TABLE OF CONTENTS Statements of— Page 9-22 James Boyd, Director, Bureau of Mines, Department of the Interior___ Maxwell H. Elliott, acting general counsel, Federal Works Agency, S. 2105 as passed by the Senate and referred to the House Committee on Report on H. R. 6110, dated October 10, 1949, from the Department of the Report on H. R. 6110, dated October 7, 1949, from the Munitions Board.. APPENDIX H. R. 6110 (81st Cong., 1st sess.), to stimulate exploration for and con- S. 2105, amendment to, offered by the Committee on Interior and Insular 24 Senate Report No. 957, offered by the Committee on Interior and Insular 85 Senate debate on S. 2105 (exhibit 5).. 92 S. 2105, as reported to the House of Representatives by the Committee on 139 House Report No. 1416, offered by the Committee on Public Lands to accompany S. 2105 (exhibit 7) _ _ 143 House debate on motion to suspend the rules and pass S. 2105 (exhibit 8) 151 III PROPOSED NATIONAL MINERALS ACT MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1949 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, The committee met at 9:30 a. m. in the committee room of the House Committee on Public Lands, Hon. J. Hardin Peterson (chairman) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. Gentlemen, the Senate has passed a bill dealing with the stimulation of exploration and conservation of strategic and critical ores, metals, and minerals. We have called the committee together to go over the bill and try to work it out in proper shape, to see if we can get it up for consideration. We have reported two bills in the session previously, but we have not had any luck as to getting them up; so, we thought we would take up S. 2105 and get it in shape and try to work out some parliamentary method of getting it passed before adjournment. (The bill under consideration, as passed by the Senate, is as follows:) To stimulate exploration for and conservation of strategic and critical ores, metals, and minerals, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "National Minerals Act of 1949". SEC. 2. (a) It is the policy of the Congress that every effort be made to stimu late exploration for and conservation of strategic and critical metals and minerals and other essential metals and minerals by private enterprise to supply the industrial, military, and naval needs of the United States, and that every effort be made to encourage the development and maintenance of sources of these metals and minerals within the United States in order to decrease and prevent, wherever possible, a dangerous and costly dependence by the United States upon foreign nations for supplies of such materials. To this end it is the further policy of the Congress that every effort be made to maintain a sound and active mining industry within the United States; to expand exploration for those ores and other mineral substances which are essential to the common defense or the industrial needs of the United States; and to prevent the discontinuance of mine operations under such circumstances as to make it probable that production would not or could not be resumed when needed for the national economy or security. 1 |