subject to military law that are held in his office for storage and safekeeping, some of which date back as far as 1850, and to provide a reasonable method for the disposition of such property in the future. REASONS FOR LEGISLATION Specially constructed lockers in the General Accounting Office, containing 3,072 packages of effects left by deceased personnel of the Army received pursuant to Article of War No. 112, occupy the space of an office room and require the time of a special clerk for recording and handling. The Comptroller General has recommended that he be relieved of this responsibility and the board of commissioners of the Soldiers' Home has signified its willingness to take over the administration of such property. Your committee does not believe that there is any reason, sentimental or otherwise, why the articles covered by this bill should be held in storage beyond a period of sufficient extent to allow the legitimate heirs of the deceased persons to come forward and place their claims. For the most part, it is thought that the monetary value of such effects will be small. There are, however, no doubt many museum pieces and historical relics wrapped in these packages that could well be added to collections in appropriate institutions. The bill grants authority for such distribution. It also provides for the destruction of trinkets which no longer have any value. AFFECTED AGENCIES CONCUR The board of commissioners of the Soldiers' Home, the former Secretary of War, Hon. James W. Good, and the Comptroller General are in concurrence in the recommendation that this legislation be enacted. Since the measure affects only those who die while subject to military law, your committee believes that the Soldiers' Home is the proper agency to administer the disposition of their effects. ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE The enactment of this bill will relieve the General Accounting Office of the direct expense of one clerk, and indirectly of the work necessary in administering the present law. Since the War Department determines the heirs of persons dying while under its jurisdiction as a routine procedure, the Soldiers' Home will be placed under little additional which the board of commissioners agrees to absorb. expense, EXISTING LAW CHANGED In compliance with paragraph 2 (a) of Rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives the proposed changes in existing law are shown below: (Act of June 4, 1920, sec. 1, Article of War No. 112, 41 Stat. 809, U. S. C., title 10, sec. 1584, as amended by the act of June 10, 1921, sec. 304, 42 Stat. 24, U. S. C., title 31. sec. 44.) ART. 112. EFFECTS OF DECEASED PERSONS, DISPOSITION OF.-In case of the death of any person subject to military law the commanding officer of the place of command will permit the legal representative or widow of the deceased, if present, to take possession of all his effects then in camp or quarters; and if no legal representative or widow be present, the commanding officer shall direct a summary court to secure all such effects, and said summary court shall have authority to collect and receive any debts due decedent's estate by local debtors and to pay the undisputed local creditors of decedent in so far as any money belonging to the deceased which may come into said summary court's possession under this article will permit, taking receipts therefor for file with said court's final report upon its transactions to the War Department; and as soon as practicable after the collection of such effects said summary court shall transmit such effects and any money collected, through the Quartermaster Department, at Government expense, to the widow or legal representative of the deceased, if such be found by said court, or to the son, daughter, father, provided the father has not abandoned the support of his family, mother, brother, sister, or the next of kin in the order named, if such be found by said court, or the beneficiary named in the will of the deceased, if such be found by said court, and said court shall thereupon make to the War Department a full report of its transactions; but if there be none of the persons hereinabove named, or such persons or their addresses are not known to or readily ascertainable by said court, and the said court shall so find, said summary court shall have authority to convert into cash, by public or private sale, not earlier than thirty days after the death of the deceased, all effects of deceased except sabers, insignia, decorations, medals, watches, trinkets, manuscripts, and other articles valuable chiefly as keepsakes; and as soon as practicable after converting such effects into cash said summary court shall deposit with the proper officer, to be designated in regulations, any cash belonging to decedent's estates, and shall transmit a receipt for such deposits, any will or other papers of value belonging to the deceased, any sabers, insignia, decorations, medals, watches, trinkets, manuscripts, and other articles valuable chiefly as keepsakes, together with an inventory of the effects secured by said summary court, and a full account of its transactions, to the War Department for transmission to the Auditor of the War Department for action as authorized by law in the settlement of accounts of deceased officers and enlisted men of the Army. The provisions of this article shall be applicable to inmates of the United States Soldiers' Home who die in any United States military hospital outside of the District of Columbia where sent from the home for treatment. The act of June 10, 1921, creating the General Accounting Office substituted the Comptroller General for the Auditor of the War Department in the foregoing article of war. The text of H. R. 11979 as reported will, in effect, substitute the Soldiers' Home for the General Accounting Office in the existing law, and in addition thereto will provide for further disposition as follows: The effects in the possession of the General Accounting Office of persons dying while subject to military law, including papers of value, sabers, insignia, decorations, medals, watches, trinkets, manuscripts, and other articles valuable chiefly as keepsakes, including those of deceased inmates of the Soldiers' Home dying in any United States military hospital, where sent from said home for treatment, and similar effects hereafter received by the War Department, shall be delivered to the Soldiers' Home; that wills or other papers involving property rights shall be promptly delivered to proper courts of record; that the remaining effects, if the heirs or legal representatives can not be ascertained, shall be retained by the home intact until three years from the date of the death of the person on whose behalf they were received shall have expired (in the event said period shall not have already elapsed), for the purpose of delivery to the widow or legal representative of the deceased, or to the son, daughter, father (provided the father has not abandoned the support of his family), mother, brother, sister, or next of kin in the order named, or beneficiary named in the will of the deceased, upon the establishment to the satisfaction of the home of a right thereto. SEC. 2. (a). That after the expiration of three years from date of death of said deceased, the Soldiers' Home may sell, either at public or private sale, as deemed most advantageous, all or any of such effects to which a right thereto shall not have been established on behalf of said deceased, his heirs or legal representatives. (b) That such of said effects as at the expiration of five years from date of death of deceased have neither been sold nor a right thereto established on behalf of the deceased shall be finally disposed of by said home in such manner as in the interest of the public it deems most fitting, helpful, and appropriate, either by permanent retention thereof, distribution to the Veterans' Administration, State or other military homes, museums, or other appropriate institutions, or by their destruction, if, in the opinion of the board of commissioners thereof, they no longer possess any value. (c) That the net proceeds received by the home from the sale of such effects shall be covered into the Treasury to the benefit of the fund "Soldiers' Home permanent fund (trust fund)," and such principal fund as thus augmented shall draw interest at 3 per centum per annum, payable quarterly to the treasurer of the home. SEC. 3. (a) Claims for the net proceeds of effects may be filed with the General Accounting Office at any time prior to the expiration of six years from date of death of such deceased for action as authorized by law in the settlement of the accounts of deceased officers and enlisted men of the Army (act of June 30, 1906; 34 Stat. 750; U. S. C., title 10, sec. 868), and, if not so filed, are barred from being acted on either by the courts or the accounting officers. (b) All claims for the net proceeds of such effects which are allowed by the General Accounting Office shall be certified to the treasurer of the home for payment by check, in the amount thus found due and accrued interest thereon, from the fund "Soldiers' Home permanent fund (trust fund)," hereby appropriated therefor in such amount as necessary. No claim thus allowed or paid shall exceed the net proceeds and accrued interest derived from the particular estate and covered into the Treasury as aforesaid. SEC. 4. That the containers now in the possession of the General Accounting Office, in which are stored the effects enumerated in section 1 hereof, shall be transferred therefrom to the Soldiers' Home to provide for the protection and safekeeping of such effects. SEC. 5. All laws and parts of laws, in so far as in conflict herewith, are repealed. ADDITION OF CERTAIN LANDS TO THE MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK, COLO. JANUARY 19, 1931.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. EATON of Colorado, from the Committee on the Public Lands, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 15876] The Committee on the Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 15876,) to provide for the addition of certain lands to the Mesa Verde National Park, Colo., and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon and recommend that it do pass without amendment. The land to be added in this instance is to be donated to the Government, and the purpose of this legislation is to make it a part of the national park, so as to be under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. As stated in the bill, this bill proposes to protect the roadsides from unsightly structures. The bill has the recommendation of the Secretary of the Interior, as shown in a letter addressed to the chairman of the Public Lands Committee. The letter is made a part of the report and appears below. DEPARTMENT, OF THE INTERIOR, Hon. DoN B. COLTON, Chairman Committee on the Public Lands, House of Representatives. MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: In response to your request for a report on H. R. 15876, which is a bill to provide for the addition of certain lands to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, and for other purposes, I transmit herewith a memorandum on the subject that has been submitted by Director Albright, of the National Park Service. After a review of the proposed measure, I agree with Mr. Albright. Very truly yours, RAY LYMAN WILBUR, Secretary. permanent retention thereof, distribution to the Veterans' Administration, State or other military homes, museums, or other appropriate institutions, or by their destruction, if, in the opinion of the board of commissioners thereof, they no longer possess any value. (c) That the net proceeds received by the home from the sale of such effects shall be covered into the Treasury to the benefit of the fund "Soldiers' Home permanent fund (trust fund)," and such principal fund as thus augmented shall draw interest at 3 per centum per annum, payable quarterly to the treasurer of the home. SEC. 3. (a) Claims for the net proceeds of effects may be filed with the General Accounting Office at any time prior to the expiration of six years from date of death of such deceased for action as authorized by law in the settlement of the accounts of deceased officers and enlisted men of the Army (act of June 30, 1906; 34 Stat. 750; U. S. C., title 10, sec. 868), and, if not so filed, are barred from being acted on either by the courts or the accounting officers. (b) All claims for the net proceeds of such effects which are allowed by the General Accounting Office shall be certified to the treasurer of the home for payment by check, in the amount thus found due and accrued interest thereon, from the fund "Soldiers' Home permanent fund (trust fund)," hereby appropriated therefor in such amount as necessary. No claim thus allowed or paid shall exceed the net proceeds and accrued interest derived from the particular estate and covered into the Treasury as aforesaid. SEC. 4. That the containers now in the possession of the General Accounting Office, in which are stored the effects enumerated in section 1 hereof, shall be transferred therefrom to the Soldiers' Home to provide for the protection and safekeeping of such effects. SEC. 5. All laws and parts of laws, in so far as in conflict herewith, are repealed. |