or attorney for prosecuting any claim against the United States, or aids or assists in the prosecution or support of any such claim otherwise than in the proper discharge of his official duties, or receives any gratuity, or any share of or interest in any such claim in consideration of assistance in the prosecution of such claim, shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

Retired officers of the armed forces of the United States, while noi on active duty, shall not by reason of their status as such be subject to the provisions of this section. Nothing herein shall be construed to allow any such retired officer within two years next after his retirement to act as agent or attorney for prosecuting or assisting in the prosecution of any claim against the United States involving the department in whose service he holds a retired status, or to allow any such retired officer to act as agent or attorney for prosecuting or assisting in the prosecution of any claim against the United States involving any subject matter with which he was directly connected while he was in an active-duty status.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA NURSERIES FOR THE DAY CARE OF CHILDREN

JUNE 20, 1949.-Ordered to be printed

Mr. ABERNETHY, from the committee of conference, submitted the following

CONFERENCE REPORT

(To accompany H. R. 3967

The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the amendment of the Senate to the bill (H. R. 3967) to continue a system of nurseries and nursery schools for the day care of school age and under-school-age children in the District of Columbia through June 30, 1950, having met, after full and free conference, have agreed to recommend and do recommend to their respective Houses as follows:

That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the Senate and agree to the same with an amendment as follows: In lieu of the matter proposed to be inserted by the Senate amendment insert the following: $100,000; and the Senate agree to the same.

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 Houses on the amendment of the Senate to the bill (H. R. 3967) to continue a system of nurseries and nursery schools for the day care of school-age and under-school-age children in the District of Columbia through June 30, 1950, submit the following statement in explanation of the effect of the action agreed upon by the conferees and recommended in the accompanying conference report:

Section 3 of the House bill amended section 4 of the act of July 16, 1946, entitled "An act to authorize and direct the Board of Public Welfare of the District of Columbia to establish and operate in the public schools and other suitable locations a system of nurseries and nursery schools for day care of school-age and under-school-age children, and for other purposes," so as to authorize the appropriation of not exceeding $50,000 to carry out the purposes of such act of July 16, 1946, as amended, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1950. The Senate amendment raised the limit on the amount authorized to be so appropriated from $50,000 to $150,000. The House recedes with an amendment which places the limit on the amount authorized to be so appropriated at $100,000.

T. G. ABERNETHY,

WALTER K. GRANGER,

A. L. MILLER,

Managers on the Part of the House.

O

1st Session

No. 848

AUTHORIZING THE ERECTION AND OPERATION OF A MUSEUM AT KLUKWAN, ALASKA

JUNE 20, 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. 2012)

The Committee on Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 2012) to authorize the erection and operation of a museum at Klukwan, Alaska, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the bill do pass. The amendments are as follows:

Page 2, line 3, strike out the period, insert in lieu thereof a semicolon, and add the following:

Provided further, That should Alaska become a State, the Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorized and directed to transfer said museum. including the site and its contents, to the State of Alaska.

Page 2, line 6, delete the figures "$200,000", insert in lieu thereof "$150,000".

EXPLANATION OF THE BILL

The purpose of this bill is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to erect and operate a museum at the town of Klukwan, in southeastern Alaska, to house the valuable collection of Indian relics owned by the native residents.

This collection is described by authorities as "priceless" and is the only one of its kind in Alaska. It includes head dresses, treasure chests, totem poles, ceremonial regalia, brass guns and cannons, and shaman paraphernalia, which if lost or destroyed could never be replaced Its artistic and archeological value is incalculable.

The collection now is housed in frame buildings and might be destroyed by fire at any time. H. R. 2012 authorizes an expenditure of $200,000 for the construction of a fire-resistant museum and vault. an adjacent wooden store building, and quarters for a curator.

The Klukwan natives cannot finance fireproof buildings in which to store their possessions and are agreeable to the Federal Government's erecting and operating a museum to house the collection. The natives, of course, would require access to some of the objects for use in their annual ceremonials. They have refused to sell their collection and will not let it be taken to another section of Alaska.

Klukwan is on the Haines Highway which connects with the Alaska Highway. It is about 130 miles from Juneau. The collection already has become a tourist attraction and if assembled and in better housing would draw many more visitors, thus aiding the economy of the Indian people. This would mean a regular source of income to the natives of Klukwan. At the store in connection with the museum. the natives would sell their handicraft.

The committee has amended the bill in order to insure the transfer of the museum site and its contents to the State of Alaska after Alaska becomes a State.

Following is the favorable report of the Department of the Interior: DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Washington, March 7, 1949.

Hon. ANDREW L. SOMERS,

Chairman, Committee on Public Lands,

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.

MY DEAR MR. SOMERS: Reference is made to your request of February 2 for a report on H. R. 2012, a bill to authorize the erection and operation of a museum at Klukwan, Alaska.

For the reasons set forth below I recommend that H. R. 2012 be enacted.

The bill would authorize the erection and operation of a museum at Klukwan, Alaska, to be under the administration of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, for the preservation and display of relics of Alaska native ceremonial life, and provides $200,000 for the construction of a suitable building and for the purchase and installation of equipment and exhibits.

Klukwan is a small Tlingit Indian village near the head of navigation of the inland passage in southeastern Alaska. It is located on a road built during the war which promises to be a popular tourist route for persons interested in touring Alaska by automobile.

The natives of Klukwan preserve more completely than any other Indian group of southeastern Alaska the costumes, wood carvings, and metal artifacts which played an important part in the Indian ceremonials of the area The natives of this area and of other southeastern villages have expressed a willingness to deposit the priceless collection now held at Klukwan and other collections of artistic and archaeological value if the Government will construct a fireproof vault and museum building for the protection and display of these materials. No similar collection exists anywhere in the world today.

The structure contemplated in this bill is a fire-resistant museum building and storage vault attached to a workroom and salesroom where the natives can make and sell their handicrafts. It is planned that the salesroom, workroom, and cottage for the curator be of frame construction while the museum and storeroom be of fire-resistant construction to insure the protection of the materials. The estimated cost of these facilities is as follows:

It has been made clear on numerous occasions that the natives have no intention of selling their material to museums or of allowing it to be removed from the general area at least for a generation. In the meantime there is the constant danger that the entire collection may be destroyed by fire in the wood frame community houses where it is now kept. It is believed that there are many advantages to be served by the proposal.