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ADDITION TO THE CACHE NATIONAL FOREST, IDAHO

JANUARY 26, 1932.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. SMITH of Idaho, from the Committee on the Public Lands, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany S. 457]

The Committee on the Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (S. 457) authorizing an addition to the Cache National Forest, Idaho, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with the recommendation that the bill do pass without amendment.

This bill is identical with House bill 393, which was favorably considered and reported from this committee on January 18, 1932, House Report No. 100.

The facts are set forth in the report of the Senate Committee on Public Lands (S. Rept. No. 38, 72d Cong., 1st sess.), which is appended hereto and made a part of this report, as follows:

[Senate Report No. 38, Seventy-second Congress, first session]

The Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, to whom was referred the bill (S. 457) authorizing an addition to the Cache National Forest, Idaho, having considered the legislation report thereon with the recommendation that it do pass.

The Department of Agriculture believes that the legislation would be in the public interest and its position is indicated in the following letter from the Secretary of Agriculture.

Hon. CHARLES L. MCNARY,

JANUARY 4, 1932.

United States Senate.

Chairman Committee on Agriculture and Forestry,

DEAR SENATOR MCNARY: Receipt is acknowledged of your letter of December 21, inclosing copy of S. 457, a bill authorizing an addition to the Cache National Forest, Idaho, and asking for a report thereon.

An examination of this bill discloses that it is identical with Senate bill 6130 in the Seventy-first Congress on which this department made a favorable report on February 30, 1931, to Senate Committee on Public Lands and Surveys. That report contained the following statements:

"The proposed legislation would give a national-forest status to certain lands lying adjacent to one of the divisions of the Cache National Forest, in the State

of Idaho. The area involved is approximately 19,520 acres. It lies on the eastern slope of Bannock Mountain and is composed of rather rough land which is unsuited to cultivation. A considerable part of it bears a stand of timber consisting of Douglas fir and Alpine fir. It is estimated that there are approximately 16,000,000 feet of this timber. The area is being used for the grazing of sheep and cattle during the spring, summer, and fall, and due to lack of management and heavy overgrazing a good deal of injury has resulted to the cover.

"During the past 10 years several bills have been introduced in Congress having for their purpose the addition of these lands to the Cache National Forest. Data obtained by the Forest Service during the summer of 1930 for the use of the President's commission on the public domain indicate quite clearly that it would be in the public interest to give these lands a national-forest status, and a recommendation to that effect was made to the commission by the forester. "These lands could be administered by the Forest Service as a part of the Cache National Forest without adding to the cost of the administration of that forest."

The department believes that legislation proposed by S. 457 would be in the public interest.

Sincerely yours,

ARTHUR M. HYDE, Secretary.

О

1st Session

No. 276

TO REVISE THE BOUNDARY OF THE MOUNT MCKINLEY NATIONAL PARK, IN THE TERRITORY OF ALASKA, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

JANUARY 26, 1932.-Committee to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. EVANS of Montana, from the Committee on the Public Lands, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. R. 6485]

The Committee on the Public Lands, to whom was referred (H. R. 6485) to revise the boundary of the Mount McKinley National Park, in the Territory of Alaska, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon and recommend that it do pass with the following amendments:

Page 1, line 5, strike out the quotation marks.

Page 1, line 7, strike out the words "sixty-five" and insert in lieu thereof the words "sixty-three".

Page 2, line 16, after the word "stream" insert the word "flowing". Page 2, line 20, strike out the word "southwesterly" and insert in lieu thereof the word "southeasterly".

Page 3, line 10, strike out the period and insert a colon, strike out the quotation marks and add the following:

Provided, however, That such isolated tracts of land lying east of the Alaska Railroad right of way and the west bank of the Nenana River between the north bank of Windy Creek and the north park boundary as extended eastward are also included in said park.

The purpose of this bill is to add approximately 246,693 acres of land to the Mount McKinley National Park. If this land is added, it will provide for an easier and more efficient supervision of the park and will allow a better development of this national park in the future.

The Secretary of the Interior, in his letter of January 21, 1932, addressed to the chairman of the Public Lands Committee, recommends the enactment of this legislation. A memorandum of the Director of the National Park Service, inclosed with the Secretary's letter, fully explains the purpose and reasons for its enactment. The letter from the Secretary, together with the memorandum mentioned above, are herein set out in full for the information of the House. They are as follows:

Hon. JOHN M. EVANS,

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
Washington, January 21, 1932.

Chairman Public Lands Committee,

House of Representatives.

MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: In response to your request of January 8, for a report on H. R. 6485, entitled "A bill to revise the boundary of Mount McKinley

National Park, in the Territory of Alaska, and for other purposes," I transmit herewith a memorandum of the subject that has been submitted by the Director of the National Park Service and in which full details regarding the purpose of this legislation are given.

I heartily concur in the memorandum report of the Director of the National Park Service and urge that H. R. 6485 received favorable consideration by Congress.

Very truly yours,

RAY LYMAN WILBUR.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE,
Washington, January 20, 1932.

Memorandum for the Secretary.

Reference is made to letter dated January 8, from the chairman Committee on the Public Lands, House of Representatives, inclosing copy of H. R. 6485, entitled "A bill to revise the boundary of Mount McKinley National Park, in the Territory of Alaska, and for other purposes," with request for report thereon. This legislation, if enacted, would add to the Mount McKinley National Park approximately 83,392 acres on the eastern boundary and approximately 163,301 acres on the northwestern boundary, or a total of 246,693 acres.

The east side extension from Windy Creek north brings the park boundary to the right of way of the Alaska Railroad. There are a few isolated tracts lying east of the Alaska Railroad right of way and the west bank of the Nenana River which should also be included in the park, as proposed by amendment No. 4, hereinafter recommended. This would make the west bank of the Nenana River for all practicable purposes a natural boundary line for the park. This extension will bring into the park the administrative headquarters development now constructed on lands withdrawn for this purpose. The National Park Service already maintains roads and trails within this area and the main park road begins at the railroad station. A new hotel will sooner or later be erected near the railroad and this park road. This hotel should be on park land and built under park policies regarding architecture. Furthermore, better protection can be given the mountain sheep in this section, because the present line is now high up on the side of mountains and can not be observed by hunters to avoid trespass and for the same reason can not be physically patrolled by rangers.

The proposed extension to the northwest will bring Wonder Lake into the park. The shores of this lake would provide an advantageous site for another hotel-lodge development and would afford a finer view of Mount McKinley than any now had in the park. The extension would permit us to continue to this scenic region the road now being constructed. In the most part this area consists of lowlands well adapted for game uses, especially during winter, and will form a better boundary line from a game-protection standpoint. It will also aid in better conserving the moose in the park by giving them winter-range protection. An additional benefit from Alaska's standpoint would come from the opening of the Wonder Lake region under the park program. It would then be a comparatively simple matter for the territory to connect up with the Kantishna district making that region accessible.

This legislation has been carefully examined and with a few corrections in the boundary description would be satisfactory to accomplish the above purposes. The corrections which should be made are as follows:

(1) On page 1, line 7, strike out the words "sixty-five" and insert in lieu thereof the words "sixty-three".

(2) On page 2, line 16, after the word "stream" insert the word "flowing". (3) On page 2, line 20, strike out the word "southwesterly", and insert in lieu thereof the word "southeasterly".

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(4) On page 3, line 10, change period to a comma, and add the following: 'Provided, however, That such isolated tracts of land lying east of the Alaska Railroad right of way and the west bank of the Nenana River between the north bank of Windy Creek and the north park boundary as extended eastward are also included in said park."

I earnestly recommend that H. R. 6485, after amendment as indicated above, receive favorable consideration by the department and Congress.

HORACE M. ALBRIGHT, Director.

DISPOSITION OF USELESS PAPERS IN WAR DEPARTMENT

JANUARY 27, 1932.-Ordered to be printed

Mr. GREEN, from the Joint Committee on the Disposition of Useless Executive Papers, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany report on the disposition of useless papers in the War Department]

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 has 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 character of such files and papers therein described, and we find and report that the files and paper described in the report of the War Department to the Seventy-second Congress, first session, dated January 13, 1932, are not needed in the transaction of the current business of such department and the bureaus and have no permanent value or historical interest.

We recommend that, as required by law, the War Department sell as waste paper or otherwise dispose of such files of papers upon the best obtainable terms after due publication of inviting proposals therefor 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.

R. A. GREEN,

EDWARD H. WASON,

Members on the part of the House.

DAVID A. REED,

DUNCAN U. FLETCHER,

Members on the part of the Senate.

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