LIBERTY-LOAN BONDS MAY BE USED IN LIEU OF SURETY BONDS. Section 1319 provides that wherever by the laws of the United States or regulations made pursuant thereto, any person is required to furnish surety or sureties on any bond, such person may, in lieu of surety or sureties, and under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, deposit with the United States an amount of bonds of the United States issued after April 24, 1917, equal to the amount of such bond, together with an agreement authorizing the United States to sell such bonds in case of any default in payment of the bond. As soon as the bond becomes void and of no effect such bonds shall be returned to the depositor. Your committee is unanimous in recommending the passage of this bill. RECAPITULATION. Revenue receipts during the fiscal year 1918 and estimated receipts during the fiscal year 1919 under existing law and under the proposed bill. CONTROL OF RENTAL CHARGES IN CERTAIN AREAS. SEPTEMBER 3, 1918.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed. Mr CLARK of Florida, from the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 12835.] The Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 12835) to provide further for the national security and defense by authorizing the President to control rental charges in certain areas and to amend subsection (b) of section 1 of the act approved May 16, 1918, entitled "An act to authorize the President to provide housing for war needs," and for other purposes, having considered the same, report thereon with the recommendation that the bill pass. The object of this bill, as stated by the title, is to authorize the President to control rental charges in certain areas and also to amend the housing act of May 16, 1918, so as to authorize the President to commandeer in certain cases where property is being held at an excessive price, which unpatriotic action on part of the owner serves to obstruct the Government's housing program. The urgent necessity for this legislation has been evident since the Housing Corporation (the agency designated by the President to carry out the provisions of the housing act) first started on their program of relieving housing conditions in the great industrial districts of the country. There was a commandeering clause in the housing bill as it passed the house which would have been ample to take care of the situation, but it was unfortunately eliminated from the bill in the Senate. A vast number of complaints of exorbitant increases in rentals have reached the Housing Corporation from all parts of the United States, where war work is being carried on. It is affecting the labor situation in our navy yards, arsenals, munition plants, and other war activities in a most alarming manner and unless something is quickly done to afford relief a condition will ensue which will undoubtedly injure our great war program. The following extracts of a recent hearing before this committee will serve to illustrate the seriousness of the situation: The problem of rent profiteering is very serious in more than 40 American cities. We have received at the Bureau of Industrial Housing complaint directly from 43 cities, but we know through newspaper clippings and otherwise of this problem in a considerable number of other places. The tendency to increase rents where population is seriously congested is great, and there is a tendency to take advantage of the war worker in every one of the communities in which the Bureau of Industrial Housing is interested. In some places rents have been raised not only 30 or 40 or 50 per cent, but even 100 per cent or more. The usual conditions, however, is a raise of about 30 per cent. That is a rough figure. It varies in different places, but in that place where you will find a usual raise of 30 per cent, you would find some cases of 60, 80, 100 per cent or more, and it is those particular cases that it is most important to secure the power to requisition to meet, for no other device has yet been discovered which will deal with those cases satisfactorily. There is no question but that the production of war essentials is very seriously crippled by this rent profiteering. Commandants of navy yards and persons in charge of Government activities have written a large number of letters to the bureau, saying specifically that the inability of their workingmen to get quarters at proper rentals or that worry and discontent caused by exceedingly high rents which are paid were causing them to have an inadequate labor force, causing them to lose laborers that it was very important for them to retain. * * For example, the commandant of the navy yard at Mare Island, Cal., states: * "This yard, with its present equipment, could employ about 1,500 additional men, and the inability to do so is due purely to congestion at Vallejo and the fact that comfortable accommodation at reasonable rates can not be secured." The Rock Island Arsenal writes on July 10 this letter from Col. Hillman, in charge, that the arsenal is daily losing from five to ten men on account of the abnormal increase in rents. He requests authority to requisition, as was also requested, by the way, in this letter from Mare Island, and requests prompt action, as successful carrying on of the work of the arsenal is threatened. * * * * The Philadelphia Navy Yard makes a similar complaint and asks for immediate use of the power to requisition, such as is had by the Emergency Fleet Corporation. They do not see why they are discriminated against, to use their own terms. The Emergency Fleet Corporation can requisition houses and protect its employees. We can not. That is the kind of complaint we get. * * It is not likely that requisitioning would be necessary very often, provided the power to requisition is there, but it would be needed in some cases, and that power is absolutely indispensable if we are to put a stop to the most serious forms of profiteering in these places. We have desperate calls from time to time from the local industries. We had a telegram yesterday from the Camden Forge Co., of Camden, as an example. They have an employee in very responsible work in that plant who is to be evicted from his house on the 1st of September. They must have assistance. The man has looked around for the past month for a house and can not find one in that vicinity, and they must have him near his work. They must keep him in their employ. If we could requisition that man's house, it would be possible to save that industry the services of that employee. A great many additional cases could be cited, but it is believed that the above will be sufficient. The Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds has held several hearings on this subject and is convinced that this highly important legislation should be enacted into law at the very earliest possible day. Rent profiteering is creating a condition of unrest in many of our great industrial plants which will work great injury to the Government's war program, unless a remedy is speedily applied. There are men in our midst whose inordinate greed knows neither patriotism nor honor and who seek to profit by their country's war-time necessities. It is these that the proposed legislation seeks to reach. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 2d Session. No. 770. TITLE TO CERTAIN HOMESTEAD LANDS IN HAWAII. September 5, 1918.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House and ordered to be printed. Mr. WATSON of Virginia, from the Committee on the Territories, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 5115.] This bill (H. R. 5115) introduced at the extra session of the present Congress by Mr. Kalanianaole, the Delegate from the Territory of Hawaii, was designed to quiet title to certain homestead lands held by sundry citizens of that Territory. The number of citizens interested is 26, and the total amount of land involved is 514.98 acres. The land consists of 33 several parcels located as follows: 135.78 acres in the Island of Maui, 19.68 acres in the Island of Oahu, and 359.52 acres in the Island of Kauai. Some years ago-the exact dates being unknown and immaterialthese citizens, whose names will all be found in the appended resolution of the Territorial legislature memorializing Congress on this subject, applied to the land commissioner of the Territory to be allowed to take up certain homestead lands; and the said commissioner having entered into homestead agreements with them they proceeded to occupy and hold the lands as provided by law, looking to the time when they could perfect their titles and obtain patent therefor. Subsequently, under permission and by advice of the commissioner, who misconstrued the provision of the act of Congress bearing on the subject, these parties, themselves ignorant of the law and acting in good faith, surrendered their original agreements and the possession of the lands they then occupied, and in lieu thereof entered into homestead agreements for and took possession of certain other tracts of land set forth in detail in the memorial of the Territorial legislature already mentioned. Six of these parties have already obtained patents to their land; 2 have complied with all legal requirements and are now entitled to have patents issued to them; while 18 are still in process of maturing their claims for patent. As far as your committee is advised no question has arisen as to the bona fides of any of these transactions. It turns out, however, that the acts of Congress of 1898 and 1910 applicable to the public lands of that Territory forbade the patenting of any land by any person who had previously taken or held land under any former homestead agreement or patent. As all these parties had originally applied for and held other land and entered into homestead agreements concerning the same, it will readily be seen that there was no warrant in law for their surrender of their former holdings in exchange for the lands they now occupy under second homestead agreements with the local land office. Under the circumstances, therefore, while their moral right is not questioned, there is no way for them to perfect their titles but through an act of Congress validating their claims. The Territorial legislature by concurrent resolution of April, 1917 (a copy of which is hereto appended), requests that this be done. The governor of the Territory in cablegram to the Secretary of the Interior of January, 1918, unites in that request. (See copy hereto appended.) Likewise the Secretary of the Interior in his letter to the chairman of this committee asks that Congress grant the relief sought. (See letter herewith from Secretary Lane to Judge Houston.) Your committee, therefore, after careful consideration of all the circumstances of the case, is of opinion that justice requires the validation of the claims of these homesteaders, and recommends the passage of the bill without amendment. Copy of the concurrent resolution of the Ninth Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii relative to certain homestead claims in that Territory filed with report of Committee on Territories on H. R. 5115 and asked to be made a part thereof: The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, NINTH LEGISLATURE OF HAWAII, Washington, D. C. THE SENATE, Honolulu, Hawaii, May 2, 1917. SIR: In conformity with the terms thereof, I have the honor to transmit herewith senate concurrent resolution No. 17, introduced in the senate of the ninth Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii by the Hon. H. A. Baldwin, senator from the second senatorial district, which was unanimously adopted by the senate and concurred in by the house of representatives. Most respectfully, yours, O. P. SOARES, CONCURRENT RESOLUTION. Whereas certain persons entered into homestead agreements with the commissioner of public lands of the Territory of Hawaii, and are in process of proving up their claims; and Wehereas certain other persons have entered into homestead agreements with the commissioner of public lands of the Territory of Hawaii, and have faithfully performed all the terms of their agreements and are awaiting their land patents; and Whereas certain other persons entered into homestead agreements with the commissioner of public lands of the Territory of Hawaii, and have faithfully performed all the terms of their agreements and have received their land patents; and Whereas all the persons above referred to took up, occupied, and transferred their homesteads under the advice and concurrence of, and made their agreements with, a former commissioner of public lands of the Territory of Hawaii, who had a miscon ception of the law; and |