ment or documents to release and cancel that certain agreement entered into on the 31st day of December 1923, by and between the Port of Seattle, a muncipal corporation, and the United States of America, represented by the United States Shipping Board, acting by and through the United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation, a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the United States for the District of Columbia, which said agreement was recorded on the 17th day of March 1924, in the office of the King County auditor in the State of Washington under volume 54 of chattel mortgages, page 614, and volume 887 of real property mortgages, page 448, bearing file number 1844599. Approved May 17, 1949. [CHAPTER 281-1ST SESSION] [H. J. Res. 235] JOINT RESOLUTION To continue the authority of the Maritime Commission to sell, charter, and operate vessels, and for other purposes. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the joint resolution entitled "Joint resolution to continue until June 30, 1949, the authority of the Maritime Commission to sell, charter, and operate vessels, and for other purposes", approved February 28, 1949 (Public Law 12, Eighty-first Congress), is amended by striking out the date "June 30, 1949" wherever it appears therein and inserting in lieu thereof the date "June 30, 1950": Provided, That hereafter no sale of a vessel by the Maritime Commission shall be completed until its ballast and equipment shall have been inventoried and their value taken into consideration by the Commission in determining the selling price. SEC. 2. Any charter (except one in respect of a passenger vessel) in effect at the time of the enactment of this joint resolution shall be terminated by the Commission at the earliest date permitted under the terms thereof after June 30, 1949, unless the charterer enters into an agreement with the Commission that each vessel delivered or retained under such charter shall not be redelivered to the Commission, at the option of the charterer, within less than six months for liner services, except United States continental coastwise and intercoastal services and services between continental United States ports and Alaska, or four months for bulk services and United States continental coastwise and intercoastal services and services between continental United States ports and Alaska, or for the remainder of the period ending June 30, 1950, if such period is less than said periods of six or four months, respectively. No charter (except one in respect of a passenger vessel) shall be made by the Commission under authority of this joint resolution or after the date of enactment thereof unless the charterer enters into an agreement with the Commission that each vessel delivered or retained under the terms of such charter shall not be redelivered to the Commission, at the option of the charterer, within less than six months for liner services, except United States continental coastwise and intercoastal services and services between continental United States ports and Alaska, or four months for bulk services and United States continental coastwise and intercoastal services and services between continental United States ports and Alaska, or for the remainder of the period ending June 30, 1950, if such period is less than said periods of said six and four months, respectively: Provided, however, That no vessel (except a passenger vessel) so chartered may begin a new voyage after June 30, 1950. Approved June 29, 1949. [CHAPTER 476-1ST SESSION] [H. R. 242] AN ACT To provide for the conferring of the degree of bachelor of science upon graduates of the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Act of May 25, 1933, as amended, relating to the conferring of degrees upon graduates of the Naval Academy, Military Academy, Coast Guard Academy, and Merchant Marine Academy, be amended to read as follows: "The Superintendents of the United States Naval Academy, the United States Military Academy, the United States Merchant Marine Academy, and the United States Coast Guard Academy may, under such rules and regulations as the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary of the Army, the United States Maritime Commission, and the Secretary of the Treasury, respectively may prescribe, confer the degree of bachelor of science upon all graduates of their respective academies, from and after the date of the accrediting of said academies. On and after the date of the accrediting of the said academies the superintendents of the respective academies may, under such rules and regulations as the respective Secretaries, or the Maritime Commission, may make, confer the degree of bachelor of science upon such other living graduates of the respective academies as shall have met the requirements of the respective academies for such degree." Approved August 18, 1949. [CHAPTER 493-1ST SESSION] [H. R. 2634] AN ACT To provide transportation on Canadian vessels between Skagway, Alaska, and other points in Alaska, between Haines, Alaska, and other points in Alaska, and between Hyder, Alaska, and other points in Alaska or the continental United States, either directly or via a foreign port, or for any part of the transportation. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, until June 30, 1950, notwithstanding the provisions of law of the United States restricting to vessels of the United States the transportation of passengers and merchandise directly or indirectly from any port in the United States to another port of the United States, passengers may be transported on Canadian vessels between Skagway, Alaska, and other points in Alaska, between Haines, Alaska, and other points in Alaska, and between Hyder, Alaska, and other points in Alaska or the continental United States, either directly or via a foreign port, or for any part of the transportation: Provided, That such Canadian vessels may transport merchandise between Hyder, Alaska, and other ports and points herein enumerated. Approved August 22, 1949 [PUBLIC LAW 297-818T CONGRESS] [H. R. 5929] AN ACT To amend the Army and Air Force Vitalization and Retirement Equalization Act of 1948. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That subsection (b) of section 302 of the Army and Air Force Vitalization and Retirement Equalization Act of 1948 is hereby amended by striking out the words "the enactment of this Act" and inserting in lieu thereof "July 1, 1949". SEC. 2. That subsection (c) of section 302 of the Army and Air Force Vitalization and Retirement Equalization Act of 1948 is hereby amended by striking out the words "the enactment of this Act" and inserting in lieu thereof "July 1, 1949". SEC. 3. That the second proviso of section 303 of the Army and Air Force Vitalization and Retirement Equalization Act of 1948 is hereby amended by striking out the words "the date of enactment of this Act" and inserting in lieu thereof "July 1, 1949". Approved September 7, 1949. [CHAPTER 780-1ST SESSION] [H. J. Res. 373] JOINT RESOLUTION Relating to the sale of certain shipyard facilities at Orange, Texas. Whereas the General Services Administration now holds for disposition certain shipyard facilities at Orange, Texas, declared surplus by the Navy Department; which facilities were constructed during the war on land belonging to the Consolidated Steel Corporation at a total cost of $8,235,000; which facilities were operated during the war by Consolidated Steel Corporation in the construction of naval vessels; which facilities were closed down at the end of the war and have since remained idle; and Whereas Consolidated Western Steel Corporation, successor to the Consolidated Steel Corporation, is now the owner of the lands upon which said facilities are located and has the right, under the contract with the Government under which said facilities were constructed, to require their removal upon sixty days' notice; and Whereas it is vital to the national defense that the facilities be maintained and to the extent practicable operated and kept in good condition; and Whereas Consolidated Western Steel Corporation in a written offer dated May 18, 1949, submitted to War Assets Administration its offer to purchase the Government-owned facilities for a cash price of $1,001,000; and Whereas the Munitions Board in connection with said proposed sale has imposed a "national security clause" on the facility, under the terms of which the facility will be maintained for the purposes of national defense by the proposed purchaser for a period of five years without cost to the Government; and Whereas if the proposed sale is not consummated the facility will have to be scrapped at a possible loss to the Government in excess of $500,000 and in addition will destroy the facility so vitally needed for national defense; and Whereas the proposed sale will result in the employment in excess of one thousand workers in the operation thereof by the proposed purchaser; and Whereas the War Assets Administration has strongly recommended a consummation of such sale to the Consolidated Western Steel Corporation; and Whereas under the provision of section 207 of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, the Attorney General is required to give an opinion as to whether or not, so far as he can determine, the disposition of property would tend to create a situation in violation of the antitrust laws; and Whereas said provision may have the effect of preventing the consummation of said proposed sale; and |