1st Session No. 351 RELINQUISHMENT OF CERTAIN LANDS TO CITY OF COEUR D'ALENE FEBRUARY 4, 1932.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House and ordered to be printed Mr. SMITH of Idaho, from the Committee on Public Lands, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 1133] The Committee on the Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill H. R. 1133) to provide for the relinquishment by the United States of certain lands to the city of Coeur d'Alene, in the county of Kootenai, in the State of Idaho, having considered the same, recommend that the bill do pass. The bill proposes the relinquishment by the United States of its reversionary interest remaining in 1.88 acres, more or less, situated in Kootenai County, Idaho, and within the city of Coeur d'Alene. The tract in question is covered by the outstanding grant of station ground (lot 49) made May 8, 1903, to the Coeur d'Alene & Spokane Railway Co. (Ltd.), pursuant to the provisions of the act of March 3, 1875 (18 Stat. 482), and now claimed by the Spokane & Eastern Railway & Power Co., as successors in interest. Upon relinquishment by the Spokane & Eastern Railway & Power Co. of its claim to the tract, the grant of station grounds would be canceled as to it and the city could proceed to obtain title to the land as the county of Kootenai did to other tracts within the grant of station grounds pursuant to the acts of Congress approved March 4, 1909 (35 Stat. 1063) and March 4, 1925 (43 Stat. 1284), respectively. The Secretary of the Interior in a letter addressed to Hon. John M. Evans, chairman of the House Committee on Public Lands, under date of January 28, 1932, has indicated that the Interior Department has no objection to the passage of the bill. Attached hereto are letter and memorandum from the Secretary of the Interior and the Commissioner of the General Land Office bearing upon the merits of the proposed legislation. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Hon. JOHN M. EVANS, Chairman Committee on the Public Lands, House of Representatives. MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: In response to your request of January 15 for a report on H. R. 1133, which is a bill providing for the relinquishment by the United States of certain lands to the city of Coeur d'Alene, in the county of Kootenai, in the State of Idaho, I transmit herewith a memorandum on the subject that has been submitted by the Commissioner of the General Land Office, to which attention is invited. This department will interpose no objection to the passage of the bill. Very truly yours, RAY LYMAN WILBUR, Secretary. Memorandum for the Secretary. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, GENERAL LAND OFFICE, Washintgon, January 22, 1932. Reference is had to H. R. 1133, a bill to provide for the relinquishment by the United States of certain lands in the city of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in the County of Kootenai, in the State of Idaho. It is similar to H. R. 1184, as amended, first session, Seventy-first Congress, in accordance with my memorandum of July 31, 1930. The land in question is covered by the outstanding grant of station grounds (lot 49), made May 8, 1903, to the Coeur d'Alene and Spokane Railway Co. (Ltd.), pursuant to the provisions of the act of March 3, 1875 (18 Stat. 482), and now claimed by the Spokane & Eastern Railway & Power Co., as successor in interest, and this bill purports merely to grant by the United States the possi bility of reversion. Upon relinquishment by the Spokane & Eastern Railway & Power Co. the city could proceed to obtain title to this tract of 1.88 acres, more or less, as the County of Kootenai did with respect to other tracts within the grant of station grounds pursuant to the acts of Congress approved March 4, 1909 (35 Stat. 1063), and March 4, 1925 (43 Stat. 1284), respectively. I have no objection to the enactment of the proposed legislation. C. C. MOORE, Commissioner. SECOND POLAR YEAR PROGRAM FEBRUARY 5, 1932.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. LINTHICUM, from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. J. Res. 182] The Committee on Foreign Affairs, to whom was referred House Joint Resolution 182, authorizing an appropriation to defray the expenses of participation by the United States Government in the second polar year program, August 1, 1932, to August 31, 1933, having had the same under consideration, reports thereon with the recommendation that the resolution do pass with the following amendments: Page 1, lines 8 and 9, strike out "without reference to the classification act of 1923, as amended". Page 1, line 10, following the word "expenses" strike out "official cards"; and after the word "binding" strike out "rent in the". Page 2, line 1, strike out "District of Columbia or elsewhere." Page 2, line 6, following the word "transportation" insert "of supplies, equipment, and personnel". Page 2, lines 7 and 8, following the word "subsistence" strike out "notwithstanding the provisions of any other act" and insert "while traveling." The passage of this resolution is recommended by the President in his message to Congress of December 10, 1931, which follows: To the Congress of the United States: I commend to the favorable consideration of the Congress the inclosed report from the Secretary of State, to the end that legislation may be enacted authorizing an appropriation of $30,000 for participation by the United States Government in the second polar year program, August 1, 1932-August 31, 1933. HERBERT HOOVER. THE WHITE HOUSE, December 10, 1931. The PRESIDENT: On February 10, 1931, you commended to the favorable consideration of the Congress my report requesting legislation authorizing an appropriation of $30,000 for participation by the United States Government in the second polar year program, August 1, 1932-August 31, 1933, which is printed as Senate Document No. 270, Seventy-first Congress, copy of which is inclosed. Pursuant to your recommendation, House Joint Resolution 502 was introduced and favorably reported by the Foreign Affairs Committee on February 17, 1931, House Report 270. A bill was also introduced in the Senate (S. 6173), and reported upon favorably by the Foreign Relations Committee on February 25, 1931, Senate Report 1774. This latter bill was passed by the Senate on February 26, 1931. No action was taken by the House of Representatives other than reporting favorably on its bill. During the time which has ensued since the adjournment of the Seventy-first Congress the work of preparation for the execution of the second polar year program has been carried forward by the governments and organizations interested therein. At a meeting of the International Commission for the Polar Year 1932-33, which was held at Innsbruck on February 25 and 26, 1931, the reports of the president of the commission and of the various national committees showed that despite the present world-wide unfavorable economic conditions participation already definitely arranged by many governments assures the realization of a mass of data of great importance for geophysics and its practical applications. Unanimous agreement was taken at the Innsbruck meeting approving the proposal that the program at arctic stations as already planned for the year August, 1932, to August, 1933, be carried out. Circular letters and reports dealing with detailed instructions for each field of observations, development of special instruments and equipment, method and style of publication, etc., have been issued regularly by the commission in order that knowledge of the plans and progress be kept up to date. The commission has demonstrated its determination to continue a serious preparation for the utmost profit and the most economic use of the opportunities for collection of useful and pertinent data during the period prescribed for the execution of the program. Of the stations proposed for the Arctic regions by the commission, 16 are already established, 14 are now assured, 6 are probable, and 5 are possible. Progress is also being made with regard to the stations in the Antarctic. Furthermore, the program will be carried out not only at the special stations which are included in the program, as indicated in my previous report to you on the subject, but also at 55 other existing observatories as well as at a number of observatories which are being established particularly because of the polar year in various parts of the Temperate and Torrid Zones. Thus the project involves over 100 widely distributed stations in all parts of the world. In view of the participation already definitely arranged by so many other governments, it becomes correspondingly more important that the United States take part as proposed in the occupation of the station near Fairbanks, Alaska, and that this Government assist in the widespread effort to assemble information and data which will be of valuable aid to the scientists of the world in the solution of problems of interest not only in the realm of science but which have a direct bearing on our everyday life. In my previous report on this subject I mentioned that the Secretary of Commerce, whose department is directly concerned in the project, supported the request that an appropriation be asked for this purpose. In this connection I desire to quote from a letter received from the Secretary of Commerce under date of November 9, 1931, in response to a request for his opinion as to the advisability of providing for participation of this Government in the second polar year program. The Secretary of Commerce's letter reads in part as follows: "I believe that both the intrinsic value of the results to be secured and the dominant international position of the United States make it desirable for this Nation to participate in the program as originally planned, and I so recommend." In view of the foregoing, I recommend that the Congress be requested to enact legislation authorizing an appropriation of $30,000 to be made available for participation by the United States Government in the second polar year program August 1, 1932, to August 31, 1933. As a matter of convenience, a draft of a resolution to carry out this recommendation is hereto attached. Respectfully submitted. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, HENRY L. STIMSON. Washington, November 27, 1931. It is to-day recognized that coordination of effort and cooperation on the part of great organizations provide the maximum in satisfactory results in any great and important endeavor. Beginning in August, this year, and continuing thereafter for 13 months, the coordination of effort and cooperation of 26 nations of the world are to be directed toward solving the relation of the magnetism and electricity of the earth and upper atmosphere to such very practical things in life as communication by radio, cable, telegraph, and telephone. Science has already shown that some relation does exist; the great international program of this year and next will provide further evidence and knowledge of the utmost value. The international aspect of the Polar Year Program is assured. Most of the nations participating are in the midst of definite plans and preparations. The United States has been asked to participate in the program, and has been asked to operate a very strategic station. The station suggested is Fairbanks, Alaska. It is a station of the greatest importance to the entire program; other stations are so distant that results obtained at Fairbanks will have to be representative of about one-fourth of the north polar region. An international commission has outlined a comprehensive program of work. The American section of this commission, while arranging a plan for the participation of the United States, has borne in mind the need for the strictest economy in expenditures. The sum of $30,000 which is recommended for appropriation for American participation represents the minimum amount that will make our work an important and effective contribution to a great cooperative plan. Estimate of expenditures on which was based the $130,000 appropriation asked of 1 observer, at the rate of $3,800 per year for 2 years (the $7, 600 1 assistant observer, at the rate of $2,800 per year for 11⁄2 years (the assistant observer to subsist himself except when traveling to and from the station)___ 4, 200 1 student observer, at the rate of $660 per year for 11⁄2 years (the student observer to subsist himself). 990 $12, 790 Travel: Travel for 1 observer from Washington, D. C., to Fairbanks, Alaska, and return......... 509 Travel of 1 observer from Seattle, Wash., to Fairbanks, 234 Subsistence for 2 observers while traveling 167 910 Publication: Printing and binding of 700 copies of 1 volume of about 400 pages (7%1⁄2 by 10% inches over all) to give the resulting data, including compilation and publication of report and distribution to organizations cooperating in the polar year program.. Instruments: Magnetic instruments and recorders.. Electric instruments and recorders__ Miscellaneous instrumental appurtenances.. Mitchell vertical-intensity instrument and recorder with necessary wire lines... 3, 000 $4,000 900 1, 200 7,500 |