81ST CONGRESS 1st Session SENATE { REPORT No. 109 AMENDING THE ACT OF JUNE 25, 1938. RELATING TO THE APPOINTMENT OF POSTMASTERS UNDER CIVIL SERVICE MARCH 11 (legislative day, FEBRUARY 21), 1949.-Ordered to be printed Mr. JOHNSTON of South Carolina, from the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 1174] The Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, to whom was referred the bill (S. 1174) to amend the act of June 25, 1938, relating to the appointment of postmasters under civil service, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. STATEMENT It is the purpose of this measure to eliminate the necessity of reappointment in the case of postmasters whose post offices advance from fourth class to a higher class or where post offices of a higher class are relegated to fourth class. Under present procedures, this reappointment is necessary. The committee was informed by the Post Office Department that in the case of some 300 post offices which advance from fourth class to a higher class each year, another investigation and examination is held. An average of 95 percent affected are reappointed. The average cost of these examinations is $65. While all postmasters are currently appointed und r civil-service procedures, there is a difference under the law in appointments of first-, second-, and third-class postmasters as compared to fourth-class postmasters. In the case of postmasters of post offices for the first three classes, the President submits the names of the postmasters for approval by the Senate, while in the case of fourth-class postmasters, the appointment is made by the Postmaster General. In addition to the elimination of the reappointment requirement, the bill also eliminates a provision of the present law which is no longer operative. When postmasters were placed under the civilservice system, it was necessary that incumbent postmasters be reappointed at the end of their term before they were eligible for a civil-service status. Because of the passage of time, the terms of all incumbent postmasters, at the time the law was passed, have expired and an appointment made. The legislation proposed under this bill has the approval of the Post Office Department and the United States Civil Service Commission. It also has the approval of the National Association of Postmasters and the National League of District Postmasters, which associations strongly urge this proposed legislation. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW 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): ACT OF JUNE 25, 1938 (52 STAT. 1076) Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That postmasters of the first, second, and third classes shall hereafter be appointed in the classified service without term by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate: Provided, [That postmasters now serving may continue to serve until the end of their terms, but they shall not acquire a classified civil-service status at the expiration of such terms of office except as provided in section 2 hereof.] That postmasters of the fourth class, appointed in the classified civil service, whose offices advance to a higher class, and postmasters of other classes, appointed in the classified civil service, whose offices are relegated to the fourth class, shall continue to serve under their original appointment until a vacancy occurs by reason of death, resignation, retirement, or removal, in which event the appointment shall be made as provided in section 2 of the Act. O MARCH 11 (legislative day, February 21), 1949.—Ordered to be printed Mr. MYERS, from the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. J. Res. 52] The Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, to whom was referred the joint resolution (S. J. Res. 52) to authorize vessels of Canadian registry to transport iron ore between United States ports on the Great Lakes during the period from March 15 to December 15, 1949, inclusive, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the joint resolution do pass. PURPOSE OF LEGISLATION The purpose of the resolution is to provide additional essentially needed transportation on the Great Lakes during the present calendar year for haulage of iron ore for the manufacture of steel. The resolution is identic with a resolution enacted last year (Public Law 453, 80th Cong.) which permitted use of Canadian vessels to carry iron ore during the 1948 shipping season because of a shortage of available American cargo carriers. An identical House resolution (H. J. Res. 143) already has been considered and favorably reported (on March 4, 1949) by the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. The present legislation is made necessary by the fact that legislation enacted in 1941 which temporarily suspended the coastwise shipping laws to permit Canadian vessels to move iron ore during the 1941 season between United States ports on the Great Lakes (Public Law 90, 77th Cong.), and which was extended by other legislation for the period of the war emergency, was repealed by Senate Joint Resolution 123, Eightieth Congress, a general repealer terminating wartime. emergency legislation. However, since the repealer resolution was enacted, it has become increasingly evident that Canadian vessels will again be needed during the 1949 shipping season, just as they were needed during the 1947 and 1948 shipping seasons, to transport the heavy tonnages of iron ore required to meet the continued large demands for steel in this country. The following quoted from the committee's report in the last Congress, explaining the need for enacting the resolution last year, is equally applicable now: Iron ore consumption by existing steel-furnace plants using Lake Superior ore is at the rate of about 85,000,000 gross tons per year. During 1948 additional furnace capacity to be put into operation will add about 3,000,000 tons to the total requirements up to the spring of 1949, all of which must be transported during the 1948 shipping season. Inasmuch as less than 2,000,000 tons of Lake Superior ore moves by rail from mines to furnaces, it appears that about 86,000,000 tons must move by lake carriers during the 1948 season. Moreover, this total makes no provision for recouping ore stocks which will be at very low levels when navigation opens this spring. Under these circumstances, a tremendous burden is imposed on lake shipping facilities. The extent to which Canadian vessels can participate in the United States ore trade depends largely upon the amount of grain and coal they must move. Grain movement has been extremely heavy during the past 2 years, and is expected to continue to be for some years. While only two Canadian shipping companies devote themselves principally to the movement of ore, there are about 40 Canadian vessels which may be used in the ore trade to some extent during the 1948 shipping season. Some of these may be able to haul only a few cargoes of ore, dependent on when they can be spared from grain and coal haulage. The American ore fleet last year consisted of 274 vessels having a combined average total trip capacity (at 20-foot draft) of 2,684,950 gross tons. Four of the vessels from this fleet will be transferred to other service for the 1948 seasontwo are being converted to self-unloaders for coal and limestone service and two smaller vessels are being transferred to Canadian registry for grain service. Therefore the American ore fleet for the coming season will consist of 270 vessels which, under the most favorable conditions, might be expected to move 79,500,000 gross tons of ore. It must be emphasized that this figure is based on a maximum number of trips, good weather, long season, and high-water levels. During the usual shipping season vessels make from 25 to 30 trips with ore. But the uncertainties of weather make it impossible to anticipate the exact number of trips which can be made. If lake-water levels are high enough, considerably heavier tonnages may be carried. Early opening and late closing of traffic also affect the number of trips. Thus, if favored with a long shipping season of good weather and high lake levels, full coordination of the ore movement with that of other bulk commodities handled by United States vessels on the Lakes, and the maximum number of 30 trips, United States vessels may be expected to transport about 79,500,000 gross tons. This would leave about 6,500,000 tons of ore which must be hauled by vessels of Canadian registry if the extraordinary tonnage reported to be required by furnaces dependent on Lake Superior iron ore is to be supplied. In 1947, the total Great Lakes movement of iron ore from United States and Canadian upper lake ports was 77,898,000. Of this tonnage, 1,631,000 tons was from Canadian mines, some of it hauled in Canadian vessels and some in American vessels. Canadian vessels moved 473,000 tons of iron ore between United States ports in 1947 and the maximum haulage in any one year by Canadian vessels was in 1942 when they transported 2,663,000 tons. It is obvious, therefore, that not only must Canadian vessels be used in ore haulage during the 1948 season, but they will be required to transport a far greater tonnage than ever before. The committee desires to emphasize that legislative permission for vessels of Canadian registry to transport iron ore between United States ports has been in effect continuously since May 31, 1941 (Public Law 90, 77th Cong.), which granted authority for such transport for the calendar 1941 season. Permission for use of Canadian vessels was again granted for the 1942 season by the act of January 27, 1942 (Public Law 416, 77th Cong.), and this authority was continued for the duration of the war by the act of August 1, 1942 (Public Law 695, 77th Cong.). The committee is aware of the importance of protecting American shipping, particularly in coastal and inland trade. It does not desire to jeopardize such protection. But American industry faces the same problem it faced during the war years, a problem that is recognized not only by the ore producers but by the shipping industry and interested Government agencies. The resolution here recommended is temporary in nature and grants permission for Canadian vessels to transport between United States ports only for the remainder of the calendar year 1949. о ENHANCING FURTHER THE SECURITY OF THE UNITED STATES BY PREVENTING DISCLOSURES OF INFORMATION CONCERNING THE CRYPTOGRAPHIC SYSTEMS AND THE COMMUNICATION INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 11 (legislative day, FEBRUARY 21). 1949.—Ordered to be printed Mr. JOHNSON of Texas, from the Committee on Armed Services, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 277] The Committee on Armed Services, to whom was referred the bill (S. 277) to enhance further the security of the United States by preventing the disclosures of information concerning the cryptographic systems and the communication intelligence activities of the United States, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. AMENDMENTS TO THE BILL On page 1, line 3, after the word "shall" insert the following words, "knowingly and willfully". On page 2, line 9, strike out the words "the United States or." On page 2, line 10, after the word "government" and before the comma insert the following words: "knowing the same to have been obtained by such processes". PURPOSE OF THE BILL The purpose of this bill, as amended, is to prevent the revelation of important information about the United States communication intelligence activities and United States codes and ciphers by persons who disclose such information without proper authority, and to prescribe penalties to those knowingly and willfully revealing such information. Stated briefly, this bill makes it a crime to reveal the |