The War Department has no objection to the erection of a bank, but in the absence of legislation for the purpose the Secretary of War is without authority to give approval thereto. The proposed legislation will not require any appropriation of public funds nor involve expense to the United States, and the passage of the legislation is favored. An identical bill, H. R. 11277, was reported upon by the War Department under date of May 6, 1930, in a letter to the chairman Committee on Military Affairs, House of Representatives, the substance of that report being the same as is contained in the foregoing Sincerely yours, О F. TRUBEE DAVISON, PROVIDING THAT SUBSCRIPTION CHARGES FOR NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES, AND OTHER PERIODICALS FOR OFFICIAL USE MAY BE PAID FOR IN ADVANCE JUNE 9 (calendar day, JUNE 10), 1930.-Ordered to be printed Mr. WATERMAN, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 976] The Committee on the Judiciary, having had under consideration the bill (H. R. 976) providing that subscription charges for newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals for official use may be paid for in advance, reports the same to the Senate favorably and recommends that the bill do pass. The purpose and effect of this legislation are shown by House Report No. 77, Seventy-first Congress, second session, as follows: The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the bill H. R. 976, after consideration, report the same favorably and recommend that the bill do pass. This bill was originally introduced by the late Representative Martin B. Madden in the Seventieth Congress and was favorably reported by the Judiciary Committee. The bill merely permits the payment of subscription charges for newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals subscribed for by the Government for official use to be made in advance. It was recommended by Mr. Madden when he was chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, and his letter is printed herewith and made a part of this report and is as follows: Hon. GEORGE S. GRAHAM, COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Chairman Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives. DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: I inclose herewith a copy of H. R. 11989, which was introduced yesterday and referred to the Judiciary Committee. The purpose of the bill is almost clear from its context. Section 3648 of the Revised Statutes prohibits the advance payment of public money for the procurement of services or supplies. It is the prevailing practice for newspaper and other publishers to require advance payment for subscriptions. The Government departments are not able to do this except in such cases as authority has been given in the annual appropriation acts in connection with the appropriations to make such purchases. The Government should follow the custom of business in such instances. If the bill is enacted, it will enable the Committee on Appropriations to eliminate from the annual appropriation bills innumerable instances of authority which has been carried there for many years to permit these advance payments to be made. With the passage of the law the practice throughout the Government can become uniform, and considerable unnecessary surplusage in the annual supply bills may be omitted. Very truly yours, MARTIN B. MADDEN, Chairman The bill, of course, does not authorize any additional subscriptions to be made and only changes the method of payment so as to make it unnecessary in the future to carry these provisions in the appropriation bills. The prohibitory statute referred to in the act (Rev. Stat., sec. 3648) is as follows: "529. Advances of public moneys; prohibition against.-Except as otherwise provided by law, no advance of public money shall be made in any case. And in all cases of contracts for the performance of any service, or the delivery of articles of any description, for the use of the United States, payment shall not exceed the value of the service rendered, or of the articles delivered previously to such payment. It shall, however, be lawful, under the special direction of the President, to make such advances to the disbursing officers of the Government as may be necessary to the faithful and prompt discharge of their respective duties, and to the fulfillment of the public engagements. The President may also direct such advances as he may deem necessary and proper, to persons in the military and naval service employed on distant stations, where the discharge of the pay and emoluments to which they may be entitled can not be regularly effected." Q SENATE 71ST CONGRESS 2d Session } { REPORT No. 876 REVISION AND PRINTING OF THE INDEX TO THE FEDERAL STATUTES JUNE 9 (calendar day, JUNE 10), 1930.-Ordered to be printed Mr. WATERMAN, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 972] The Committee on the Judiciary, having had under consideration the bill H. R. 972, to amend an act entitled "An act providing for the revision and printing of the index to the Federal Statutes," approved March 3, 1927, reports the same favorably to the Senate and recommends that the bill do pass. The need and effect of this legislation is rather completely set out in House Report No. 31, Seventy-first Congress, second session, as follows: The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the bill H. R. 972, after consideration, reports the same favorably and recommends that the same do pass. This bill passed the House in the closing days of the Seventieth Congress, and there is printed herewith the report made on H. R. 9778, which fully shows the necessity and advisability for the enactment of this legislation. The report is as follows: "This bill amends the act of March 3, 1927, providing for the revision and printing of the index to the Federal statutes. The law as originally passed authorized an appropriation of $25,000 for this work. The Librarian has advised the committee that it will be impossible to do the work for less than $50,000, and upon his recommendation the committee has amended the law, increasing the appropriation from $25,000 to $50,000, and also to provide that the index prepared shall be revised and extended to include the acts of Congress down to the Seventieth Congress, instead of to the Sixty-ninth Congress, as provided by the original act. "There is printed herewith and made a part of this report a memorandum from the Librarian of Congress which sets forth in detail the estimated cost of revising and printing the index provided for." SR-71-2-VOL 2- -60 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, The CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, House of Representatives. DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The bill authorizing the above having become law, an The item was omitted in the bill as passed. The acting director of our legislative reference service has since conferred with (1) A measure for the amount of the act, raising the limit of cost to $50,000; (3) A statement as to the value of such publication, should that question be I am accordingly inclosing for your consideration a suggestion for a bill of Very respectfully, HERBERT PUTNAM, Librarian. A BILL To amend the act of March 3, 1927, entitled "An act providing for the revision and printing of Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of Revised estimate for the cost of revising and printing the Scott-Beaman index For a period of 16 months (May 1, 1928, to Aug. 31, 1929) — 1 file clerk, grade 3, clerical, etc., at $1,500__ 1 clerical assistant, grade 1, at $1,140.......... For a period of 12 months (Sept. 1, 1928, to Aug. 31, 1929)— Cost of printing: First 1,000 copies. Additional 1,000 copies. 3,684 copies 1. Summary: Cost of revision, as above.. Cost of printing, 3,684 copies, as above. $4,000 1, 520 1, 500 1,000 10, 020 30, 107. 87 39, 964. 37 10, 020. 00 39, 964. 37 49, 984. 37 H. H. B. MEYER, Director Legislative Reference Service. The original Scott-Beaman index was printed in an edition of 4,206 copies. The $50,000 called for will |