1st Session No. 877 PROVIDING FOR THE PAYMENT OF CERTAIN SWISS CLAIMS JUNE 22, 1949.-Ordered to be printed Mr. RICHARDS, from the committee of conference, submitted the following CONFERENCE REPORT To accompany H. R. 4392] The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the amendments of the Senate to the bill (H. R. 4392) to provide for the payment of compensation to the Swiss Government for losses and damages on Swiss territory during World War II by United States armed forces in violation of neutral rights, and authorizing appropriations therefor, having met, after full and free conference, have agreed to recommend and do recommend to their respective Houses as follows: That the Senate recede from its amendment to the text and its amendment to the title. JOHN KEE, JAS. P. RICHARDS, JOHN M. VORYS, Managers on the Part of the House. CLAUDE PEPPER, THEODORE FRANCIS GREEN, H. C. LODGE, 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 Houses on the amendments of the Senate to the bill (H. R. 4392) to provide for the payment of compensation to the Swiss Government for losses and damages inflicted on Swiss territory during World War II by United States armed forces in violation of neutral rights, and authorizing appropriations therefor, submit the following statement in explanation of the effect of the action agreed upon by the conferees and recommended in the accompanying conference report: The substantial differences between the House version and the Senate version of the bill pertain to the amount to be authorized and the scope of the settlement. The House version sets the amount at not to exceed $16,000,000. The Senate version sets the amount at $10,607,000. The intention behind the House version is that the legislation should authorize an amount sufficiently large to pay for the principal on all claims now agreed to, plus all possible further relevant claims for damages as may be agreed upon by the two Governments, and also to pay such interest on these claims as the United States Government may concede to be allowable under the traditional rules of international law. The House version would leave the adjustment of amounts to the further actions which will be necessary in appropriation legislation. The Senate version would provide only for the settlement of principal on such claims as had been agreed to by the two Governments at the time of the introduction of the legislation. The members of the committee of conference representing the Senate recede and thus the House version is the one accepted. The interest rate to be allowed on the recognized claims is a matter for negotiation between the Government of the United States and the Government of the Swiss Republic. It was the unanimous view of the members of the committee of conference representing both Houses that the interest as finally determined should not exceed 3% percent. JOHN KEE, JAS. P. RICHARDS, Managers on the part of the House. 2 O AUTHORIZING THE APPOINTMENT OF AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS JUNE 22, 1949.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. MILES, from the Committee on Public Lands, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 4755) The Committee on Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 4755) to authorize the appointment of an Advisory Committee on Indian Affairs, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. EXPLANATION OF THE BILL H. R. 4755 extends legislative approval to the appointment by the Secretary of the Interior of an advisory committee of private citizens to consult with the Secretary and his representatives on matters pertaining to American Indians. The committee would consist of not more than 11 persons, none of whom would receive compensation other than travel expenses and the customary governmental per diem allowance. The total annual expense to the Government probably would not exceed $4,500. The Department of the Interior recommends the passage of the bill. In January 1949, the Secretary requested 11 public-spirited and qualified citizens from various parts of the United States, to serve as members of an Advisory Committee on Indian Affairs. These men and women are unselfishly donating their services in order to give the officials of the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs an objective picture of the problems facing our Indian population. Three meetings of the Committee have been held to date. The members have paid their own expenses to attend the meetings, all of which have been held in Washington. Particularly for those committee members who are from the far West, travel expenses constitute a strain upon personal finances. Some of the members have indicated that they cannot afford to continue under the present arrangement. If the committee members served as individual consultants, section 5 of the act of August 2, 1946 (60 Stat. 806) would authorize the payment of travel expenses and per diem allowance. However, since they serve as a committee, the above-cited act does not cover the situation. Enactment of this bill will bring the committee members within the jurisdiction of the 1946 act. H. R. 4755 conforms to a policy given congressional approval on several occasions. Similar advisory committees composed of private citizens assist the Interior Department on national park, oil and mineral matters. The following pertinent comments from the favorable report of the Department further explain the purpose of the bill: I recommend that this bill be enacted. I have felt the need for some time of a group of private citizens outside the Government service to consult with members of the Department and the Bureau of Indian Affairs on matters concerned with the administration of Indian affairs. Similar groups have proved extremely valuable to the Department in other fields. such as national parks, oil, and minerals. In order to fill this need, there was appointed in January 1949 an Advisory Committee on Indian Affairs consisting of 11 persons from all parts of the country, and in various fields of endeavor. This Committee has already met three times. in February, March, and May, and has fulfilled our hopes for the contribution it could make to the administration. The members, with their different viewpoints, have been able to bring to the Department objective and impartial advice and criticism. They have given the officials of the Department and the Bureau of Indian Affairs a clearer understanding of the attitudes and views of the informed public. The members of the Committee serve without compensation, and to date, have paid the expenses necessary for attending meetings in Washington. With the long distances that many of the members must travel, from Montana, New Mexico. Arizona, and Nevada, these expenses are considerable burden It is, of course, desirable for us to have members on the Committee from the West. where most of the activities of the Indian Bureau are concentrated In my opinion, the Committee should be compensated for trave, and other expenses which they incur in serving the Government in this capacity Serving as individual consultants, they could be compensated for travel expenses and receive a per diem allowance of not to exceed $10, under the terms of section 5 of the act of August 2, 1946 (60 Stat 806) Since, however, they serve as a committee, it appears that the Department is prohibited from paying their expenses by section 9 of the act of March 4. 1909 ̊ (35 Stat. 1027). (See 27 Comp. Gen. 630.) The Department would have the authority to pay the members' travel expenses and a per diem allowance in accordance with section 5 of the act of August 2, 1946, if the Advisory Committee on Indian Affairs were authorized by law. With increasing emphasis on the transfer of Indian Bureau activities to States and local communities, and the importance of the relationship with the public, I am convinced that the Advisory Committee will be particularly valuable in the coming years. It is planned to call two or three meetings of the Advisory Committee each year. The estimated cost to the Government for three meetings is $4,500. I believe such an expenditure for this purpose would be well justified. The Committee on Public Lands unanimously recommends that H. R. 4755 be enacted. THIRD DEFICIENCY APPROPRIATION BILL, 1949 JUNE 23, 1949.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. KERR, from the Committee on Appropriations, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 5300) The Committee on Appropriations submits the following report in explanation of the accompanying bill making appropriations to supply deficiencies in certain appropriations for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1949, and for other purposes. The estimates upon which the bill is based are contained in House Documents Nos. 17, 217, 218, 229, 230, 231, and 237. SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF THE BILL The total of budget estimates considered by the committee in connection with the accompanying bill is $162,691,073.75. The committee recommends the amount of $127,032,243.75, a reduction of $35,658,830 in the budget estimates. Included in the bill are funds to supply certain deficiencies in the fiscal year 1949 as well as supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year 1950 as contained in amendments to the budget. Of the total amount of $127,032,243.75 contained in the bill, $4,553,922.31 is for the payment of claims and judgments. In addition to this latter amount, the bill contains $268,807 for damage claims under the Federal Airport Act and $679,854.44 for certified salary claims under the Immigration and Naturalization Service, or a total for claims in the bill of $5,502,583.75. |