PROVIDING FOR EXCHANGE BETWEEN UNITED STATES AND UNION TERMINAL CO. OF CERTAIN PROPERTIES IN CONNECTION WITH THE PARCEL-POST BUILDING SITE AT DALLAS, TEX.

May 12, 1937.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. LANHAM, from the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. R. 6910]

The Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 6910) to provide for the exchange between the United States and the Union Terminal Co. of certain properties in connection with the parcel-post building site at Dallas, Tex., having considered same, report favorably thereon with the recommendation that the bill do pass without amendment.

The bill was introduced at the request of the Treasury Department, pursuant to the following letter to the Hon. William B. Bankhead, Speaker of the House of Representatives:

Hon. WILLIAM B. BANKHEAD,

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, Washington, D. C., May 4, 1937.

MY DEAR MR. SPEAKER: There is transmitted herewith a proposed bill to provide for the exchange between the United States and the Union Terminal Co. of certain properties in connection with the parcel-post building site at Dallas, Tex. The United States has already acquired title to an entire block in that city, bounded on the north by Commerce Street, on the east by Houston Street, on the south by Jackson Street, and on the west by Broadway Street, as a site for the Dallas parcel-post building. Both sides of Jackson Street on the southerly side of the site and Broadway Street on the westerly side have now been vacated and one-half of the width of each of these streets now forms a part of the site.

It is considered to be to the best interests of the United States to acquire title to certain portions of the other half of such vacated street areas, now vested in the Union Terminal Co., for the purpose of increasing the driveway space adjacent to the Federal building.

The Terminal Co. has indicated to this Department that it is agreeable to convey to the United States certain portions of these vacated street areas in exchange for a part of the vacated area now owned by the United States which the Terminal Co. wishes to devote entirely to railroad purposes. The board of directors of that company has already approved a draft of this proposed bill,

This bill would authorize the Secretary of the Treasury, in his discretion, to convey by the usual quit claim deed to the Union Terminal Co., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Texas, upon such terms and conditions as he may deem to be to the best interests of the United States, a described piece or parcel of land forming a part of the Dallas, Tex., parcel-post site in exchange for two described parcels of land in Dallas, Tex., when a valid title to the last described two parcels of land has become vested in the United States and has been approved by the Attorney General.

A similar bill has been transmitted to the chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds.

The proposed legislation is in accord with the program of the President.

Very truly yours,

WAYNE C. TAYLOR, Acting Secretary of the Treasury.

AMERICAN LEGION MUSEUM, NEWPORT NEWS, VA.

MAY 12, 1937.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. HILL of Alabama, from the Committee on Military Affairs, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. R. 4809]

The Committee on Military Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 4809) to authorize the Works Progress Administration to lend or give World War relics and other property at Fort Eustis, Va., to the American Legion Museum at Newport News, Va., having had the same under consideration, report it back to the House with amendments and, as so amended, recommend that the bill do pass.

AMENDMENTS

(1) Page 1, lines 4 and 5, strike out the following: "and by and with the consent of the President of the United States,".

(2) Page 1, line 8, strike out the following: "of similar or dissimilar character,".

(3) Page 1, line 9, strike out the word "and" and insert in lieu thereof the following: "which is of a character appropriate for display in a museum and which is".

(4) Page 2, line 2, following the period after the word "Virginia" insert the following:

The Administrator of the Works Progress Administration shall furnish to the Director of Procurement a list of all property lent by him pursuant to the provisions hereof. The Director of Procurement shall have custody of any such property which may hereafter be returned by the American Legion Museum, with authority to deal therewith as in the case of other surplus personal property in his custody.

EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS

These amendments are all suggested in the letter dated April 1, 1937, from the Acting Secretary of the Treasury to Mr. Charles H. Fullaway, Administrative Assistant, Bureau of the Budget, a copy of which is submitted below.

(1) Amendment no. 1 is recommended as it is felt that the subject matter is too inconsequential to justify the President's attention.

(2) and (3) Amendments nos. 2 and 3 are made to limit the type of property to such as may be suitable for museum purposes.

(4) Amendment no. 4 is suggested as it is felt that a record of the property loaned should be maintained in a permanent agency of the Government.

Under date of April 30, 1937, the Secretary of War submitted to the chairman of your committee a report adopting the amendments proposed in the letter of the Acting Secretary of the Treasury to the Administrative Assistant of the Bureau of the Budget and stated that the Bureau of the Budget reported that there would be no objection to submission to the Congress of a favorable report but suggested the propriety of embodying in this report the view of the Treasury Department expressed to the Bureau of the Budget in the letter of April 1, above referred to and submitted below.

The Secretary of War reported that the War Department interposed no objection to the enactment of the legislation if amended as proposed by the Treasury Department. Those amendments are recommended with this report.

The Secretary of War in his letter of April 30, 1937, shows that an amendment had been suggested authorizing the Director of Procurement, Treasury Department, to lend or give the property in question, but that the Secretary of War withdrew this suggestion, and accepted the views of the Treasury Department that this loan or gift should be made by the Administrator of Works Progress Administration. The reason for the acceptance of these views of the Treasury Department appears in the letter above referred to from the Acting Secretary of the Treasury to the Administrative Assistant of the Budget which is submitted below: That letter states:

In view of the fact that the Director of Procurement has heretofore transferred such property to the control of the Works Progress Administration, the amendment of the bill suggested by the Secretary of War does not seem appropriate.

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of the bill is to authorize the loan or gift to the American Legion Muscum at Newport News, Va., of World War relics, museum pieces, quartermaster material, surgical or medical equipment, or other material now located at Fort Eustis, Va., which is of a character appropriate for display in a museum and which is no longer required for Government use as determined by the Director of Procure

ment.

Newport News, Va., in the World War, was a port of embarkation and debarkation. Large numbers of men and large quantities of materials and supplies were shipped overseas from Newport News and the Hampton Roads area. After the armistice many soldiers returned to the United States through this port. There were maintained at Newport News several camps and many war activities.

The American Legion Museum at Newport News has been established under the auspices of the Department of Virginia of the American Legion. The museum has made a valuable collection of guns, and other World War and pre-war materials, equipment, and supplies. The property in question has little, if any, intrinsic value, and has little, if any, sales value. The officials in charge of the museum are of

the opinion that the property will prove a valuable addition to the other collections of the museum. The property available for loan or gift under the authority of this bill, as shown on a list filed with your committee, consists of three airplane propellers, one ambulance cot, two projectile-locating outfits (incomplete), one field-operating outfit, one genito-urinary case, one eye-operating case, one F. W. D. truck 0092, one Liberty truck 52, one ambulance 126, one tent stove, one spark arrestor, one boat control, two meat saws, two long-handle forks, two short-handle forks, two scales, two water bags, two bedbug powder blowers, two gas masks, and two clip carriers.

The bill authorizes the loan or gift of property which is of a character appropriate for display in a museum, and which is determined by the Director of Procurement to be no longer required for the Government. The Government is to be at no expense in connection with such loan or gift, and the loan or gift shall be made subject to such rules and regulations as the Administrator of Public Works shall prescribe.

The letter dated April 1, 1937, from the Acting Secretary of the Treasury to the Administrative Assistant of the Bureau of the Budget, and the letter dated April 30, 1937, from the Secretary of War to the chairman of your committee, are as follows:

Mr. CHARLES H. FULLAWAY,

Administrative Assistant, Bureau of the Budget.

APRIL 1, 1937.

SIR: Reference is made to your letter of March 15, 1937, enclosing a copy of the proposed report of the Secretary of War concerning bill H. R. 4809, a bill "To authorize the Works Progress Administration to lend or give World War relics and other property at Fort Eustis, Va., to the American Legion Museum at Newport News, Va.'

In view of the fact that the Director of Procurement has heretofore transferred such property to the control of the Works Progress Administration, the amendment of the bill suggested by the Secretary of War does not seem appropriate.

This Department has no objection to the enactment of the bill, but suggests the following amendments:

(1) That the phrase, appearing in lines 4 and 5 on page 1, "and by and with the consent of the President of the United States," be omitted, as it is felt that the subject matter is too inconsequential to justify the President's attention.

(2) That the phrase appearing in line 8, "of similar or dissimilar character," be deleted, and that after "Virginia," in line 9, the word "and" be deleted and there be added "which is of a character appropriate for display in a museum, and which is". This change is suggested as it seems desirable to limit the type of property to such as may be suitable for museum purposes.

(3) That there be added, after the first sentence of the bill, "The Administrator of the Works Progress Administration shall furnish to the Director of Procurement a list of all property lent by him pursuant to the provisions hereof. The Director of Procurement shall have custody of any such property which may hereafter be returned by the American Legion Museum, with authority to deal therewith as in the case of other surplus personal property in his custody." This amendment is suggested as it is felt that a record of the property loaned should be maintained in a permanent agency of the Government.

Very truly yours,

Hon. LISTER HILL,

(Signed) WAYNE C. TAYLOR, Acting Secretary of the Treasury.

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, D. C., April 30, 1937.

Chairman, Committee on Military Affairs,

House of Representatives.

DEAR MR. HILL: Careful consideration has been given to bill H. R. 4809, Seventy-fifth Congress, first session, which you transmitted to the War Department under date of February 17, 1937, with request for a report. This bill is