Due to the proximity of the Cleveland National Forest to large urban centers, many thousands of people visit it annually to enjoy its recreational, scenic, inspirational, and other features. As a result the recreation and campground facilities available throughout the forest are greatly taxed at the present time. Most of the accessible and well-situated campground areas within the national forests in this part of California have already been developed and their heavy Acquisition of the lands use makes necessary the development of new areas. described in the bill would afford additional opportunity for this much-needed development.

The topography of the described land is quite varied. Because of its location and accessibility some 40 or more acres are of exceptional value as a public campground while an equal area could be similarly utilized as future demands required it. The remainder of the area consists of 70 acres of bottom lands and 865 acres of steep slopes which are covered with chamiso brush. The land is located at the confluence of several drainages and is bounded on two sides by the The protection of the steep slopes is necessary to Cleveland National Forest. protect the 150 acres of flat lands from washing and being covered with debris. The value of the lands, in addition to the fact that they are well located from the standpoint of an accessible campground and recreation center, is materially increased by the existence thereon of a number of hot springs, believed to be of Eminent southern California physimedicinal value for orthopedic treatment. cians, who regard the hot springs as a desirable place for the treatment of patients convalescing from infantile paralysis, have recommended that these springs be placed under Federal ownership in order that they may be made available to the public. The flow from the springs is calculated at 120 gallons per minute, or 7,200 gallons per hour. This volume of water should be sufficient to maintain a fair-sized swimming pool. If the area were placed in public ownership the essential campground and other facilities could be developed by public agencies, thus making available to the public, at a minimum cost, the full values of such curative properties as the hot mineralized waters may possess.

The development program necessary to make the desirable features of the area fully available to the public would cost approximately $50,000. Costs of administration and maintenance might approach $2,500 per year.

Preliminary appraisals of the values of the described lands indicate that they can be acquired with the amount of the authorized appropriation.

A question has been raised as to whether the bill, if enacted as now worded, would give a national-forest status to the described lands, if acquired; therefore, it is recommended that on page 2, line 20, the period be changed to a semicolon and the following clause be appended to the first section of the bill:

"said lands, upon their acquisition, to become part of the Cleveland National Forest, California, and thereafter to be subject to the laws, rules, and regulations applicable to national-forest lands."

Pursuant to the requirement of Budget Circular 344 the above report was submitted to the Budget Bureau, who, under date of April 24, advised the Department that the legislation proposed by H. R. 2728, which would authorize a special appropriation of not to exceed $45,000 for carrying out its provisions, would not be in accord with the program of the President.

Sincerely,

HARRY L. BROWN, Acting Secretary.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
Washington, May 11, 1939.

Hon. RENÉ L. DEROUEN,

Chairman, Committee on the Public Lands, House of Representatives. MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: I have received your letter of February 17, enclosing a copy of H. R. 2728, entitled "A bill to add certain lands to the Cleveland National Forest in Orange County, Calif.," and requesting a report thereon.

The present bill would authorize an appropriation not to exceed $45,000 for the purchase of a tract of approximately 1,000 acres for addition to the Cleveland National Forest in the State of California. The latter part of section 1 of the bill states that the lands in question would be added to the national forest "in

order that they may be so managed with other lands of the United States as to minimize soil erosion and flood damage and to increase recreational facilities." An investigation of the area in question, which includes the San Juan Hot Springs, has been made by this Department, and it is believed that its major value is for recreational purposes.

I have been advised by the Bureau of the Budget that H. R. 2728 would not be in accord with the program of the President.

PROVIDING FOR THE ACQUISITION OF ADDITIONAL LANDS FOR NATIONAL MILITARY PARKS, NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARKS, NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARKS, AND BATTLEFIELD SITES

JUNE 27, 1939.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. DEROUEN, from the Committee on the Public Lands, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. R. 4938]

The Committee on the Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 4938) to provide for the acquisition of additional lands for the national military parks, national historical parks, national battlefield parks, and battlefield sites administered by the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the bill as amended do pass.

The amendments are as follows:

Add the following section at the end of the bill:

SEC. 3. That the Secretary of the Interior, in his discretion, is hereby authorized to convey without consideration, but under such terms and conditions as he may deem advisable, to the New Salem School District, of Dade County, Georgia, not to exceed ten acres of land located within lot numbered 114, eleventh district, fourth section of Dade County, Georgia, now a part of the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park.

The report of the Secretary of the Interior is herein below set forth in full and made a part of this report:

Hon. RENÉ L. DEROUEN,

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
Washington, June 13, 1939.

Chairman, Committee on the Public Lands,

House of Representatives.

MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: I have received your letter of March 13 enclosing a copy of H. R. 4938 entitled "A bill to provide for the acquisition of additional lands for the national military parks, national historical parks, national battlefield parks, and battlefield sites administered by the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior, and for other purposes", and requesting a report thereon.

It is frequently desirable that small tracts of land be acquired by the Federal Government for addition to the historical areas to which they are contiguous. In some instances, such additional land is needed for the purpose of rounding out the boundaries of the areas. In other cases, it is desired to add small tracts of land to the areas in order to give Federal protection to important historical or other features that are directly related to and logically associated with the areas themselves. The enactment of this proposed legislation would eliminate the necessity for consideration by the Congress of individual bills providing for boundary adjustments of these areas. No land would be acquired for the purposes in question unless and until funds are made available therefor.

However, the enactment of H. R. 4938 is not recommended, in view of advice received from the Bureau of the Budget that this proposed legislation would not be in accord with the program of the President.

Sincerely yours.

[Signed] HARRY Slattery, Acting Secretary of the Interior.