One employment and at the same time makes possible a desirable public work. department or agency of the Government may be compelled to forego or postpone some public work because of lack of funds to purchase the necessary labor while another department is supporting able-bodied men in idleness. The experience of the States has conclusively demonstrated that it is perfectly feasible to employ a large percentage of their prisoners outside the walls of their penal institutions. The Federal Government is building flood-control works of tremendous size, it is carrying on large reclamation and reforestation projects, and it is aiding the States in the construction of hundreds of thousands of miles of highways. Why should it not use its prisoners on this work? As prison industries are essentially business enterprises they must be provided with sufficient working capital funds to make it possible for the management to take advantage of favorable markets and buy their raw materials in such quantities as will enable them to meet competition. By consolidating the moneys already appropriated for and to the credit of the working capital funds of the existing industries sufficient funds will be available to enable the Attorney General to go forward with a diversified industrial program without asking Congress for further appropriations. Sections 5 and 6 of the proposed bill accomplish this consolidation. Eventually it may be necessary to ask for some additonal appropriations, and consequently a clause has been included in the bill authorizing such appropriations as may from time to time be necessary. While most of the Government departments have willingly cooperated with the prison bureau and purchased such articles as are now made in prison industries, there is occasionally a purchasing officer who will not buy prison-made products. Section 7 of the bill makes it obligatory on the Government departments to purchase such supplies as can be made in prisons and are in accordance with the requirements of the procuring agency. The departments are adequately protected as the law specifies that the goods shall be sold at current market prices and be in compliance with Federal requirements. An incentive is needed to get the prisoners to undergo the hardships which working on the roads and on public works involves. A provision has, therefore, been included in the bill permitting the Attorney General, if he sees fit, to allow three days extra good time to such prisoners. This is in accordance with the precedent already approved by Congress in the bill permitting the employment of convicts on roads constructed wholly from Federal funds. While we have not had opportunity to determine how well this provision operates, because we have not yet been able to find a Federal road-construction project built entirely from moneys appropriated from the Federal Treasury, we are nevertheless convinced it is a wise provision. O 71ST CONGRESS 2d Session } SENATE { REPORT No. 530 BRIDGE ACROSS THE OHIO RIVER AT CARROLLTON, KY. APRIL 21 (calendar day, APRIL 25), 1930.-Ordered to be printed Mr. DALE, from the Committee on Commerce, submitted the following REPORT To accompany S. 41731 The Committee on Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (S. 4173) to extend the times for commencing and completing the construction of a bridge across the Ohio River at or near Carrollton, Ky., having considered the same, report favorably thereon and recommend that the bill do pass without amendment. The bill has the approval of the Departments of War and Agriculture, as will appear by the annexed communications, which are made a part of this report. Hon. HIRAM W. JOHNSON, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Chairman Committee on Commerce, United States Senate. DEAR SENATOR: Receipt is acknowledged of your letter of April 17 transmitting a copy of a bill (S. 4173) with the request that the committee be furnished with such suggestions touching its merits and the propriety of its passage as the department might deem appropriate. This bill would extend for one and three years, respectively, from the date of its approval, the times for commencing and completing the construction of the bridge across the Ohio River at or near Carrollton, Ky., authorized by act of Congress approved February 26, 1929, to be built by the State Highway Commission of Kentucky. Favorable action on the bill is recommended. Sincerely, C. F. MARVIN, Acting Secretary. [Second indorsement] WAR DEPARTMENT, April 22, 1930. Respectfully returned to the chairman Committee on Commerce, United States Senate. So far as the interests committed to this department are concerned, I know of no objection to the favorable consideration of the accompanying bill, S. 4173, Seventy-first Congress, second session, to extend the times for commencing and completing the construction of a bridge across the Ohio River at or near Carrollton, Ky. O F. TRUBEE DAVISON, APRIL 21 (calendar day, APRIL 25), 1930.-Ordered to be printed Mr. DALE, from the Committee on Commerce, submitted the following REPORT To accompany S. 41741 The Committee on Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (S. 4174) granting the consent of Congress to the Highway Department of the State of Tennessee to construct a bridge across the French Broad River on the Dandridge-Newport Road, in Jefferson County, Tenn., having considered the same, report favorably thereon. and recommend that the bill do pass without amendment. The bill has the approval of the Departments of War and Agriculture, as will appear by the annexed communications, which are made a part of this report. WAR DEPARTMENT, April 22, 1980. Respectfully returned to the chairman Committee on Commerce, United States Senate. So far as the interests committed to this department are concerned, I know of no objection to the favorable consideration of the accompanying bill, S. 4174, Seventy-first Congress, second session, granting the consent of Congress to the Highway Department of the State of Tennessee to construct a bridge across the French Broad River on the Dandridge-Newport Road, in Jefferson County, Tenn. F. TRUBEE DAVISON, Acting Secretary of War Hon. HIRAM W. JOHNSON, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Chairman Committee on Commerce, United States Senate. ↑ DEAR SENATOR: Receipt is acknowledged of your letter of April 17 transmitting a copy of a bill S. 4174, with the request that the committee be furnished with such suggestions touching its merits and the propriety of its passage as the department might deem appropriate. This bill would authorize the Highway Department of Tennessee, its successors, and assigns, to construct, maintain, and operate a free highway bridge and approaches thereto across the French Broad River on the Dandridge-Newport Road in Jefferson County, Tenn. The proposed bridge probably will be on th system of Federal-aid highways approved for Tennessee. Favorable action on the bill is recommended. Sincerely, C. F. MARVIN, Acting Secretary. APRIL 21 (calendar day, APRIL 25), 1930.-Ordered to be printed Mr. STEIWER, from the Committee on Indian Affairs, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 135] The Committee on Indian Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (S. 135) to provide for the payment of benefits received by the Paiute Indian Reservation lands within the Newlands irrigation project, Nevada, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with a recommendation that the bill do pass with the following amendment: On page 1, line 5, after the words "sum of" and before the words "or so much" strike out the figures "$10,096.01" and insert the figures "$6,000." This bill has the recommendation of the Secretary of the Interior, as set forth in the following letter, which is appended hereto and made a part of this report: Hon. LYNN J. FRAZIER, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Chairman Committee on Indian Affairs, United States Senate. MY DEAR SENATOR FRAZIER: Further reference is made to your request of April 22, 1929, for a report on S. 135, a bill to provide for the payment of benefits received by the Paiute Indian Reservation lands within the Newlands irrigation project, Nevada, and for other purposes. The bill authorizes an appropriation of $10,096.01, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to pay to the Truckee-Carson irrigation district, in 60 semiannual installments, as equally as may be, the proportionate share of the benefits received by the restricted irrigable lands of the Paiute Indians within the Newlands irriation project, for necessary repairs to the Truckee Canal to restore the canal to ..s original capacity, payments to be made at the same time and at the same rate per irrigable acre as that paid to the Reclamation Bureau by the district for other irrigable lands located thereon. SR-71-2-VOL 2—11 The State district laws under which the Truckee-Carson irrigation district was formed for the purpose of contracting with the department for the operation of the Newlands reclamation project are inapplicable to the Indian lands. Water rights for 4,877.3 acres of Indian lands were purchased from the Bureau of Reclamation and payments to that bureau have been made on 4,077 acres, and installments are now being paid on 800.3 acres. These payments have been made out of annual appropriations. Annual operation and maintenance assessments have also been paid out of appropriations to cover the share of such costs properly assessable against these Indian lands. The district, under section 27 of the contract between it and the United States dated December 18, 1926, is obligated to pay not to exceed $150,000 expended by the United States in making repairs to the Derby diversion dam and enlargements to the Truckee Canal. The work has been completed at a total cost of about $85,000. The total due on account of restricted Indian land would therefore be less than $6,000. I believe the Indian lands should bear their share of the necessary cost in repairing the canal and therefore recommend favorable action on the bill. I suggest, however, that the amount named in line 5, page 1, of the bill be changed from $10,096.01 to $6,000. The Director of the Bureau of the Budget says that this report recommending that the amount to be appropriated by the bill be reduced from $10,096.01 to $6,000 is not in conflict with the financial program of the President. Very truly yours, RAY LYMAN WILBUR, Secretary. |