States and authorizing the President to invite foreign countries to participate therein. The question of whether or not the Federal Government should create a commission and provide funds for the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington as the first President of the United States would appear to be one solely for the determination of the Congress. From the point of view of our foreign relations, I perceive no objection to inviting foreign governments to take part in a celebration to commemorate the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the first inauguration of George Washington. This report has been submitted to the Acting Director of the Bureau of the Budget, who informs me that this legislation would not be in conflict with the program of the President if it be amended as suggested by the Attorney General. A copy of the Attorney General's letter to the Bureau of the Budget, dated June 14, 1937, is attached herewith. Sincerely yours. CORDELL HULL. Hon. DANIEL W. BELL, JUNE 14, 1937. Acting Director, Bureau of the Budget, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR MR. BELL: I have your request of May 28 for my views relative to House Joint Resolution 366, relating to the observance of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington as President of the United States. I note your inquiry as to the bearing on the proposed resolution of the opinion rendered by me to the President on May 17, 1937, relative to the constitutionality of House Joint Resolution 304, which proposed the creation of a United States New York World's Fair Commission. It is suggested that in order to meet the objections pointed out in that opinion, section 3 of House Joint Resolution 366 be amended to read as follows: "SEC. 3. The Commission shall select a chairman, and the President is authorized to appoint a Director General, who shall not be deemed an officer of the Government. The Director General shall appoint, with the approval of the Commission, such assistants and subordinates as he deems necessary." I understand that such an amendment would be acceptable to the introducer of the resolution. Sincerely yours, HOMER S. CUMMINGS, CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS JUNE 15, 1937.-Ordered to be printed Mr. RAMSPECK, from the committee of conference, submitted the following CONFERENCE REPORT [To accompany H. R. 6551] The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the amendments of the Senate to the bill (H. R. 6551) to create a Civilian Conservation Corps, and for other purposes, having met, after full and free conference, have come to no agreement. WILLIAM P. CONNERY, Jr., MARY T. NORTON, ROBERT RAMSPECK, RICHARD J. WELCH, FRED A. HARTLEY, Jr., Managers on the part of the House. HUGO L. BLACK, ROYAL S. COpeland, DAVID I. WALSH, WM. E. BORAH, ROBERT M. LA FOLLETTE, Jr., Managers on the part of the Senate. STATEMENT OF THE MANAGERS ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE The managers on the part of the House at the conference on the disagreeing votes of the two House on the amendments of the Senate to the bill (H. R. 6551) to create a Civilian Conservation Corps, and for other purposes, have been unable to reach an agreement. 2 WILLIAM P. CONNERY, Jr., ROBERT RAMSPECK, RICHARD J. WELCH, FRED A. HARTLEY, Jr., Managers on the part of the House. о SUSPENSION OF ANNUAL ASSESSMENT WORK ON MINING CLAIMS JUNE 16, 1937.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. SOMERS of New York, from the Committee on Mines and Mining, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 187] The Committee on Mines and Mining, to whom was referred the bill (S. 187) for the suspension of annual assessment work on mining claims, having considered the same, report thereon with a recommendation that it do pass. The Department of the Interior made a report on the bill, which is as follows: OFFICE OF THE Secretary OF THE INTERIOR, Hon. ALVA B. ADAMS, United States Senate. MY DEAR SENATOR ADAMS: I have received your letter of January 16, requesting a report on S. 187, entitled "A bill providing for the suspension of annual assessment work on mining claims held by location in the United States." During the depression it was recognized that the operation of the law requiring annual assessment work on unpatented mining claims might result in undue hardship to claim owners who, through no fault of their own, were unable to comply with this requirement. Beginning with 1932, the Congress has each year enacted legislation suspending the annual assessment work requirement for a period of 1 year. There seems little question of the desirability of such action in the first depression years; but for the reasons stated below, I am of the opinion that the time has arrived, when in the public interest, particularly in the stimulation of mining development and employment in the mining industry, that the exemption from the requirement of annual labor should no longer be continued. The purpose of annual assessment work, as the courts have stated, is to require the holder of a mining claim to give substantial guaranty of his good faith and to discourage the holding of mining claims without development, or intention to develop, to the exclusion of others who might improve such ground if opportunity was afforded. Incidentally, the requirement stimulates the owners to apply for patent and abandon ground they have no means to explore and thus throw it open to relocation and development by others, and militates against the indefinite withdrawal from prospecting of potentially valuable areas of the public domain. For over half a century the requirement has contributed to active exploration and development of the mineral resources of the public domain. It is believed that there would now be a great increase in the search for and discovery of ore, if so much land was not closed to prospecting by owners who are permitted to be inactive by relief from the requirement. Information furnished by the Bureau of Mines is to the effect that the reestablishment of the obligation to perform annual labor in certain districts in Idaho would result in large increases in wages paid and in the employment of labor. It is a fair assumption that this would occur to a greater or less extent in any active mining district in the Western States. The thousands of acres now exempt upon which assessment work would have to be performed would bring into local communities considerable money and restore a means of livelihood to many who have relied upon this means of employment in the past, which would, it is believed, more than counterbalance any hardship to the limited number of claim owners too poor or otherwise unable to do or have the work done. Evidence of improvement in the metal markets since the low point of 1932 is shown in the accompanying tabulations and charts. Mining activity and the search for new deposits have been stimulated by higher prices, fixed by the Government, for domestically mined gold and silver and the more recent improvement in base metal prices. As a result, less difficulty is experienced in financing development of meritorious prospects, and the means to perform the small amount of assessment work required to hold a claim is more readily obtained. While the bill provides that only those claimants not required to pay income taxes are to be granted suspension, a large percentage of unpatented claims are undoubtedly held by individuals or corporations who do not pay income taxes. In some cases a corporation is organized for the purpose of holding the undeveloped claims and, of course, such a corporation will have no income until the claims are developed into paying mines. Also, devices can be resorted to in order to bring a claim actually or ostensibly within the provisions of the bill, so that while such a law is in force no prospector can determine on ground on which no recent work has been done whether or not the claim is subject to relocation. If he goes to the county recorder's office and finds a notice of claim of exemption, he cannot easily determine whether or not the notice is evidence of a legal right to the exemption. For the reasons stated I do not favor the enactment of the proposed bill. In response to a request by this Department, the Bureau of the Budget advised on February 24 that it had no objection to the presentation of this report. Sincerely yours, CHARLES WEST, Acting Secretary of the Interior. Notwithstanding the report of the Department the committee recommends the passage of the bill because the prospectors were not put on notice that the practice of granting moratoriums from year to year would be discontinued. The committee agreed that any further attempt to waive the annual assessment work or payment will not be considered. О |