AUTHORIZING THE SALE OF CERTAIN LANDS TO THE SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH IN ARIZONA, INC. JUNE 2, 1949.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House and ordered to be printed Mr. COOLEY, from the Committee on Agriculture, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 3982] The Committee on Agriculture, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 3982) to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to sell certain lands to the Sisters of St. Joseph in Arizona, Inc., of Tucson, Ariz., to consolidate the Desert Laboratory Experiment Area of the Southwestern Forest and Range Experiment Station, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. STATEMENT This bill authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to sell about 16 acres of land belonging to the Southwestern Forest and Range Experiment Station to a Tucson, Ariz., hospital operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph, Inc. It also authorizes the Department to exchange lands with the State of Arizona so that approximately 870 acres of land owned by the State, which are now being used by the laboratory, will become part of the laboratory and experiment station property. The Department will give the State, in exchange for these lands, Forest Service land situated elsewhere in Arizona. The land to be sold to the hospital will bring an estimated $15,000, and this will be used for the reconstruction elsewhere on the experiment station of a building now situated on the land to be sold. DEPARTMENT REPORT The Department of Agriculture has reported favorably on this bill and recommended its adoption. Hon. HAROLD D. COOLEY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Chairman, Committee on Agriculture, House of Representatives. DEAR MR. COOLEY: This is in reply to your letter of April 30, 1949, requesting a report from this Department on H. R. 3982, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to sell certain lands to the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Arizona, Inc., of Tucson, Arizona, to consolidate the Desert Laboratory Experimental Area of the Southwestern Forest and Range Experiment Station, and for other purposes. H. R. 3982, if enacted, will authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to sell to the Sisters of St. Joseph in Arizona, Tucson, Ariz., at appraised value about 15.86 acres of land which, with other lands, were donated to the United States for national-forest purposes by the Carnegie Institute of Washington, D. C., pursuant to the act of March 3, 1925 (43 Stat. 1133). These lands adjoin the site of St. Mary's Hospital which is operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph. The bill will also make available any proceeds from such sale for replacement of lands and/or improvements conveyed to the Sisters of St. Joseph, will permit the consolidation of the Desert Laboratory Experimental Area by authorizing the exchange of national-forest lands or timber elsewhere in the State for lands of the State of Arizona within such area, and will add the balance of the lands donated by the Carnegie Institute and any lands subsequently acquired to the Coronado National Forest and withdraw them from entry for use as an experimental unit for watershed management and range management research. The 15.86 acres first described in the bill lie just outside the city of Tucson and adjoin the site of St. Mary's Hospital on three sides. As above mentioned, these lands, together with about 230 acres in the immediate vicinity were donated to the United States by the Carnegie Institute to aid in the program of research in forest range, and watershed management. Situated on the 15.86 acres is an office building about 22 feet by 40 feet outside dimensions of adobe and concrete construction. a garage, and about 4 mile of fencing. The structures are presently used as part of the headquarters improvements of the Southwestern Forest and Range Experiment Station. It is understood that St. Mary's Hospital desires the buildings for use in connection with its activities. The lands and improvements are valued as of this date at $16,177, of which $12,213 is represented by the improvements. We are advis I that the Sisters of St. Joseph desire to acquire this land to provide for much needed expansion of the hospital, which is an institution of value and service to the citizens of Tucson. Local personnel of the Forest Service of this Department have discussed the matter with representatives of the Sisters of St. Joseph and are agreed upon the desirability of making the land available for hospital purposes. It is essential, however, that the funds received from the sale be available for replacement of the lands and particularly of the improvements which will be conveyed and which are needed in the operation of the Southwestern Forest and Range Experiment Station. The lands described in section 2 of the bill are comprised of 230 acres (exclusive of the 15.86 acres above discussed) donated by the Carnegie Institute to the United States, about 4 acres of private land, 320 acres owned by the University of Arizona, and 320 acres of common-school lands of the State of Arizona. These tracts form a solid block and constitute the Desert Laboratory Experimental Area. Also, the headquarters improvements of the Southwestern Forest and Range Experiment Station are located on one of the donated tracts. The State lands are administered for research purposes under a lease and cooperative agreement with the State agencies, which, of course, is subject to revocation. The Desert Laboratory Experimental Area is devoted to research aimed at ascertaining the most feasible methods of handling arid range lands, fundamental principles of plant growth in such environment, watershed functions and characteristics, and similar matters. This is part of the program of the Southwestern Forest and Range Experiment Station, which conducts research activities relative to forest management, range management, and watershed management in the Southwest. These research projects are necessarily of a long-term nature, and stability of tenure and full control of the lands involved in them is essential if they are to be successfully concluded and the public investment therein fully protected. For these reasons, the authority included in H. R. 3982 for this Department to consolidate the Desert Laboratory Area through equitable exchanges with the State of Arizona or with owners of private lands and the provision for addition of the area to the Coronado National Forest so that it can be administered and protected as part thereof are most desirable. It is also desirable that the lands be withdrawn from any form of entry to avoid the possibilities that claims under the mining or public-land laws might jeopardize control of the lands and completion of research activities undertaken on them. Sale of the described land to the Sisters of St. Joseph in Arizona as provided in the bill has the approval of this Department. The other provisions of H. R. 3982 appear to be in the public interest and helpful to the research program conducted by the Forest Service in the Southwest. Enactment of the bill is therefore recommended. The Bureau of the Budget advises that from the standpoint of the program of the President, there is no objection to the submission of this report. Sincerely. EXPERIMENT STATIONS-ALASKA JUNE 2, 1949.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. COOLEY, from the Committee on Agriculture, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 133] The Committee on Agriculture, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 133) to amend section 2 of the act approved June 20, 1936, entitled "An act to extend the benefits of the Adams Act, the Purnell Act, and the Capper-Ketcham Act to the Territory of Alaska, 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 1, line 13, strike out the word "same" and substitute in lieu thereof "said"; place closing quotation marks at the end of the sentence. STATEMENT The purpose of this bill is to encourage the agricultural development of Alaska by authorizing appropriations for agricultural experiment station work in Alaska equivalent to the full amounts authorized for each State, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico under the Adams Act and the Purnell Act. It will increase the present authorizations for Alaska by $37.500. The amendments made by the committee correct clerical errors in the bill. DEPARTMENT REPORT The need for the bill is explained in detail by the report from the Secretary of Agriculture, which is appended hereto and made a part of this report. |