INTERSTATE PACT FOR CREATION OF MAINE-NEW HAMPSHIRE INTERSTATE BRIDGE AUTHORITY JUNE 29, 1937.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed Mr. HOLMEз, from the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 7542] The Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 7542) granting the consent of Congress to a compact entered into by the States of Maine and New Hampshire for the creation of the Maine-New Hampshire Interstate Bridge Authority, 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, 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. 7542, Seventy-fifth Congress, first session, granting the consent of Congress to a compact entered into by the States of Maine and New Hampshire for the creation of the Maine-New Hampshire Interstate Bridge Authority. Hon. CLARENCE F. LEA, MALIN CRAIG, Acting Secretary of War. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Chairman, Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives. DEAR MR. LEA: Careful consideration has been given to the bill, H. R. 7542, transmitted with your letter of June 17 with request for a report thereon and such views relative thereto as the Department might desire to communicate. This bill would grant the consent of Congress to a compact entered into between the States of Maine and New Hampshire for the purpose of creating the MaineNew Hampshire Interstate Bridge Authority, with authority to construct, maintain, and operate a combination highway and railroad toll bridge across the Piscataqua River from a point at or near Portsmouth, N. H., to a point at or near Kittery, Maine. The bill is without objection so far as this Department is concerned. Sincerely, BRIDGE ACROSS THE PISCATAQUA RIVER AT OR NEAR PORTSMOUTH, N. H. JUNE 29, 1937.—Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed Mr. HOLMES, from the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Com. merce, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 7543] The Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 7543) authorizing the Maine-New Hampshire Interstate Bridge Authority to construct, maintain, and operate a toll bridge cross the Piscataqua River at or near Portsmouth, State of New Hampshire, 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 25, 1937. 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. 7543, Seventy-fifth Congress, first session, authorizing the Maine-New Hampshire Interstate Bridge Authority to construct, maintain, and operate a toll bridge across the Piscataqua River at or near Portsmouth, State of New Hampshire. MALIN CRAIG, Acting Secretary of War. Hon. CLARENCE F. LEA, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Chairman, Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives. DEAR MR. LEA: Careful consideration has been given to the bill, H. R. 7543, transmitted with your letter of June 17 with request for a report thereon and such views relative thereto as the Department might desire to communicate. This bill would grant consent for the Maine-New Hampshire Interstate Bridge Authority to construct, maintain, and operate a toll bridge and approaches thereto across the Piscataqua River from a point at or near Portsmouth, N. H., to a point at or near Kittery, Maine. The rates of toll would have to be fixed so as to provide a fund sufficient to pay the reasonable annual cost of maintaining, repairing, and operating the bridge, and provide a sinking fund sufficient to amortize the cost of constructing the bridge and its approaches within a period of not to exceed 45 years from the date of completion of the bridge. After a sinking fund sufficient for such purpose shall have been provided, the bridge thereafter would have to be maintained and operated free of tolls or the rates would have to be so adjusted as to provide only for annual maintenance, repair, and operation costs. The bill does not mention that the contemplated bridge shall be a combination railroad and highway bridge, but it is the Department's understanding that such is the intention. It is the Department's view that after a publicly owned highway toll bridge has provided a sinking fund sufficient for the amortization of its cost of construction, in addition to having provided funds for the annual maintenance, repair, and operation costs during the period that tolls are collected, it thereafter should be operated free of tolls. It, therefore, is suggested that consideration be given to this phase of the bill with respect to the highway portion of the proposed bridge. Subject to the above comment, the bill is without objection so far as this Department is concerned. Sincerely, 75TH CONGRESS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ( 1st Session BRIDGE ACROSS THE MISSOURI RIVER BETWEEN OMAHA, NEBR., AND COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA JUNE 29, 1937.-Ordered to be printed Mr. EICHER, from the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 7405] The Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 7405) to amend the act relating to the OmahaCouncil Bluffs Missouri River Bridge Board of Trustees, approved June 10, 1930, and for other purposes, having considered and amended the same, report thereon with a recommendation that it do pass with the following amendments: Page 3, line 23, after the word "have", insert the word "been". Page 4, line 2, after the word "Missouri", insert the word "River”. Page 4, line 3, after the word "until", strike out the words "the amount to be paid for the" and insert the following: "all terms of the proposed". Page 5, after line 24, insert a new section as follows: SEC. 6. Said bridge may be constructed with the aid of any Federal funds appropriated or apportioned to the States of Iowa and Nebraska, or either of them, for expenditure under the Federal Highway Act, as amended and supplemented, and the limitations of such Act, as amended and supplemented, relating to the construction of toll bridges with Federal funds, and the use of tolls controlled for transit over bridges so constructed and operated shall not be applicable to the tolls authorized to be charged under the provisions of this Act. Page 5, line 25, change "Sec. 6." to "Sec. 7.". Page 2, line 3, after the word "point", strike out the words "at or near" and insert the following: "providing the west end of said bridge is within two thousand feet of the center line of said". Page 2, lines 21 to 24, after the word "River" in line 21, strike out the words "within one mile of the site of the bridge to be constructed by said Board at or near Farnum Street, Omaha, Nebraska, as referred to in said Act of 1930", and insert the following: "which (including approaches) abuts upon or enters into the corporate limits of either or both the cities of Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa". |