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INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF ARCHITECTS TO BE HELD IN UNITED STATES IN 1939

JUNE 1, 1937.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. BLOOM, from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, submitted the

following

REPORT

[To accompany S. J. Res. 111]

The Committee on Foreign Affairs, to whom was referred the Senate resolution (S. J. Res. 111) to provide that the United States extend to foreign governments invitations to participate in the International Congress of Architects to be held in the United States during the calendar year 1939, and to authorize an appropriation to assist in meeting the expenses of the session, having considered the same, submit the following report thereon with the recommendation that it do pass.

The facts in support of the resolution are contained in the following report, as follows:

[S. Rept. No. 587, 75th Cong., 1st sess.]

An identical resolution (S. J. Res. 109), together with this resolution (S. J. Res. 111), was referred to the State Department for its consideration, and for the information of the Senate there are included in this report copies of communications from the Secretary of State on this subject, as follows:

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
Washington, April 8, 1937.

MY DEAR SENATOR PITTMAN: The receipt is acknowledged of your letter dated March 27, 1937, requesting a report on Senate Joint Resolution 111, "To provide that the United States extend to foreign governments invitations to participate in the International Congress of Architects to be held in the United States during the calendar year 1939, and to authorize an appropriation to assist in meeting the expenses of the session."

On March 22, 1937, you forwarded to this Department for report Senate Joint Resolution 109, the provisions of which are identical with Senate Joint Resolution 111.

A report has been prepared on Senate Joint Resolution 109, and in conformity with the direction of the President was forwarded, on March 31, 1937, to the Bureau of the Budget for its consideration prior to its transmission to you. A definite reply will be made as soon as possible.

Since the provisions of these two bills are identical, it is assumed that the abovementioned report will be sufficient to cover both bills.

Sincerely yours,

CORDELL HULL.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
Washington, May 12, 1937.

MY DEAR SENATOR PITTMAN: The receipt is acknowledged of your letter of March 22, 1937, requesting a report on Senate Joint Resolution 109, to provide that the United States extend to foreign governments invitations to participate in the International Congress of Architects to be held in the United States during the calendar year 1939, and to authorize an appropriation to assist in meeting the expenses of the session.

The records of the Department show that there have been 13 previous international congresses of architects, held at intervals of from 3 to 5 years, in various European cities. At the last Congress, which was held in Rome in 1935, 36 countries, including the United States, were officially represented.

The Secretary of the Treasury, the Federal Housing Administration, the Federal Emergency Administrator of Public Works, and the Commission of Fine Arts have unanimously recommended to me that invitations be extended for the next International Congress of Architects to be held in the United States. They are of the opinion that the holding of this Congress in the United States would not only afford an opportunity to return the hospitality enjoyed by American architects at the 13 previous congresses, but that in addition this country would derive material benefits therefrom. In view of the progress made in this country in all branches of building construction and the superior fittings and fixtures manufactured here, I believe that a congress of the type contemplated would be of value to American manufacturers and exporters.

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The Congress will afford an opportunity for foreign participants to see the progress and development of American architecture, which is one of the outstanding contributions which Americans have made in the world of art. over, meetings of this nature are in line with this Government's general policy to take its part in all worthy international cooperative endeavor of a nonpolitical character. In my opinion the amount of money requested to cover the expense of holding the Congress in this country is reasonable and adequate.

The American Group of the International Institute of Architects and the American Institute of Architects, under whose auspices the Congress will be held. are responsible and representative organizations and, I am confident, could be relied upon in their conduct of the Congress to contribute toward a better understanding between the countries represented therein.

This report has been submitted to the Acting Director of the Bureau of the Budget, who informs me that it is in harmony with the President's program.

Sincerely yours,

О

CORDELL HULL.

CERTAIN

UNITED

STATES COMMISSIONERS

TO TRY PETTY OFFENSES COMMITTED ON FEDERAL RESERVATIONS

JUNE 1, 1937.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. CREAL, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. R. 4011]

The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 4011) to confer jurisdiction upon certain United States commissioners to try petty offenses committed on Federal reservations, after consideration, report the same favorably to the House with amendments with the recommendation that as so amended the bill do pass.

The committee amendments are as follows:

Page 2, line 6, after the period, insert the following new sentence:

The commissioner before whom the defendant is arraigned shall apprise the defendant of his right to make such election and shall not proceed to try the case unless the defendant, after being so apprised, signs a written consent to be tried before the commissioner.

At the end of the bill insert a new and additional section as follows:

SEC. 5. The provisions of this Act shall not apply to the District of Columbia. This proposed legislation is remedial in its nature. It gives a defendant charged with a petty offense committed on a Federal reservation, who would otherwise have to stand trial in a United States. district court, the privilege of electing instead to be tried by a specially designated United States commissioner. The bill is recommended by the Attorney General, whose communication addressed to the Speaker with respect thereto appears at the end of this report.

PROVISIONS OF BILL

The bill is carefully guarded in its original wording and further guarded by the committee amendments.

Before any commissioner is invested with the jurisdiction conferred by the bill he must be specially designated for that purpose by the judge of the court by which he was appointed commissioner. The commissioner is, of course, always subject to the control of the court which appoints him.

The jurisdiction conferred by the bill is to try and sentence persons charged with petty offenses against the law, or rules and regulations made in pursuance of the law, committed in any place over which the Congress has exclusive power to legislation and within the judicial district for which the commissioner was appointed.

A "petty offense" under the terms of the bill is an offense for which the penalty does not exceed confinement in a common jail, without hard labor, for a period of 6 months, or a fine of not more than $500, or both (sec. 335 Criminal Code, U. S. C., title 18, sec. 541). Examples are violation of speed laws, fishing laws, disorderly conduct, defacing property, etc.

The probation laws are made applicable to persons tried by commissioners.

Before the commissioner proceeds to try the case, by the terms of the committee amendment, he must advise the defendant of his right to be tried in the district court, and the defendant must sign a written consent to be tried by the commissioner.

An appeal from a conviction by the commissioner may be taken to the district court. The Supreme Court is authorized to prescribe rules of procedure and practice for the trial of cases before commissioners and for taking and hearing of appeals to the district courts.

The commissioner is permitted to receive for his services rendered under this bill such fees, and only such fees, as are provided for like or similar services in other cases under existing law.

NEED FOR LEGISLATION

Violations of law of any grade committed on Federal reservations have to be prosecuted in Federal courts. The result is that "policecourt cases" burden the United States district courts within which these areas exist. Besides the tax on the time of the judge, there may be injustice to the defendant. Often the nearest place court is held is many miles distant from the place the arrest is made. It may be months before a session of court is held. Thus, if a motorist touring the country should be arrested for a traffic violation on a Federal reservation, he might be required to post a bond, then make another trip from his home across country 6 months later to stand trial. Under the provisions of this bill the motorist could elect to stand trial immediately before the commissioner in the vicinity of the reservation.

The committee is advised by the Attorney General that enactment of this bill would result in a saving to the Government in that unnecessary expenses which are incurred under present procedure could be avoided.

The situation as it exists in one district, the eastern district of Virginia, is forcefully illustrated in the following excerpt from a

memorandum to the Attorney General from the United States attorney for that district. It is worthy of note that 28 separate reservations within this one district are listed wherein the provisions of this bill would be applicable.

By reason of conditions existing within this District, the proposed legislation is of particular interest to this office and I am taking the liberty of writing to outline as briefly as may be practicable the situation in this District which may be affected by the enactment of such statute, with the hope that it may be of interest to the Department.

There are located within the eastern district of Virginia a considerable number of reservations over which the Federal courts have jurisdiction. In addition to the various post offices, customhouses, and Coast Guard stations, the following reservations are located within the district:

Fort Myer, Arlington County.

Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County.

Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Fairfax County.
Fort Belvoir, Fairfax County.

District of Columbia Workhouse and Jail, Occoquan.

Lorton Reformatory, Lorton.

Marine Barracks, Quantico.

Chapawamsic project (Resettlement Administration), Prince William County. Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial, Spotsylvania County.

Demonstration Recreational Project (Resettlement Administration), Chesterfield County.

National cemetery, Seven Pines.

Fish cultural station, Charles City County.

Petersburg National Military Park, Prince George County.

Federal Reformatory Camp, Camp Lee.

Colonial National Monument, Yorktown.

Naval mine depot, Yorktown.

National cemetery, Yorktown.

Camp Fort Eustis, Warwick County.

Veterans' Administration facility, Kecoughtan.

Langley Field, Elizabeth City County.

National cemetery, Phoebus.

Fort Monroe, Old Point.

Nansemond Ordnance Depot, Pig Point.

Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth.

Fort McHenry, Norfolk.

Army base, Norfolk.

Naval operating base, Norfolk.

Fort Story, Cape Henry.

Without undertaking to discuss at this time questions involving jurisdiction over some of the reservations mentioned by reason of the present Virginia statutes, I desire to call to the especial attention of the Department cases involving traffic violations on the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, the marine barracks at Quantico, and the Colonial National Monument extending from Jamestown to Yorktown. The present method of disposing of such violations on the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway has been the subject of considerable correspondence and numerous conferences between representatives of the Department of Justice, the court, and this office, and the situation is more acute respecting such cases than anywhere else in the District, although a highway is being constructed across the Colonial National Monument and I anticipate that a similar situation will arise there. In this connection the attention of the Department is also invited to the Skyline Drive traversing the Shenandoah National Park, which is within the boundaries of the western district of Virginia and in which I assume cases involving traffic violations will inevitably grise.

To a lesser extent questions involving traffic regulations arise from time to time on some of the other reservations.

In addition to traffic violations, under the provisions of title 18, section 468, United States Code, the Federal court is given jurisdiction to dispose of cases involving offenses against certain State statutes effective upon reservations and all cases involving theft of property owned by the Government are disposed of in the Federal court, whether such property is located upon reservations or elsewhere.

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