great Lakes Basin compact, and for related purposes. OPENING REMARKS It is with pleasure that I open this hearing. The bill was introduced on July 29, 1955, by Senator McNamara for himself and eight other Senators of the Midwest. Unfortunately, the pressure of other business before the Foreign Relations Committee precluded consideration being given the bill before now. The Chairman, Senator George, felt that during this period before the opening of the next Congress, it would be important that background on this compact be obtained. Therefore, he appointed a subcommittee to consider the bill. Senator Humphrey, chairman of the subcommittee, is unable to be here, so he has asked me to preside for him. S. 2688 would give congressional authorization to the creation of the Great Lakes Basin compact. This compact could consist of the following States as members: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The Provinces of Ontario and Quebec would also be eligible to join. The purposes of the compact in general would be to promote the orderly and comprehensive development and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes Basin. An intergovernmental agency would be established to carry out the purposes of the compact. I would like, at this point, to have the text of S. 2688 inserted into the record. 1 (S. 2688 is as follows:) [S. 2688, 84th Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL Granting the consent and approval of Congress to a Great Lakes Basin Compact, and for related purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the consent and approval of Congress is hereby given to any and all of the States of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to enter into a Great Lakes Basin Compact; and the Congress further gives its consent to any and all of said States to enter into such compact, in accordance with the terms thereof, with the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec or either of them. Such compact shall be in the form substantially as follows: "GREAT LAKES BASIN COMPACT "The party states solemnly agree: "ARTICLE I "The purposes of this compact are, through means of joint or cooperative action: "1. To promote the orderly, integrated, and comprehensive development, use, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes Basin (hereinafter called the Basin). "2. To plan for the welfare and development of the water resources of the Basin as a whole as well as for those portions of the Basin which may have problems of special concern. "3. To make it possible for the states of the Basin and their people to derive the maximum benefit from utilization of public works, in the form of navigational aids or otherwise, which may exist or which may be constructed from time to time. "4. To advise in securing and maintaining a proper balance among industrial, commercial, agricultural, water supply, residential, recreational, and other legitimate uses of the water resources of the Basin. "5. To establish and maintain an intergovernmental agency to the end that the purposes of this compact may be accomplished more effectively. "ARTICLE II "A. This compact shall enter into force and become effective and binding when it has been enacted by the legislatures of any four of the States of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and thereafter shall enter into force and become effective and binding as to any other of said states when enacted by the legislature thereof. "B. The Province of Ontario and the Province of Quebec, or either of them, may become states party to this compact by taking such action as their laws and the laws of the Government of Canada may prescribe for adherence thereto. For the purpose of this compact the word 'state' shall be construed to include a Province of Canada. "ARTICLE III "The Great Lakes Commission created by Article IV of this compact shall exercise its powers and perform its functions in respect to the Basin which, for the purposes of this compact, shall consist of so much of the following as may be within the party states: "1. Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, St. Clair, Superior, and the St. Lawrence River, together with any and all natural or man-made water interconnections between or among them. "2. All rivers, ponds, lakes, streams, and other watercourses which, in their natural state or in their prevailing condition, are tributary to Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, St. Clair, and Superior or any of them or which comprise part of any watershed draining into any of said lakes. "ARTICLE IV "A. There is hereby created an agency of the party states to be known as The Great Lakes Commission (hereinafter called the Commission). In that name the Commission may sue and be sued, acquire, hold, and convey real and personal property and any interest therein. The Commission shall have a seal with the words 'The Great Lakes Commission' and such other design as it may prescribe engraved thereon by which it shall authenticate its proceedings. Transactions involving real or personal property shall conform to the laws of the state in which the property is located, and the Commission may by bylaws provide for the execution and acknowledgement of all instruments in its behalf. "B. The Commission shall be composed of not less than three commissioners nor more than five commissioners from each party state designated or appointed in accordance with the law of the state which they represent and serving and subject to removal in accordance with such law. "C. Each state delegation shall be entitled to three votes in the Commission. The presence of commissioners from a majority of the party states shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Commission. Actions of the Commission shall be by a majority of the votes cast except that any recommendations made pursuant to Article VI of this compact shall require an affirmative vote of not less than a majority of the votes cast from each of a majority of the states present and voting. "D. The commissioners of any two or more party states may meet separately to consider problems of particular interest to their states but no action taken at any such meeting shall be deemed an action of the Commission unless and until the Commission shall specifically approve the same. "E. In the absence of any commissioner, his vote may be cast by another representative or commissioner of his state provided that said commissioner or other representative casting said vote shall have a written proxy in proper form as may be required by the Commission. "F. The Commission shall elect annually from among its members a chairman and vice chairman. The Commission shall appoint an Executive Director who shall also act as secretary-treasurer, and who shall be bonded in such amount as the Commission may require. The Executive Director shall serve at the pleasure of the Commission and at such compensation and under such terms and conditions as may be fixed by it. The Executive Director shall be custodian of the records of the Commission with authority to affix the Commission's official seal and to attest to and certify such records or copies thereof. "G. The Executive Director, subject to the approval of the Commission in such cases as its bylaws may provide, shall appoint and remove or discharge such personnel as may be necessary for the performance of the Commission's functions. Subject to the aforesaid approval, the Executive Director may fix their compensation, define their duties, and require bonds of such of them as the Commission may designate. "H. The Executive Director, on behalf of, as trustee for, and with the approval of the Commission, may borrow, accept, or contract for the services of personnel from any state or government or any subdivision or agency thereof, from any intergovernmental agency, or from any institution, person, firm or corporation; and may accept for any of the Commission's purposes and functions under this compact any and all donations, gifts, and grants of money, equipment, supplies, materials, and services from any state or government or any subdivision or agency thereof or intergovernmental agency or from any institution, person, firm or corporation and may receive and utilize the same. "I. The Commission may establish and maintain one or more offices for the transacting of its business and for such purposes the Executive Director, on behalf of, as trustee for, and with the approval of the Commission, may acquire, hold and dispose of real and personal property necessary to the performance of its functions. "J. No tax levied or imposed by any party state or any political subdivision thereof shall be deemed to apply to property, transactions, or income of the Commission. "K. The Commission may adopt, amend and rescind bylaws, rules and regulations for the conduct of its business. "L. The organization meeting of the Commission shall be held within six months from the effective date of this compact. |