In view of the provisions of section 4 of the act of March 3, 1927 (44 Stat. part 2, 1347), providing "That hereafter changes in the boundaries of reservations created by Executive order, proclamation, or otherwise for the use and occupancy of Indians shall not be made except by act of Congress," it is necessary for the Congress to adopt special legislation in order that the Needles Rocks may be constituted a bird refuge. The Interior Department has received a report from its superintendent of the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation to the effect that the "Needles" are not used by the Indians in any way, and in the light of that information the department advises that it has no objection to setting aside the islands in question for birdrefuge purposes. A number of correspondents of this department who are familiar with the area in question have recommended the establishment of the Needles Rocks as a bird refuge. If the draft meets with the approval of your committee, I trust that it will be introduced and enacted by Congress in the near future. Sincerely, AGRICULTURAL APPROPRIATION BILL, FISCAL YEAR 1932 DECEMBER 16, 1930.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. DICKINSON, from the Committee on Appropriations, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 15256] The Committee on Appropriations submits the following report in explanation of the accompanying bill making appropriations for the Department of Agriculture for the fiscal year 1932: SCOPE OF THE BILL The bill embraces regular annual appropriations for the various branches of the Government service under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture. A detailed tabulation will be found at the end of this report giving for each appropriation in this bill the amount appropriated for the fiscal year 1931, including amounts in deficiency and other acts, and the Budget estimates for the fiscal year 1932, together with the increase or decrease in appropriations and estimates as compared with the amounts recommended in the bill. APPROPRIATIONS AND ESTIMATES The estimates upon which this bill is based were submitted by the President in the Budget and will be found in detail in Chapter III of that document, pages 63 to 186, inclusive. The amount recommended to be appropriated in the bill, as compared with the 1931 appropriations and the Budget estimates for 1932, is divided for the major purposes of the bill in the following table: Appropriations Estimates for Amount recommended in bill for 1932 Increase (+) or decrease priations Increase (+) or decrease (-), bill compared with 1932 Budget estimates Regular departmental funds. Mediterannean fruit fly. Federal-aid highways and forest roads and trails. Mount Vernon Boulevard. Road-flood relief, Georgia and South Carolina..... Total... $70, 475, 410.00 $76, 419, 040.00 $75, 543, 702. 00 +$5,068, 292. 00-$875, 338.00 1,740, 000. 00 -1,740, 000. 00 It will thus be seen that, for regular departmental activities, the accompanying bill is $5,068,292 above the appropriations for the same items for 1931, and $875,338 less than the Budget estimates for 1932. Since the bill includes for 1932, the Brookhart Act adjustments in the sum of $268,287, and since the 1931 appropriation figure does not include any money for such adjustments, the actual increase in the amounts recommended for regular departmental items for 1932 is $4,800,005. Of the decrease in the bill of $875,338 under the Budget estimate, $223,820 is represented by the disallowed item for underaveragesalary adjustments, and $420,800 is for road and trail construction in the national forests, which has been transferred to the emergency appropriation bill. These two items total $644,620, and when deducted from $875,338, leave a net decrease under the Budget on other items of $230,718. SALARY INCREASES In accordance with the requirements of the act of July 3, 1930 (Brookhart Act), amounts aggregating $268,287 are carried for salary adjustments. While this sum shows throughout numerous items as increases or parts of increases over appropriations for 1931 the new rates are being paid during the current fiscal year and deficiency appropriations will be necessary to supplement present funds on that account. The committee, in accordance with the plan pursued in connection with previous appropriation bills passed at this session, has eliminated the amounts submitted as the first installment of the Budget program of three years of appropriation for increases in pay for employees in the so-called underaverage grades under the classification act. The amount involved for the department for the first year and deducted from the estimates for the accompanying bill is $223,820. EMERGENCY CONSTRUCTION ITEMS The following items tentatively submitted as a part of the estimate of $150,000,000 for emergency construction and also included in the estimates for this bill are permitted to remain in this bill and are made immediately available so that the funds may be utilized as soon as the measure becomes a law: Secretary's office: Mechanical shops, compensation of employees (direct to alternat ing current shift). Miscellaneous expenses Repairs and alterations (new elevators).... Bureau of Animal Industry: Materials for direct to alternating current shift__ Animal Husbandry Clearing timber, Beltsville, Md. Pasture and water, Miles City, Mont. Poultry investigations__. Diseases of animals Laboratory for parasites investigations, Beltsville, Md... 13, 000 Bureau of Dairy Industry: Plant and quarantine control: 25, 000 5, 000 Plant quarantine enforcement (fumigation house at Presidio, Tex). 35, 000 Forest Service: Protection and administration (blister rust). Sanitary facilities___. Improvements in national forests other than roads and trails.. Total.... 45, 000 40, 000 494, 200 773, 175 An allotment of $420,800 submitted in the 1932 estimates for this bill as part of the appropriation for "improvements in national forests" has been eliminated, due to the inclusion of a similar amount under the $3,000,000 appropriation for this purpose in the emergency construction appropriation bill now pending in conference. SECRETARY'S OFFICE The Budget proposal to transfer to the Secretary's roll six employees, heretofore carried on the rolls of other bureaus but detailed to and performing services under the Secretary's office, has been allowed. This results in an increase of $21,320 in salaries under the Secretary's office with corresponding reductions in other rolls. The transfer from other rolls of six employees with total compensation of $15,620 without reduction in the rolls from which transferred was disallowed. The committee allowed transfers from other rolls without corresponding reduction of one clerk-stenographer, at $1,800, who is engaged principally on work in connection with the enforcement of the migratory bird treaty act and of one guard at $1,500, carried on the roll of the Bureau of Plant Industry, who is engaged in patrolling and guarding the gardens and grounds of the department. The Budget request for 2 additional telephone operators, at $1,260 each, and 2 additional building guards, at $1,200 each, and 2 additional unskilled laborers, at $1,080 each, has been allowed. The committee has added a new position to the Secretary's roll, not estimated by the Budget, at $4,000, for further development of the system of project and appropriation allotment records in the Budget office of the department. This employee will enable the department to supply the committee with more detailed information in connection with the Budget estimates. Under the appropriation for compensation in the mechanical shops and power plant the committee has allowed the Budget estimates of $9,780 for changing from direct to alternating electric current in the east and west wings to conform to the type of current in the new administration building, and of $12,720 for upkeep and repair of buildings, necessitated by the acquisition of numerous structures in square 263 which is being acquired for the purpose of the new Federal building program. Budget increases in the appropriation for miscellaneous expenses have also been allowed: $16,100 for heat, light, and power involved in the operation of the new extensible building; $15,000 for window blinds for the new extensible building; $10,000 for expense of moving into the new extensible building; $60,000 for modernizing the elevators in the east and west wings; $19,700 for the materials and supplies used in changing from direct to alternating current; and $12,000 for repair and upkeep of the buildings acquired in square 263. The Budget decrease of $63,000 for rent of buildings has been accepted. This is made possible by the contemplated completion and occupation of the department's new extensible building during the winter of 1931, which will house several large units of the department now occupying rented quarters. OFFICE OF INFORMATION The committee has allowed Budget increases of $7,560 for five additional clerk-stenographers for a central file and emergency bulletin distribution force and of $2,600 for an assistant editor. The printing and binding item has been increased, in accordance with the Budget estimate, by $58,000, making the total appropriation $1,000,000. This will permit a continuation of the gradual reduction of the large accumulation of unpublished manuscripts. Of this increase $8,000 will be used for the printing of soil surveys. There was expended in 1930 for the latter purpose $75,000; $100,000 is allotted for the purpose for 1931 and $108,000 will be allotted for 1932. LIBRARY The Budget has requested $1,260 for a minor library assistant, $460 toward salary of a library aide at $1,020, and $540 for a parttime charwoman. The Budget request also contains an increase of $1,000 for books, periodicals and serials, and an increase of $2,800 for equipment. These increases have been allowed. OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS The committee has allowed a Budget increase of $5,100 for a scientific employee to assist in the general administration of the office, and a clerk-stenographer. Under insular agricultural experiment stations the committee has made some adjustment in the allotments for the Alaska work. The Budget estimate had eliminated the Sitka station. The committee |