tracts to be entered into for lighting streets with gas or electricity for a period of not exceeding three years.

On amendment No. 145. Fixes the price of lighting streets by electricity at $85 per lamp as proposed by the Senate, instead of $80, as proposed by the House.

On amendments Nos. 213, 214, 215, 216, and 217. Strikes out the appropriations proposed by the Senate for school buildings, as follows:

Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for a normal school building; $25,000 for refitting Franklin School building; $40,000 for repairs of Central High School building; $25,000 for repairs of Business High School building; and $10,000 for ground adjacent to Fillmore School.

On amendments Nos. 218, 219, and 220. Insert appropriations proposed by the Senate for school buildings as follows:"

One hundred thousand dollars for additional ground for extension of McKinley Manual Training School; $95,000 for further extension of McKinley Manual Training School; and $4,000 for purchase of lots adjacent to Petworth School.

On amendment No. 221. Appropriates $60,000, instead of $50,000 as proposed by the House and $100,000 as proposed by the Senate, for additional amount for repairs and improvements to school build ings.

On amendment No. 233. Inserts a provision applicable to vagrants in the District of Columbia.

On amendments Nos. 266 and 267, relating to the fire department. Strikes out the appropriations proposed by the Senate of $55,000 for a new engine company in the vicinity bounded by H and I streets and Eleventh and Thirteenth streets, and $37,000 for a new truck company in the vicinity of Twelfth and H streets, northwest.

On amendment No. 301. Inserts necessary appropriations for the new municipal court established by law enacted at the present session of Congress.

On amendment No. 303. Inserts the provision proposed by the Senate with reference to sites for reformatory and workhouse. On amendment No. 361. Strikes out the appropriation of $50,000 proposed by the Senate for buildings for a school for feeble-minded children.

On amendment No. 372. Strikes out the appropriation of $179,000 proposed by the Senate for the extension of water mains. On amendment No. 382. Inserts, as section 7, the provision proposed by the Senate extending until June 30, 1910, authority to advance out of the general fund of the Treasury of the United States such sums as may be necessary to meet the general expenses of said District as authorized by Congress; and a provision is added thereto requiring that hereafter the estimates for the government of the District of Columbia submitted for any fiscal year shall not exceed in the aggregate a sum equal to twice the amount of the total estimated revenues of the District of Columbia for such fiscal year.

GRANT OF CERTAIN LANDS TO LOS ANGELES, CAL.

FEBRUARY 23, 1909.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House and ordered to be printed.

Mr. SMITH, of California, from the Committee on the Public Lands, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 27457.]

The Committee on the Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 27457) withdrawing from entry and sale and granting unto the city of Los Angeles, in the State of California, certain lands therein described, having had the same under consideration, report it back with the recommendation that it pass as amended.

The city of Los Angeles is engaged in bringing in a new water supply. The conduit is being cement-lined. The clay in the lake bottom is valuable for making cement, and some months ago the city bought a ranch of about 3,000 acres surrounding this lake under the belief that she was securing the lake land. It appearing that she does not have the title, this legislation is sought.

Relative to the status of the title to this land, the Secretary of the Interior submitted the following letter to the chairman of the Committee on Public Lands of the Senate:

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
Washington, February 6, 1909.

SIR: I am in receipt of request from your committee, through its clerk, "for information as to the law and the facts," and for such suggestions as I may see fit to offer," relative to bill S. 8929, entitled "Withdrawing from entry and sale and granting unto the city of Los Angeles, in the State of California, certain lands therein dedescribed," and in response thereto I have the honor to submit the following report. Township 32 S., R. 34 E., M. D. M., in which the land involved is situated, was surveyed in 1854 and again in 1855. In the plat of the first survey appears a "Dry Salt Lake," bounded by meander lines covering land in sections 20, 28, and 29. In the later survey the "Dry Salt Lake," bounded by meander lines, covers only land in sections 28 and 29 and about half an acre in section 33, aggregating, as appears from the plat, 251.11 acres. The land in said sections 29 and 33 is within the granted limits of the Southern Pacific Railroad, but that portion of the "Dry Salt Lake" lying within said sections was excluded from the patents to the railroad company; presumably because it was considered saline or mineral land to which the grant did not attach.

The land in said sections 28, 29, and 33 in said township, which the bill proposes to authorize the city to purchase, which lies outside of said "Dry Salt Lake," has been patented in accordance with the subdivisions found in one or the other of said plats, and it is presumed that said patents include all of the land outside of said lake, and possibly some shown by the later survey to be within it. Yet by reason of the conflicting surveys and the patents issued under one or the other of said surveys, it is possible that some small portion of the land outside of said lake may not be covered by such patents. While there are no adverse claims on file in the General Land Office for lands in said lake, locations may have been filed therefor under the mineral laws. February 12, 1907, said sections were temporarily withdrawn from all forms of disposal pending legislation thereon.

If therefore it is deemed wise to enact legislation by which the city may procure title to all unpatented land in said sections 28, 29, and 33, I suggest the amendment of the bill by striking out all of it after the enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof the inclosed draft of an amendment or one containing similar provisions.

Very respectfully,

Hon. KNUTE NELSON,

JAMES RUDOLPH GARFIELD, Secretary

Chairman Committee on Public Lands, United States Senate.

INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND ARBITRATION.

FEBRUARY 23, 1909.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. HOBSON, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, submitted the

following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 27429.]

The Committee on Naval Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 27429) to promote the cause of international peace and arbitration, having had the same under consideration, report it to the House with the following amendments, and as amended recommend that it do pass:

Strike out in line 5 the words "equal to" and insert "not exceeding," so as to read "a sum not exceeding one-tenth of one per centum." Strike out in line 6 the word "shall" and insert the word " may," and insert after the word "aside" the words "by Congress," so as to read "of the amount authorized for their total cost may be set aside by Congress."

The effect of this bill will be to authorize a small sum to be appropriated in a naval appropriation bill for the cause of peace and arbitration. The maximum amount is carefully limited, and in the average bill could not exceed $20,000 to $30,000.

The committee deems it eminently advisable for Congress formally to express itself upon the principle of our Government's approval and practical assistance in the work of peace and arbitration among the

nations.

In 1894 the Government of Switzerland took such a stand and since then has contributed annually to the International Bureau of Peace at Berne. In 1897 the Government of Norway did the same and has since continued the same practice. In 1902 Sweden followed. Since then other nations have followed.

Last year the British Government voted a thousand pounds ($5,000) for this purpose, placing the amount at the disposal of the InterParliamentary Union. The British Government has also set aside an annual fund, called an entertainment fund, for promoting the exchange of visits between nations in the interest of international amity.

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