tion of copper and molybdenum. It was active in a number of occasions in making known fraudulent schemes devised by unscrupulous promoters to sell stock on the basis of false assays and salted samples. As early as 1925, it applied electrostatic methods to mineral separation problems. Initial work on the production of electrolytic manganese, now produced commercially, was done at this station. A mill of the Nevada-Massachusetts Co. for the production of tungsten concentrates was designed on the basis of a flow sheet worked out in a cooperative research. The station has always been interested in the recovery of gold and silver from the mines of California, Nevada, and other States and currently is developing methods for the treatment of the refractory arsenical gold ores. Improvement in extraction and recovery of precious metals is frequently tied to the recovery of critical base metals, facilitating increased production of the latter when improved recovery of precious metals permits treatment of otherwise unprofitable marginal ores.

The metallurgical personnel (currently as a staff of 10) might well expand to twice its present limited size particularly for investigation in cooperation with the Mining Division of the ores in the California-Nevada area.

In the period since 1939, about 40 mineral exploration and development projects have been carried out in Nevada, and the same number in California. The purpose of their work before and during the war was to indicate reserves of mineral materials available for the war program. Since the war, under authorization of the Stock Piling Act (sec. 7a), work has continued with a view to developing "reserves in place" for future needs and with emphasis on large marginal and submarginal ore deposits

In reviewing the mineral development program of that period a number of successful projects stand out, including: Almost a half million tons of submarginal antimony ore in one California deposit; a half dozen small chromite deposits in California that were worked during the war and in the aggregate made a significant output; a large iron deposit in southern California that was partly developed by the Bureau of Mines, now a major source of ore for the blast furnaces at Fontana; a substantial tonnage of rich lead-zinc ore in Nevada, upon whose development, a private company now is spending very large sums; a low-grade zinc-lead deposit, also in Nevada, believed to contain nearly a million tons; one of the few significant manganese deposits in the United States, near Las Vegas, Nev.; two mercury mines in California where Bureau of Mines drilling enabled production to continue during the war period; one tungsten project in California and two in Nevada which contributed materially to the wartime output of certain tungsten mines, and a third in Nevada which indicated very large low-grade reserves.

It is believed that this program should continue, and although the commodity emphasis may change somewhat from year to year, it is reasonably certain that the area served by the Reno headquarters would continue to be an active one. because of the variety of strategic critical and essential minerals that occur in it. At this time, a half dozen mining engineers are headquartered at Reno and at San Francisco in connection with the mineral development program, together with a few clerical and administrative employees, draftsmen, and so on.

In this work close contact with the staff of the Metallurgical Division is important both in planning and carrying on Mining Division operations. A great deal of more or less routine analytical service and ore testing is to be done, but beyond that advice and frequent consultation on metallurgical problems are necessary if projects are to be selected wisely and the results correctly interpreted Various prewar Mining Division activities have now been resumed, including the study of mining methods and costs and investigations of major mining districts. A new activity is a county-by-county survey of the mineral industry, designed to collect, catalog, and make readily available the principal data on all phases of that industry, commodity by commodity and county by county, including exact location, nature of deposits, operation, production, disposition. names, literature and report reference, and so on. These are long-range programs and will, subject to continued congressional approval and appropriation, occupy from two or three to as many as a half dozen mer in the NevadaCalifornia area.

On the basis of past experience, including 80 projects and hundreds of examinations, Reno is better situated than any other city in the two States to serve the combined area. It is not only central, but is served by railroads. air lines, and a system of first-class highways extending in all directions

The inadequacy of present space provision at Reno for Bureau work is not unique. A similar situation exists in the San Francisco Bay area where representatives of the Bureau's five divisions (Mining, Metallurgical, Fuels and

Explosives, Health and Safety, and Economics) (comprising in all a staff of about 28), are housed in different locations, four of which are in quarters where high rents must be paid. The necessity for Bureau of Mines representation in the bay area is recognized, but it is believed that it also can be adequately served from Reno. It is planned, if space is provided in a Reno building, to house much of the present personnel located in the San Francisco area but leaving a skilled but skeleton force in that area to conduct Bureau business requiring persona) contacts and other on-the-spot representation.

In general consideration, the foreseeable space requirements for the several Divisions of the Bureau of Mines can be met through the construction of a buildThis sum should provide for a brick ing having an estimated cost of $750.000. structure of about 33,000 square feet. Included in the cost estimate is $35,000 for architectural services, $60,000 for installation of air-conditioning, and $200,000 for equipping the building, including direct-current generators, electric panels and conduits, steam, heating, compressed air, scientific-laboratory apparatus. office equipment, landscaping, and allied requirements.

The $250,000 annual maintenance, equipment, and salary items will provide $50,000 for general maintenance such as salaries, repairs, service contracts, and supplies; $50,000 for laboratory and office supplies and equipment; $125,000 for salaries of scientific, clerical, and other personnel; and includes $25,000 for administrative services (Washington, D. C.).

Cordially yours,

THOS. H. MILLER, Acting Director.

On April 15, 1949, the Department advised the committee that the Bureau of the Budget had written the Secretary of the Interior as follows:

It would appear that any authorized expansion of the program relating to rare and precious metals can be accomplished by the use of plant facilities located at points other than at Reno, Nev.

Accordingly, you are advised that the enactment of H. R. 2386 would not be in accord with the program of the President.

In view of the Budget Bureau's foregoing statement, the Committee on Public Lands subjected this legislation to careful and detailed study. The committee finds that the Reno station is, because of its location, particularly well qualified to serve the States of California and Nevada; that transfer to the Boulder City station would necessitate the construction of additional housing in Boulder City; and that the facilities at other western stations are not the kind needed for the experimental work conducted at Reno.

Enactment of H. R. 2386 is unanimously recommended by the Committee on Public Lands.

PROVIDING FOR DISPOSITION OF LANDS ON THE CABAZON, AUGUSTINE, AND TORRES-MARTINEZ INDIAN RESERVATIONS IN CALIFORNIA

JUNE 14, 1949.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. MORRIS, from the Committee on Public Lands, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. R. 4584]

The Committee on Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 4584) to provide for disposition of lands on the Cabazon, Augustine, and Torres-Martinez Indian Reservations in California, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the bill as amended do pass.

The amendments are as follows:

Page 2, line 24: Following the word "authorized" insert the words "and directed".

Page 3, line 3: Following the word "reservation" insert a period (.), and strike out the remaining part of the sentence appearing in lines 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Insert in lieu thereof the following:

All wells located on any of the lands included in the said water district shall, together with the well sites, become the property of the owners of the surrounding lands, but none of such wells shall be operated for irrigation purposes so long as the lands on which they are located remain a part of said water district.

Page 7, line 19: Strike out the word "clerk" and insert in lieu thereof the word "recorder".

EXPLANATION OF THE BILL

The purpose of this bill is to bring into the Coachella Valley county water district, California, approximately 11,000 acres of irrigable lands in Indian trust ownership. This acreage, now idle, thus would be made productive and promote the welfare of the Cabazon, Augustine, and Torres-Martinez Indians.

The Coachella Valley county water district, which was organized under the laws of the State of California, will bring water to the rich lands of the Coachella Valley. The irrigation facilities, including the distribution system, now are almost completed.

The irrigable lands of the Cabazon, Augustine, and Torres-Martinez Reservations lie within the exterior boundaries of the Coachella Valley county water district. Only 320 acres of these 11,000 acres of Indian lands are under constructed irrigation facilities. H. R. 4584 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to designate the irrigable Indian lands to be included in the district and to enter into an appropriate contract with the district for the construction of additional distribution works required to serve the Indian land.

Under the contractual arrangement proposed, the Federal Government would become obligated to pay to the Coachella Valley county water district the construction, operation, and maintenance costs assessed against the Indian lands. This obligation would be met by reimbursable appropriations made annually by the Congress, and reimbursement to the United States would be accomplished by depositing in the Treasury the amounts assessed against the Indian lands as and when such amounts are collected from the users of the lands.

The bill also authorizes the cancellation of old charges incurred in drilling water wells on some of the Indian lands. These wells produce little or no water and the pumping facilities have deteriorated to the point that they are practically useless.

The Secretary of the Interior would be authorized to issue patents in fee to any adult Indian owning allotted land who is judged competent of conducting his affairs without Government assistance; to determine what lands are potentially irrigable from sources other than the Coachella Valley county water district; to prepare membership rolls of the Torres-Martinez, Augustine, and Cabazon Indians and allot a maximum of 40 acres of irrigable land to each enrolled member; to permit the exchange of nonproductive trust allotted land for irrigable land; and to sell any restricted lands of deceased allottees upon application of the heirs.

Minor clarifying amendments have been adopted by the committee. The enactment of this bill is recommended by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of Interior; the Member of Congress from the district affected; and the Coachella Valley county water district. A like bill passed the Indian Affairs Subcommittee, the House Public Lands Committee, the House of Representatives, and the Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, each time by unanimous vote, in the Eightieth Congress, and was on the Senate Calendar when the session adjourned.

Pertinent comments from the favorable report of the Department of Interior are set forth below and further explain the purpose of the bill: I recommend the enactment of the bill, if amended as hereinafter suggested. The irrigable lands of the Indians of the Cabazon, Augustine, and TorresMartinez Reservations are located within the exterior boundaries of the Coachella Valley county water district, a county water district created, organized, and existing under the laws of the State of California. It is estimated that there are approximately 11,000 acres of irrigable or potentially irrigable agricultural lands in Indian trust ownership in the Coachella Valley. Some 320 acres only of these lands are under constructed irrigation facilities. The construction of the Coachella canal, with sufficient capacity to serve the irrigable Indian lands, has been com