COAST GUARD STATION, TYBEE ISLAND, GA. MAY 11, 1937.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. WARREN, from the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 1189] The Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, to whom was referred the bill (S. 1189) to provide for the establishment of a Coast Guard station on the coast of Georgia at or near Tybee Island, having had the same under consideration, report it back to the House without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. The purpose of this bill is to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a Coast Guard station on the coast of Georgia, at or near Tybee Island, at such point as the Commandant of the Coast Guard may recommend. In a study made by the Coast Guard of the need for a station along this section of the coast it was found that there is approximately a distance of 125 miles between the two existing Coast Guard stations in this general coastal region, St. Simon Island Station, Ga., which is approximately 60 miles to the southward, and Sullivan Ísland Station, S. C., approximately 65 miles to the northward. The section of the coast for which the protection of a Coast Guard station is sought is cut up by rivers and channels, and there are many miles of shoals and flats, especially near the mouth of the Savannah River, which constitute hazards to navigation felt particularly by the many motorboats. which frequent these waters. The port of Savannah, immediately outside of which this proposed station would be located, is one of the largest shipping ports of the South, a large amount of ocean and coastwise tonnage passing close by the proposed station location, and great numbers of fishing boats, Fachts, and small craft operate in the vicinity. Figures presented to the Coast Guard indicate that 1,007 fishing vessels alone operate in the adjacent waters; that during the past 5 years 31 lives have been lost off the coast in this immediate locality, and that private craft have assisted more than 1,100 persons in distress. A reasonable and wise distribution of Coast Guard stations at strategic points along our coast, together with the need set forth above, are factors which indicate the necessity for this proposed station in order to render efficient Coast Guard protection and service and to give proper attention to maritime law enforcement duties. Shipping, commercial, and civic interests join with the Coast Guard and the Treasury Department in strongly urging the establishment of this proposed Coast Guard station. Your committee is advised that the Coast Guard Service and the Treasury Department recommend the passage of the bill S. 1189, and, as will be seen from the letter of the Acting Secretary of the Treasury, which is appended as a part of this report, the Treasury Department is advised that the proposed legislation is in accord with the program of the President. The need for this Coast Guard station is obvious and your committee is glad of this opportunity to recommend the enactment of this bill. The letter of the Acting Secretary of the Treasury, dated April 22, 1937, and referred to above, is as follows: Hon. S. O. BLAND, TREASURY Department, Chairman, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, House of Representatives. DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Reference is made to your letter of February 19, 1937. enclosing bill (H. R. 4656, 75th Cong., 1st sess.) to provide for the establishment of a Coast Guard station on the coast of Georgia at or near Tybee Island, and requesting to be furnished the views and recommendations of the Department on the proposed legislation. The above proposal for granting authority to the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a Coast Guard station on the coast of Georgia at or near Tybee Island was made the subject of a most careful study, the following reasons being presented by the Commandant of the Coast Guard in support thereof: The section of the coast to be protected by this proposed station is cut up by rivers and channels, and there are many miles of shoals and flats, especially near the mouth of the Savannah River, which constitute hazards to navigation especially among the many motorboats which frequent these waters. The port of Savannah, immediately outside of which this proposed station would be located, if established, is one of the largest shipping ports of the South, a large amount of ocean and coastwise tonnage passing close by the proposed station location, and great numbers of fishing boats, yachts, and small craft operate in the vicinity. Figures presented to the Coast Guard indicate that 1,007 fishing vessels alone operate in the adjacent waters; that during the past 5 years 31 lives have been lost off the coast in this immediate locality, and that private craft have assisted more than 1,100 persons in distress. There is approximately a distance of 125 miles between the two existing Coast Guard stations in this general coastal region, St. Simon Island Station, Ga., approximately 60 miles to the southward, and Sullivan Island Station, S. C., approximately 65 miles to the northward. A reasonable and wise distribution of Coast Guard stations at strategic points along our coast, together with the need set forth above, are factors which indicate the necessity for this proposed station in order to render efficient Coast Guard protection and service and to give proper attention to maritime law enforcement duties. The establishment of a station at this point is strongly urged by shipping, commercial, and civic interests. In a study made by Coast Guard officers of service needs along this section of the coast, prior to and entirely independent of the present investigation, it was recommended that a Coast Guard station be established in this locality. For the above reasons, this Department recommends the passage of bill H. R 4656. I am advised that the proposed legislation is in accord with the program of th President. Very truly yours, INTERIOR DEPARTMENT APPROPRIATION BILL, FISCAL YEAR 1938 MAY 11, 1937.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. TAYLOR of Colorado, from the Committee on Appropriations, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 6958] The Committee on Appropriations submit the following report in explanation of the accompanying bill making appropriations for the Department of the Interior for the fiscal year 1938. The bill embraces regular annual appropriations for the various branches of the service under the jurisdiction of the Interior Department. In addition to appropriations for operation and maintenance of the several activities coming under this Department, funds for the purpose of carrying forward such public works as are under the supervision of the Department, are also contained in this bill and will be discussed in detail in succeeding paragraphs. A detailed tabulation will be found at the end of this report giving each appropriation in the bill for 1938, the amounts appropriated for the fiscal year 1937, and the Budget estimates for the fiscal year 1938, together with the increase or decrease in appropriations and estimates as compared with the amounts recommended in the bill. APPROPRIATIONS AND ESTIMATES The estimates of regular annual appropriations upon which this bill is based were submitted by the President in the Budget for the fiscal year 1938 and will be found in detail in that document beginning with page 338. The amount of the estimates submitted and considered by the committee in connection with this bill, including supplemental estimates, is $120,612,604.85. Of this amount, $51,966,000 was submitted by the President in the Budget under the general Public Works program and will be found on page 121 of that document. In addition, supplemental Budget estimates for Public Works amounting to $9,365,000, and making a total of $61,331,000 for this purpose, have been considered by the committee in connection with this bill, The total appropriation recommended in this bill is $115,871,264.85, which is $5,773,996.61 less than the 1937 appropriation and $4,741,340 below the estimates submitted in the 1938 Budget. Permanent annual appropriations and trust accounts. The permanent annual appropriations and trust accounts are those which occur automatically each year without annual action by Congress, having been created specifically by Congress in previous years and continuing as such until modified or discontinued. It is estimated. that $23,056,540 will be expended under permanent appropriations during the fiscal year 1937, as compared with an estimated expenditure of $21,319,040 during the fiscal year 1938. Public Works Program. That portion of the General Public Works Program having to do with the Department of the Interior and beginning on page 121 of the Budget as submitted by the President, has been considered by the committee in connection with this bill. The committee has also considered supplemental public-works estimates amounting to $9,365,000, making a total of $61,331,000 for this purpose. The action recommended by the committee in connection with each of these estimates is explained in detail under appropriate heads in this report. A comparative statement of the amounts appropriated during the fiscal year 1937, the Budget estimates for the fiscal year 1938, the Budget estimates for the fiscal year 1938, and the amounts recommended in this bill are set forth below as follows: Comparative statement of amounts appropriated for public works, fiscal year 1937, the Budget estimates for the fiscal year 1938, and the amounts recommended in the accompanying bill for 1938 1 Includes $35.000 for Orland project in H. Doc. 211. Includes $2,000,000 submitted as supplemental estimate in H. Doc. 211. Includes additional estimate of $6.750,000 for Grand Coulee Dam in H. Doc. 237. Decreases in appropriations.—As has been stated above, this bill appropriates a total of $115,871,264.85, which is $5,773,996.61 less than the 1937 appropriation. In order to set forth briefly the reasons for this reduction a list of the major decreases recommended by the committee is given herewith as follows: Increases in appropriations. The decreases under the 1937 appropriation, as set forth in the preceding paragraph, have to a considerable extent been offset by increases recommended in the bill for 1938. A list of these increases is set forth below as follows: Grazing control___. Payment to Confederated Band, Ute Indians_ Support of Indian schools......... Conservation of health, Indians_ Support of Indians. Operation, protection, and maintenance of public buildings. Total... $150, 000 161, 400 517, 130 337, 640 215, 500 1, 161, 380 500,000 4, 241, 500 7,284, 550 Additional activities placed under Interior Department. During hearings on the bill inquiry was made of the Secretary as to the number of new or additional activities which had been established in the Interior Department in recent years. This information has been inserted beginning with page 12 of the printed hearings and is reproduced at this point, for the information of the House, as follows: EMERGENCY ACTIVITIES ESTABLISHED IN THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT 1. Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration. 2. Recreational demonstration projects in national parks. 3. Work camps in national parks. 4. Emergency conservation work in national parks, on Indian reservations, grazing areas, reclamation projects, territories, and island possessions, etc. NEW ACTIVITIES ESTABLISHED IN THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT 1. Division of Grazing, office of the Secretary. 2. Division of Motion Pictures, office of the Secretary. 3. Petroleum Conservation Division, office of the Secretary. 4. Board of Indian Arts and Crafts. 5. National Bituminous Coal Commission. 6. Consumers' Counsel, of the National Bituminous Coal Commission. ACTIVITIES TRANSFERRED TO THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT To the office of the Secretary 1. United States Geographic Board. 2. Administration of Puerto Rico. 3. Bureau of Mines. Separate bureau |