RIGHT OF WAY ACROSS FORT KEOGH MILITARY RESERVATION, MONT.

JANUARY 26, 1909.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. HULL, of Iowa, from the Committee on Military Affairs, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 24149.]

The Committee on Military Affairs, to whom was referred House bill 24149, having considered the same, report thereon with a recommendation that it do pass, with the following amendment: Add at the end of the bill the following:

SEC. 2. That the right to alter, amend, or repeal this act is hereby expressly reserved. This bill has been referred to the Secretary of War for information and remarks, and is returned with the following indorsement by the Secretary of War:

[First indorsement.]

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, January 21, 1909.

Respectfully returned to the chairman Committee on Military Affairs, House of Representatives, with the information that the War Department has no objection to

the passage of this bill.

RELIEF OF CERTAIN OFFICERS OF THE UNITED STATES SIGNAL CORPS.

JANUARY 26, 1909.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House and ordered to be printed.

Mr. HOWELL, of Utah, from the Committee on Claims, submitted the

following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 2950.]

The Committee on Claims, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 2950) for the relief of certain officers of the United States Signal Corps, having carefully examined the same, beg leave to report as follows: It appears that prior to June, 1878, moneys received for private telegrams sent over United States military telegraph lines were used for the maintenance and repair of such lines. This was changed by the act of June 20, 1878, but through inadvertence the necessary orders were not issued by the War Department, and the former practice was followed for several years thereafter. There is no question whatever as to the moneys being expended in maintaining the lines referred to and the accounts regularly submitted in accordance with the established practice.

The bill validates these expenditures and authorizes proper credit to the oflicers who made such expenditures, provided that said accounts conform in all respects to the rules of the War and Treasury departments governing the disbursements of public moneys.

The bill simply authorized the adjustment of long-standing accounts against these officers for moneys which they disbursed for the benefit of the Government under the direction of the War Department. Your committee recommend the passage of the bill.

The correspondence between the Committee on Claims of the House and War Department concerning the matter, as well as a full history of the claim, is hereto appended and made a part of this report.

WAR DEPARTMENT,

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SIGNAL OFFICER, Washington, February 20, 1908. SIR: Referring to the indorsement of the chairman of the Committee on Claims, House of Representatives, on inclosed copy of H. R. 2950, I have the honor to report that from an examination of the records of this office it is shown that previous to

June, 1878, moneys received for private telegrams sent over United States military telegraph lines were used for the maintenance and repair of such lines. This was changed by the act approved June 20, 1878, but, through inadvertence on the part of some officer or officers in charge of the department to issue the necessary orders and the failure to properly notify them, the officers herein referred to continued the practice of using the funds received for the purpose of maintaining and repairing the lines.

There is no question whatever as to the money being properly expended for the official purpose of maintaining the lines referred to, and the accounts conform in all respects to the rules of the War and Treasury departments governing the disbursements of public moneys.

It is therefore recommended that the bill be passed.

Very respectfully,

The SECRETARY OF WAR.

JAMES ALLEN, Brigadier-General, Chief Signal Officer of the Army.

WAR DEPARTMENT,

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SIGNAL OFFICER,

Washington, December 15, 1908.

SIR: I take the liberty of inviting your attention to H. R. bill 2950, introduced by Mr. Goulden, of New York, on December 2, 1907, and to House of Representatives Document No. 660, Fifty-ninth Congress, first session, which makes report on an identical bill, and which fully explains the measure.

Recently, at the informal instance of the Treasury Department, I wrote General Grimes asking that he give this matter his attention. I received in reply a letter from his wife stating that General Grimes is very ill, suffering from nervous prostration, and totally incapable of attending to any business.

This is a matter which, as you know, has been hanging a long time, and the Treasury and War departments are, of course, anxious that it should be cleared up. From the report referred to, it seems that General Grimes was practically blameless in the matter. If a favorable report is made by the committee, it may be possible that the case could be completed at the present session of Congress. Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAMES ALLEN,

Brigadier General, Chief Signal Officer of the Army. Hon. JAMES M. MILLER, M. C., House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.

[House Document No. 660, Fifty-ninth Congress, first session.]

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY,
Washington, March 26, 1906.

SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith, for the consideration of Congress, copy of a communication of the Secretary of War of the 23d instant, forwarding the papers in the case of Col. George S. Grimes, Artillery Corps, U. S. Army, in the matter of suspensions in his accounts by the accounting officers of the sum of $30,549.49 of moneys received for private telegrams sent over United States military telegraph lines and used to pay the expenses of maintaining said lines in the fiscal years 1881 to 1884, and recommending that authority be granted by Congress to the proper accounting officers to allow the same in the accounts of the said Colonel Grimes. Respectfully,

The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

H. A. TAYLOR,

Acting Secretary.

FORT HAMILTON, N. Y., January 30, 1906. SIR: 1. I have the honor to inclose herewith a copy of letter dated January 22, 1906, and two inclosures, addressed to the Auditor for the War Department, which explain themselves; also a copy of letter from said Auditor, dated January 29, 1906, in reply thereto; this for the purpose of placing the subject-matter before Congress for the necessary relief by that body.

2. The amount involved is $30,549.49.

3. I can add nothing to what I have stated in my letter to the auditor of January 22, 1906.