BRIDGE ACROSS FOX RIVER AT AURORA, ILL. JUNE 10, 1930.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed. Mr. DENISON, from the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 12614] The Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 12614) granting the consent of Congress to the city of Aurora, Ill., to construct, maintain, and operate a free highway bridge from Stolps Island in the Fox River at Aurora, Ill., to connect with the existing highway bridge across the Fox River north of Stolps Island, having considered the same, report thereon with a recommendation that it pass. The bill has the approval of the War and Agriculture Departments, as will appear by the letters attached. WAR DEPARTMENT, June 3, 1930. Respectfully returned to the chairman Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives. So far as the interests committed to this department are concerned, I know of no objection to the favorable consideration of the accompanying bill (H. R. 12614, 71st Cong., 2d sess.), granting the consent of Congress to the city of Aurora, Ill., to construct a free highway bridge from Stolps Island in the Fox River at Aurora, Ill., to connect with the existing highway bridge across the Fox River north of Stolps Island. F. TRUBEE DAVISON, Hon. JAMES S. PARKER, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Chairman Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives. DEAR MR. PARKER: Careful consideration has been given to the bill, H. R. 12614, transmitted with your letter of May 27, with request for a report thereon and such views relative thereto as the department might desire to communicate. This bill would authorize the city of Aurora, Ill., to construct, maintain, and operate a free highway bridge from Stolps Island in the Fox River to connect with the existing highway bridge across the Fox River north of Stolps Island. Favorable action on the bill is recommended. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE UNIFICATION OF BUOYAGE AND LIGHTING OF COASTS, LISBON, 1930 JUNE 10, 1930.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. COOPER of Wisconsin, from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. J. Res. 321] The Committee on Foreign Affairs, to which was referred H. J. Res. 321, to authorize an appropriation of $4,500 for the expenses of participation by the United States in an International Conference on the Unification of Buoyage and Lighting of Coasts, Lisbon, 1930, having had the same under consideration, reports thereon with the recommendation that the resolution do pass without amendment. The passage of this resolution is recommended by the President in his message to Congress of April 22, 1930, which follows: To the Congress of the United States: I commend to the favorable consideration of the Congress the inclosed report from the Acting Secretary of State, to the end that legislation may be enacted to authorize an appropriation in the sum of $4,500 for the expenses of participation by the United States in an International Conference on the Unification of Buoyage and Lighting of Coasts, to be held in Lisbon October 6, 1930. THE WHITE HOUSE, April 22, 1930. HERBERT HOOVER. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, The PRESIDENT: Washington, April 21, 1930. On January 27, 1930, the legation of the United States at Berne transmitted an invitation from the secretary general of the League of Nations to the Government of the United States to be represented at a Conference on the Unification of Buoyage and Lighting of Coasts to meet in Lisbon, October 6, 1930. This invitation was in pursuance of a resolution adopted by the council of the league on January 15, in the following sense: "In conformity with the proposals of the advisory and technical committee for communications and transit, "Decides to submit the report prepared under the auspices of this committee on the unification of buoyage and the lighting of coasts to the consideration of an international conference of maritime countries, which may be called upon to conclude an agreement between governments. "The council expresses its gratitude to the Portuguese Government for its invitation and decides that this conference shall meet at Lisbon on October 6, 1930. "The invitations which will be sent by the secretary general to the governments may be considered by the latter as permitting them, should they so desire, to make the arrangements they think most suitable for the representation at the conference of the autonomous organizations responsible for the services of buoyage and the lighting of coasts and for their participation in carrying out the results achieved." The Secretary of Commerce, to whom this invitation was referred, recommends that this Government participate in this conference, and states: "This department considers that the proposed conference will probably lead to results of such value to this country and to the world as to fully justify the United States in taking part in it. The principal purpose is to bring about an agreement between the maritime nations respecting a uniform system of buoyage and lighting of the harbors and coasts of the world. If this can be effected, it will increase the safety and convenience of marine navigation. "On an invitation from the secretary general of the League of Nations, dated December 17, 1928, the President, by the Secretary of State, in letter of January 21, 1929, designated Mr. Harold D. King, of the Lighthouse Service, of this department, to represent this country at a preliminary meeting of an international committee at Genoa in February, 1929, to consider this subject. This committee agreed on a report, published at Geneva, February 20, 1929, which would be the basis for the work of the conference proposed to be held at Lisbon. Representatives of several European lighthouse services, who collaborated in the preparation of this report, visited the United States and Canada in the summer of 1928 and inspected these lighthouse systems. The report as now prepared, conforms in important respects to the buoyage and lighting systems of North America. There is a strong likelihood, therefore, that the proposed conference at Lisbon will take action acceptable to the United States and its maritime interests. "The United States has the most extensive lighthouse system of any nation. This country should exert its influence to aid in bringing about so desirable an advance as uniformity in the buoyage and lighting system, to the extent that colors and certain other characteristics will have the same meaning on all coasts." I therefore have the honor to recommend that the Congress be requested to enact legislation authorizing an appropriation in the sum of $4,500, for the expenses of participation by the United States in an International Conference on the Unification of Buoyage and Lighting of Coasts to be held in Lisbon, October 6, 1930. As a matter of convenience, a tentative draft of the proposed legislation is inclosed herewith. Respectfully submitted. WILBUR J. CARR, Acting Secretary of State. Your committee believes that an agreement, as proposed in H. J. Res. 321, between the maritime nations, for a uniform system of buoyage and lighting, to the extent that colors and certain other characteristics shall have the same meaning on all coasts, would greatly increase the safety and convenience of marine navigation, and it therefore urges the passage of the resolution. O CONSTRUCTION AT MILITARY POSTS JUNE 10, 1930.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. RANSLEY, from the Committee on Military Affairs, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 12807] The Committee on Military Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 12807) to authorize appropriations for construction at military posts and for other purposes, introduced by Mr. Ransley, having considered the same, report thereon with the recommendation that it do pass. On May 29, 1930, Hon. F. Trubee Davison, Assistant Secretary of War, acting for the Secretary of War, directed a letter to the acting chairman of your committee urging action on bills to authorize appropriations for Army housing and for Air Corps technical construction for the fiscal year 1932. Mr. Davison and General Summerall, as well as General Fechet, appeared before the committee to explain the serious condition, in so far as housing and technical construction is concerned, that the Army has found itself in because of temporary war-time construction and the delay in the permanent building program for which Congress has been annually authorizing appropriations for some years. The chairman of your committee, Mr. James, has taken a great personal interest in this construction program for some years, and had introduced bills early in this Congress to provide the necessary authorizations to permit the regular annual appropriations. The Acting Secretary of War pointed out to the committee that in order to obtain the necessary appropriations to carry out the 1932 increment of the program, it would be necessary to have this authorization bill adopted at this session. This being accomplished, estimates for 1932 will be included in the Budget and the estimates will then be submitted to the Appropriations Committee in December of this year. |