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NAUTICAL SCHOOLSHIP

JUNE 28, 1937.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. BLAND, from the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. R. 7614]

The Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 7614) to amend the act entitled "An act for the establishment of marine schools, and for other purposes", approved March 4, 1911, having had the same under consideration, report it back to the House without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.

The purpose of the bill is to increase the number of sites which may be considered in locating a nautical school in the State of Virginia if the State should desire to avail itself of the provisions of the act of Congress entitled "An act for the establishment of marine schools, and for other purposes", approved March 4, 1911 (36 Stat. 1353, U. S. C., title 34, secs. 1121-1123). It is not the purpose of this bill to increase the number of schools authorized by said act. The proposed bill involves no increase in the existing authorization, and, in fact, permits, in selecting a site, considerations of economy in location, establishment, and operation, and respective advantage of various sites.

Under the existing law the Secretary of the Navy, to promote nautical education, is authorized and empowered to furnish upon the application in writing of the Governor of a State, a suitable vessel of the Navy, with all her apparel, charts, books, and instruments of navigation, provided the same can be spared without detriment to the naval service, to be used for the benefit of any nautical school, or school or college having a nautical branch, established at each of the following ports of the United States: Boston; Philadelphia; New York; Seattle; San Francisco; Baltimore; Detroit; Saginaw, Mich.; Norfolk; and Corpus Christi, upon the condition that there shall be maintained at such port a school or branch of a school for the instruction of youths in navigation, steamship-marine engineering, and all

matters pertaining to the proper construction, equipment, and sailing of vessels or any particular branch thereof.

Nautical schools under the authority of the act exists at Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.

By a joint resolution adopted February 13, 1930, by the State Senate and the House of Delegates of Virginia, the State Port Authority of Virginia, which exists by virtue of the laws of the the State of Virginia was required to investigate, study, and consider the necessity for and the advantages to be derived from the establishment of a nautical school for merchant marine training at some place on Hampton Roads, and to report to the general assembly its findings with its recommendations.

The State port authority recommended the establishment and maintenance of a nautical school for marine training under the management, direction, and control of the authorities of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

Under an act of the General Assembly of Virginia in 1932 authority was granted for the establishment of a nautical school in the area around Hampton Roads.

No definite selection has been made for the school in the State of Virginia, and the matter of establishing such a school in the State of Virginia will be a very important issue in the General Assembly of Virginia which meets in January 1938.

The General Assembly of Virginia in its resolution of 1932 authorized the establishment of a nautical school in the Hampton Roads area. This area includes Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton, Phoebus, and other communities as well as Norfolk. Prior to 1912, Newport News was a separate customs-collection district having a collector appointed for the port of Newport News. The same condition existed as to Norfolk and possibly other ports in the area around Hampton Roads.

Section 1 of an act approved August 1, 1914 (38 Stat. 623), as amended by an act approved May 29, 1928 (45 Stat. 987, U. S. Code, title 19, sec. 2), the President is authorized from time to time, as the exigencies of the service may require, to rearrange, by consideration or otherwise, the several customs-collection districts and to discontinue ports of entry by abolishing the same and establishing others in their stead; provided that the whole number of customs-collection districts, ports of entry, or either of them, shall at no time be made to exceed those established and authorized as on August 1, 1914, except as the same may thereafter be provided by law. The collector of customs of each customs-collection district is required to be officially designated by the number of the district for which he is appointed and not by the name of the port where the headquarters are situated and the President is authorized from time to time to change the location of the headquarters in any customs-collection district as the needs of the service may require.

The customs-collection district in which Norfolk is located is now known as Customs Collection District No. 14, and the headquarters of that district are at Norfolk, Va.

While the General Assembly of Virginia, by its resolution in 1932, authorized the selection of a site for a nautical school in the Hampton Roads area which embraces Norfolk and other localities, it is feared that under section 1 of the act of March 4, 1911, if not amended, the

selection of a site might be limited to Norfolk alone, whereas it may be desirable to locate at some other site. Moreover, some confusion even as to Norfolk may arise by reason of the acts (above referred to and cited) rearranging and limiting customs-collection districts.

The State Port Authority of Virginia desires for the selection by the General Assembly of Virginia or by such authority or agency as the general assembly has directed or may direct a wider range than might be permitted under existing law.

Your committee believes that such a wider range of selection is desirable and in the best interest of the State of Virginia and of the United States. Your committee, therefore, recommends the amendment which does not increase the number of schools which may be established, does not increase the authorization for the appropriation that may be made, and does not affect existing law otherwise than to widen the range of selection.

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with paragraph 2a of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, changes in act of March 4, 1911 (36 Stat. 1353; U. S. C., 1934 ed., title 34, secs. 1121-1123), proposed by the bill are shown as follows (existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman; new matter is printed in italics):

SEC. 1. That the Secretary of the Navy, to promote nautical education, is hereby authorized and empowered to furnish, upon the application in writing of the Governor of a State, a suitable vessel of the Navy, with all her apparel, charts, books, and instruments of navigation, provided the same can be spared without detriment to the naval service, to be used for the benefit of any nautical school, or school or college having a nautical branch, established at each of the following ports of the United States: Boston; Philadelphia; New York; Seattle; San Francisco; Baltimore; Detroit, Saginaw, Michigan; Norfolk; and Corpus Christi, upon the condition that there shall be maintained at such port a school or branch of a school for the instruction of youths in navigation, steamship-marine engineering, and all matters pertaining to the proper construction, equipment, and sailing of vessels or any particular branch thereof.

The port of Norfolk specified in the preceding paragraph shall be construed as embracing Norfolk, or Portsmouth, or Newport News, or any other city, town, municipality, or locality within the territorial limits of the customs-collection district having its headquarters at Norfolk, Virginia.

SEC. 2. That a sum not exceeding the amount annually appropriated by any State or municipality for the purpose of maintaining such a marine school or schools or the nautical branch thereof is hereby authorized to be appropriated for the purpose of aiding in the maintenance and support of such school or schools: Provided, however, That appropriation shall be made for one school in any port heretofore named in section 1 and that the appropriation for any one year shall not exceed $25,000 for any one school.

SEC. 3. That the President of the United States is hereby authorized, when in his opinion the same can be done without detriment to the public service, to detail proper officers of the Navy as superintendents of or instructors in such schools: Provided, That if any such school shall be discontinued, or the good of the naval service shall require, such vessel shall be immediately restored to the Secretary of the Navy and the officers so detailed recalled: And provided further, That no person shall be sentenced to or received at such schools as a punishment or commutation of punishment for crime.

SEC. 4. That all laws and parts of laws in conflict herewith are hereby repealed.

1st Session

No. 1119

REVESTED OREGON & CALIFORNIA RAILROAD AND RECONVEYED COOS BAY WAGON ROAD GRANT LANDS SITUATED IN OREGON

JUNE 28, 1937.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. DEMPSEY, from the Committee on the Public Lands, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. R. 7618]

The Committee on the Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 7618) relating to the revested Oregon & California Railroad and reconveyed Coos Bay Wagon Road grant lands situated in the State of Oregon, after holding extensive hearings on the subject matter thereof, report the same favorably without amendment and unanimously recommend that the bill do pass the House.

(See hearings on H. R. 5858.)

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

TITLE I

The public lands which are affected by this bill were at one time a part of grants made to the Oregon & California Railroad Co. and Coos Bay Wagon Road Co. in the years 1866 and 1869, respectively, in aid of the construction of those roads. Title to the lands was revested in the United States in 1916 and 1919 because the grantees violated covenants contained in the granting acts which required. the sale of the land to actual settlers for not more than $2.50 per acre and in tracts of not more than 160 acres.

These lands contain a little more than 2%1⁄2 million acres, all of which are situated in the State of Oregon. It is estimated that 87%1⁄2 percent of the lands is covered with forest having a volume of approximately 46 billion board-feet of mature saw timber. This represents about 3 percent of the total present saw-timber supply of the United States. Less than 1 percent of the land is of probable agricultural value. The remaining 12 percent is at present nonproductive except for a slight forage growth which is being used for grazing.

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