The Secretary of the Interior in commenting on this bill says:

All of the public lands within the area involved are now withdrawn from settlement or entry, some 45,000 acres under Executive order of March 22, 1929, in aid of legislation to include them in the national forest. The organization of grazing districts under the Taylor Grazing Act of June 28, 1934, is now in progress in Oregon, and as an aid in facilitating such action all the unreserved public lands in the State have been withdrawn by Executive order of November 26, 1934, pending classification as to the best use of the land.

The public lands are under the jurisdiction of this Department, and in my opinion no addition of any such lands to a national forest should be authorized except upon recommendation of the Secretary of the Interior as well as the Secretary of Agriculture. I therefore suggest that the bill as referred to your committee be amended by changing the word "Secretary" in line 11 to "Secretaries" and by inserting after "Agriculture" in the same line the words "and of the Interior".

If the bill be amended as above indicated, I will interpose no objection to its enactment.

It will be noted that the committee has amended the bill as suggested by the Secretary of the Interior.

74TH CONGRESS 1st Session

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SENATE

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REPORT No. 359

ADD CERTAIN LANDS TO PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

MARCH 13 (calendar day, MARCH 21), 1935.-Ordered to be printed

Mr. SMITH, from the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany S. 1787]

The Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, to whom was referred the bill (S. 1787) to add certain lands to Pisgah National Forest in the State of North Carolina, having considered the same, recommend that the bill do pass without amendment.

The committee considers the report of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator of the United States Veterans' Administration as sufficient for its action and is quoting their reports.

The statement of the Secretary of Agriculture is as follows:

On December 19, 1927, the United States acquired for the use of the Veterans' Administration a tract of land of approximately 442 acres in Buncombe County, N. C. This tract is mountainous in character and was acquired for the purpose of obtaining a water supply for the Oteen Hospital of the Veterans' Administration. The Director of the Veterans' Administration has requested the Forest Service of this Department to look after the land. The tract is surrounded on three sides by lands of the United States being a part of the Pisgah National Forest. In order to carry out the wishes of the Veterans' Administration and to place these lands under the management of the Forest Service the authority of Congress is necessary.

The Department believes that the transfer as proposed would be in the public interest. The area can be looked after by the present personnel of the Pisgah National Forest and no additional appropriation to care for it would be necessary. The report of the Administrator of the United States Veterans' Administration is as follows:

The only value of the tract of land involved to this organization is its watershed purposes. The land and timber thereon are valuable and it is practically impossible for the Veterans' Administration facility at Oteen, N. C., to police this tract. Approximately 50 acres of the tract should be reforested. As a result of these conditions the Veterans' Administration requested the Secretary of Agriculture to assign forest rangers on duty in the national forest to patrol this tract with the view of protecting the interests of the Government by prohibiting the

removal of timber, preventing cattle grazing thereon, and protecting the watershed. It developed that until title to the land has been vested in the Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service would be handicapped by lack of authority to patrol the area and post it against trespassers.

The Veterans' Administration is therefore in hearty accord with the provisions of the proposed measure and respectfully urges that it be favorably reported by your committee. The Director Bureau of the Budget has advised that the proposed measure does not conflict with the financial program of the President.

PROVIDE FOR AN INVESTIGATION AND REPORT OF LOSSES RESULTING FROM THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ERADICATION OF THE MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLY BY THE DEPARTMENT OF

AGRICULTURE

MARCH 13 (calendar day, MARCH 21), 1935.-Ordered to be printed

Mr. SMITH, from the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany S. 933]

The Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, to whom was referred the bill (S. 933) to provide for an investigation and report of losses resulting from the campaign for the eradication of the Mediterranean fruit fly by the Department of Agriculture, having considered the same, recommend that the bill do pass with the following amend

ment:

On page 3, line 13, strike out the figures "$25,000," and insert in lieu thereof the following "$10,000,"

The report of the Secretary of Agriculture on this bill is quoted below:

In response to your request for a report on the legislation, you are advised that the Department has no objection to the conduct of an investigation and survey to determine what losses, if any, were sustained in the eradication of the Mediterranean fruit fly in Florida with the distinct understanding that the survey is to provide information only and that the report of such information shall not be construed as imposing any legal or moral obligation upon the Government of the United States.

Upon reference of this matter to the Budget Bureau, as required by Budget Circular 49, the Department was advised by the Acting Director thereof under date of March 4, 1935, as follows:

"You are advised that, insofar as the financial program of the President is concerned, there would be no objection to this proposed legislation, provided it be amended to authorize an appropriation of not to exceed $10,000.'

It will be noted that the bill has been amended so as to comply with the suggestion of the Director of the Bureau of the Budget. It will also be noted that a similar bill passed the Senate during the last session of Congress.