removing timber upon certain revested and reconveyed lands in the State of Oregon.

Attention is respectfully invited to your letter dated March 31, 1930, addressed to Hon. Charles L. McNary, United States Senate, relative to the same subject matter, from which the following is quoted:

"The bill which you propose, I understand, would give this discretionary power to the Secretary of the Interior, both as to the granting of relief and the time for which it may be granted. * * * I would be disposed to make favorable recommendation on legislation to accomplish this end if a suitable bill for that purpose is submitted to the department for consideration.”

The present bill, it is believed, fully meets the views thus expressed. The timber sales in which the time limit is about to expire were consummated before the passage of the act of May 17, 1928 (45 Stat. 597, Public No. 417), and the purchaser therefore did not enter into a contract obligating himself to dispose of all slash and débris after cutting and removing the timber purchased.

Under the discretionary powers of this bill and as a means of further reducing the fire hazards the Secretary may invoke the regulations adopted under said act of May 17, 1928, as one of the conditions under which the time may be extended, in case the proposed legislation is enacted into law.

O

C. C. MOORE, Commissioner.

APRIL 21 (calendar day, APRIL 28), 1930.—Ordered to be printed

Mr. HAYDEN, from the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany S. 3276]

The Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, having considered the bill (S. 3276) to enable the postmaster to designate employees to act for him, including the signing of checks in his name, report favorably, without amendment, and recommend that the bill do pass.

It is believed that the passage of this bill will be in the interest of the Postal Service. The responsibility of the postmaster or any disbursing officer of the Post Office Department or the Postal Service will in no way be diminished, and the safety to Government funds coming into their possession or those authorized to act for such officials will in no way be lessened.

The enactment of this measure will relieve the officials mentioned therein of a large amount of clerical work, thereby permitting a greater concentration on problems of economical management and efficient administration. It will involve no additional expense, and is in accord with recommendation contained in the Annual Report of the Postmaster General for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1929, as follows:

Postmasters disburse funds in payment of salaries and expenditures of their offices, and act as disbursing officers for other funds when so directed. Incident to this service the postmasters of the largest offices are required to sign checks drawn on the Treasurer of the United States. With the great growth of the service it is necessary that such detailed work as signing checks should be delegated to subordinates, and in some of these offices it is necessary to designate more than one person for this duty. For example, the postmaster of New York issues approximately 24,000 checks each pay day, and in order that the delivery of these checks to the payees may not be delayed unduly it is necessary that they be signed by three or four clerks so designated.

Section 714 of title 39, United States Code, authorizes the designation of some one in the office of the postmaster to act in his place in case of his sickness or unavoidable absence from his office. However, on a question arising in the

Treasury Department with respect to the authority of the person designated
under the provisions of similar law to act in that department, the Attorney Gen-
eral of the United States and the Solicitor of the Treasury have rendered opinions
that under existing law the authority of the disbursing head of a bureau to desig-
nate a person to act for him, including the signing of checks, is restricted to the
period of absence of the principal. The Solicitor of the Post Office Department
holds that this is true also as to postmasters acting under the statute above cited.
The law authorizing a postmaster to designate some one to act in his absence
was enacted many years ago when no post office was so large that the postmaster
could not give personal attention to the work, even to the signing of the checks
he was authorized to issue when he was actually at his office.
It is necessary

in the conditions of the service to-day in the larger offices that the postmaster
have authority to designate one or more employees to act in his place.

་་།

3

71ST CONGRESS 2d Session

}

SENATE

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REPORT No. 555

CONVEY TO THE CITY OF WALTHAM, MASS., CERTAIN GOVERNMENT LAND FOR STREET PURPOSES

APRIL 21 (calendar day, APRIL 28), 1930.-Ordered to be printed

Mr. WALSH of Massachusetts, from the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. R. 2161]

The Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 2161) to convey to the city of Waltham, Mass., certain Government land for street purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with the recommendation that the bill do pass.

No objection to the passage of the proposed legislation is made by the Secretary of the Treasury whose letter, addressed to the chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, regarding this measure is herewith appended.

Hon. HENRY W. KEYES,

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, Washington, D. C., March 13, 1930.

Chairman Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds,

United States Senate.

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of March 6, 1930, requesting a report on the bill (H. R. 2161) authorizing the conveyance to the city of Waltham, Mass., for street purposes and no other, of a portion of the present post-office site in said city, being a strip of land 3 feet in width along the Moody Street frontage of said site and enough land to round the corner between this 3-foot line and the northerly line of Pine Street by a curve with a 20-foot radius.

No objection is interposed by this department to the passage of the proposed legislation.

Very truly yours,