CONVEYANCE TO UNIVERSITY OF OREGON CERTAIN LANDS FORMING PART OF COOS HEAD RIVER AND HARBOR RESERVATION FEBRUARY 3, 1931.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House and ordered to be printed Mr. HILL of Alabama, from the Committee on Military Affairs, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 3360] The Committee on Military Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (S. 3360) authorizing the Secretary of War to convey to the University of Oregon certain lands forming a part of the Coos Head River and Harbor Reservation, having considered the same, report thereon with the recommendation that it do pass. The act of August 21, 1916 (39 Stat. 516), authorized the Secretary of War to grant the use of Coos Head Military Reservation in the State of Oregon, to the cities of Marshfield and North Bend, Oreg., for park purposes. That act reads as follows: Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of War is hereby authorized and directed to grant permission to and to authorize the cities of Marshfield and North Bend, each being a municipal corporation of and within the State of Oregon, to use and occupy all of those tracts or parcels of land known as the Coos Head Military Reservation, and also described as lots 1, 2, and 3, and the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 2, township 26 south, range 14 west of the Willamette meridian, and lots 1, 2, and 4, and the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 3, township 26 south, range 14 west of the Willamette meridian, situated on the south shore of the entrance of Coos Bay, at Coos Head, in Coos County, State of Oregon, for park purposes, and to exercise such use and occupation by and through a commission consisting of three persons, two of whom shall be named and appointed by the said city of Marshfield from among its resident citizenship, and one to be named and appointed by the said city of Marshfield from among its resident citizenship; and for the purpose of enabling said cities more effectually to promote the purposes herein defined, the said commission is hereby granted the privilege (a) To fell and to remove trees and underbrush from said parcels of land, and to otherwise clear and improve the same. (b) To erect temporary buildings upon said parcels of land for the accommodation and convenience of the public. (c) To grant to private parties and to others the privilege of erecting temporary buildings upon said parcels of land for the accommodation of private persons and the public. (d) To survey and plat said parcels of land, or any part thereof, for the purpose of enabling said commission to indicate and define the particular tract or tracts of land granted for such privileges to any person or persons. (e) To police said parcel or parcels of land while the same or any part thereof is being used or occupied as a park or for parking purposes, or while the same or any part thereof is used or occupied under any privilege granted by said commission in accordance herewith. (f) To provide and enforce reasonable charges, restrictions, rules and regulations for the use of property and the conduct of persons while upon said parcels of land or upon any part thereof while being used or occupied, in whole or in part, for park purposes; subject, however, at all times to the rights of the United States in any manner to assume control of, hold, use, and occupy, without leave or consent from any one or from said cities of Marshfield or North Bend, or from military, naval, life-saving station, lighthouse, and any and all other Government purposes, freed from any and all grants, conveyances, or unmatured, made, created, permitted, or sanctioned thereon, by said cities of Marshfield and North Bend or said commission, or either of them, under and by virtue of this act: Provided, That the United States shall not be or become liable to any person or persons for any damages or compensation whatever to the said cities of Marshfield and North Bend or to said commission, or to either of them, for any future use by the said Government of any and all of the above-described parcels of land for any of the above-named Government purposes: Provided further, That each and all of the uses, occupations, and privileges hereby granted are and shall be of a temporary character only, and the said Secretary of War is hereby authorized to revoke the same at his discretion. A report from the War Department gives the following information regarding the land: The lands referred to in this bill are not in a military reservation, but are part of a tract of 179.53 acres on Coos Head, reserved by Executive order dated July 14, 1884, for use in connection with the improvement of Coos Bay and Harbor. There is a small tract containing 32.06 acres, located on Coos Head but not connected with the lands referred to in the bill, which was reserved for military purposes by Executive order dated August 6, 1915, and it is understood that all of the Government lands at Coos Head are locally referred to as military reservation. The easterly 570 feet of lot 3, referred to in the bill, is needed indefinitely for river and harbor purposes. The remainder of the lands described in the bill is not needed except as a site for present or future jetties, right of way to such jetties, and as a source of water supply for river and harbor activities. Mr. Hawley advises your committee as follows: I have been on the ground affected by the proposed legislation several times. It is admirably located for the purposes of a university in the scientific studies intended to be made there and no interference will occur with any Government activity. In the event of war or public necessity, the bill provides that the lands shall be subject to the control, use, and occupation for military, naval or other Government purposes. The buildings to be constructed by the university there will be of advantage to the Government in case of such war, emergency or public necessity. I believe that the proposed legislation will be beneficial to the Government of the United States and very useful to the university and to the public. The office of the vice president of the University of Oregon in a letter to Mr. Hawley stated that the land taken over by the commissioners under the grant of the Secretary of War, dated March 7, 1917, has been idle ever since. However, the commissioners did not approve the request for the land for the university until recently and have withheld 300 feet off the west side of lot 1 and also 300 feet off the west side of the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 2. Mr. Barker, the vice president, also stated that most of the land in question is lowland and is good only for botanical purposes, and is especially good for that because are still preserved many of Oregon's best botanical specimens. The purpose of having such a large tract of land is to make it a scientific reserve. Mr. Barker states: The location of the Marine Biological Laboratory on this tract is especially desirable because near here are the best marine biological life specimens to be found anywhere on the Oregon coast. Our scientists have gone throughout the length and breadth of Oregon and say without hesitation that this district contains the finest reefs and the best specimens anywhere in the State. As a matter of fact, they go further and say that in this general neighborhood will be found specimens of the warm waters of the south and also specimens of the cold waters of the north, so that if we can locate the laboratory on this land we will have in their opinion a location unexcelled for laboratory purposes by any school in the country. As a matter of fact it is hoped that this laboratory, money for which has already been given will be the beginning of a "Woods Hole" in Oregon. We have now one of the best marine biologists in the country who has come to Oregon especially to do this work and last year he was successful in associating with him a well-known German professor from Bonn University who is also a specialist trained along this line. If, therefore, we can get this grant, already having the money and plans for the building and teachers prepared to start the work, we will be able to establish a laboratory which in a very short time, I am sure, will be heard from scientifically. In other words, we have now everything, done, set, and ready, so that we can proceed immediately as soon as this act is passed. You may be well assured that the commissioners would never have given us this land had they not been satified that they were doing a fine bit of scientific work for the State of Oregon and for the university. There is little doubt in my mind that in time the university will establish a summer camp at this point where not only the marine scientists will work in connection with the botanists, but also our department of geology will establish headquarters here as it is very anxious to make a study of some of the deposits in Coos County which they believe will yield valuable scientific experiments. The report of the War Department is given in the Senate report, and that report is therefore made a part of this report, as follows: [Senate Report No. 1140, Seventy-first Congress, second session] The Committee on Military Affairs, to which was referred the bill (S. 3360) authorizing the Secretary of War to convey to the University of Oregon certain lands forming a part of the Coos Head Bay Military Reservation, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with the recommendation that it do pass with the following amendments: Page 1, line 6, strike out the word "Military" at the end of the line and insert in lieu thereof the words "River and Harbor" Page 1, line 9, strike out the word "lots" and insert in lieu thereof the word "lot"; after the numeral "2" strike out "and 3" and insert in lieu thereof a comma and the following: "the westerly 750 feet of lot 3,". Page 3, line 10, after the word "purposes" change the period to a comma and add "and subject at all times to the rights of the United States stated in section 4 hereof." Page 3, line 22, at the end of the line, change the period to a comma, and insert the following: "nor shall such act or permit apply to the unconveyed part of lot 3 after the date of this act. "SEC. 4. The lands herein authorized to be conveyed to the University of Oregon shall at all times be subject to the right of the United States to occupy and use such parts thereof as are now or may hereafter be needed for jetty site or sites, for rights of way for tramways from the unconveyed part of lot 3 to such jetty site or sites, and for ingress and egress by persons engaged in river and harbor work; and the United States shall at all times have prior right to three-fourths of the natural flow of streams draining lots 2 and 3." Change the title so as to read: "Authorizing the Secretary of War to convey to the University of Oregon certain lands forming a part of the Coos Head River and Harbor Reservation." The purpose of this bill is to authorize the conveyance to the University of Oregon certain lands forming a part of the Coos Head Reservation, Oreg., which are not required by the Government. The amendments are proposed by the Secretary of War, who interposes no objection to the conveyance. There is made a part of this report a letter from the Acting Secretary of War to the chairman of the Senate Committee on Military Affairs, which reads as follows: Hon. DAVID A. REED, Chairman Committee on Military Affairs, WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, May 21, 1930. United States Senate, Washington, D. C. DEAR SENATOR REED: Careful consideration has been given to the bill, S. 3360, Seventy-first Congress, second session, authorizing the Secretary of War to convey to the University of Oregon certain lands in the Government reservation at Coos Head, Oreg., which you transmitted to the War Department under date of May 19, 1930, with request for a report thereon. The lands referred to in this bill are not in a military reservation, but are part of a tract of 179.53 acres on Coos Head, reserved by Executive order dated July 14, 1884, for use in connection with the improvement of Coos Bay and Harbor. There is a small tract containing 32.06 acres located on Coos Head, but not connected with the lands referred to in the bill, which was reserved for military purposes by Executive order dated August 6, 1915, and it is understood that all of the Government lands at Coos Head are locally referred to as military reservation. The easterly 570 feet of lot 3, referred to in the bill, is needed indefinitely for river and harbor purposes. The remainder of the lands described in the bill is not needed except as a site for present or future jetties, right of way to such jetties, and as a source of water supply for river and harbor activities. The copy of the bill herewith has been amended in red to reserve to the United States the land and rights of way indicated in the preceding paragraph, together with the prior right to three-fourths of the natural flow of streams draining lots 2 and 3. As thus amended the bill will provide for the present and reasonably prospective needs of this department, and will, it is understood, be satisfactory to the university authorities. So far as the interests committed to this department are concerned no objection is known to the favorable consideration of the bill as thus amended. Sincerely yours, F. TRUBEE DAVISON, DISPOSITION OF USELESS PAPERS IN THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE FEBRUARY 3, 1931.-Ordered to be printed Mr. WASON, from the Joint Committee on Disposition of Useless Executive Papers, submitted the following REPORT [Useless papers in Government Printing Office] The joint select committee of the Senate and House of Representatives appointed on the part of the Senate and on the part of the House of Representatives, to which are referred the reports of the heads of departments, bureaus, etc., in respect to the accumulation therein of old and useless files of papers which are not needed or useful in the transaction of the current business therein, respectively, and have no permanent value or historical interest, with accompanying statements of the condition and character of such papers, respectfully report to the Senate and House of Representatives, pursuant to an act entitled "An act to authorize and provide for the disposition of useless papers in the executive departments," approved February 16, 1889, as follows: Your committee have met and, by a subcommittee appointed by your committee, carefully and fully examined the said reports so referred to your committee and the statements of the condition and the character of such files and papers therein described, and we find and report that the files and papers described in the report of the Government Printing Office to the Seventy-first Congress, third session, dated January 9, 1931, are not needed in the transaction of the current business of such office and have no permanent value or historical interest. We recommend that, as required by law, the Government Printing Office sell as waste paper or otherwise dispose of such files of papers upon the best obtainable terms after due publication of notice inviting proposals therefore, and receive and pay the proceeds thereof into the Treasury of the United States, and make report thereof to Congress. Respectfully submitted to the Senate and House of Representatives, EDWARD H. WASON, R. A. GREEN, Members on the part of the House. HENRIK SHIPSTEAD, DUNCAN U. FLETCHER, Members on the part of the Senate. |