SEC. 6. The said S. R. Cox, his heirs, legal representatives, and assigns, shall within ninety days after the completion of such bridge file with the Secretary of War and with the highway departments of the States of West Virginia and Ohio a sworn itemized statement showing the actual original cost of constructing such bridge and its approaches, the actual cost of acquiring any interest in real property necessary therefor, and the actual financing and promotion costs. The Secretary of War may, and upon request of either of such highway departments shall, at any time within three years after the completion of such bridge, investigate such costs and determine the accuracy and the reasonableness of the costs alleged in the statement of costs so filed, and shall make a finding of the actual and reasonable costs of constructing, financing, and promoting such bridge; for the purpose of such investigation the said S. R. Cox, his heirs, legal representatives, and assigns, shall make available all of the records in connection with the construction, financing, and promotion thereof. The findings of the Secretary of War as to the reasonable costs of the construction, financing, and promotion of the bridge shall be conclusive, for the purposes mentioned in section 4 of this act, subject only to review in a court of equity for fraud or gross mistake. SEC. 7. The right to sell, assign, transfer, and mortgage all the rights, powers, and privileges conferred by this act is hereby granted to S. R. Cox, his heirs, legal representatives and assigns, and any corporation to which or any person to whom such rights, powers, and privileges may be sold, assigned, or transferred, or who shall acquire the same by mortgage foreclosure or otherwise, is hereby authorized and empowered to exercise the same as fully as though conferred herein directly upon such corporation or person. SEC. 8. All contracts made in connection with the construction of the bridge authorized by this act and which shall involve the expenditure of more than $5,000, shall be let by competitive bidding. Such contracts shall be advertised for a reasonable time in some newspaper of general circulation published in the States in which the bridge is located and in the vicinity thereof; sealed bids shall be required and the contracts shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. Verified copies or abstracts of all bids received and of the bid or bids accepted shall be promptly furnished to the highway departments of the States in which such bridge is located. A failure to comply in good faith with the provisions of this section shall render null and void any contract made in violation thereof, and the Secretary of War may, after hearings, order the suspension of all work upon such bridge until the provisions of this section shall have been fully complied with. SEC. 9. The right to alter, amend, or repeal this act is hereby expressly reserved. Approved, March 2, 1929. The bill has the approval of the War Department, as will appear by the letter attached and which is made a part of this report. WAR DEPARTMENT, February 21, 1930. Respectfully returned to the chairman Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives. So far as the interests committed to this department are concerned, I know of no objection to the favorable consideration of the accompanying bill (H. R. 9850, 71st Cong., 2d sess.), to extend the times for commencing and completing the construction of a bridge across the Ohio River at or near New Martinsville, W. Va. PATRICK J. HURLEY, Hon. JAMES S. PARKER, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Chairman Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives. DEAR MR. PARKER: Careful consideration has been given to the bill H. R. 9850, transmitted with your letter of February 14, with request for a report thereon and such views relative thereto as the department might desire to communicate. This bill would extend for one and three years, respectively, from March 2, 1930, the times for commencing and completing the construction of a bridge across the Ohio River, at or near New Martinsville, W. Va., authorized by act of Congress approved March 2, 1929, to be built by S. R. Cox, his heirs, legal representatives, and asigns. When the original bill to authorize Mr. Cox to construct a bridge at the point proposed was pending before your committee this department submitted an adverse report thereon. Routes on the Ohio and West Virginia systems of Federal-aid highways parallel the Ohio River or both sides, passing through New Martinsville and points opposite in Ohio. A bridge across the Ohio River at this point will derive a very large measure of its traffic from these routes on the Federal-aid system. The department, therefore, still is of the opinion that private toll bridge should not be authorized at this point. R. W. DUNLAP, Acting Secretary. Sincerely, O BRIDGE ACROSS MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT CLEARWATER, MINN. FEBRUARY 27, 1930.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed Mr. BURTNESs, from the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 9901] The Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 9901) to extend the times for commencing and completing the construction of a bridge across the Mississippi River at or near the village of Clearwater, Minn., having considered the same, report thereon with an amendment and as so amended recommend that it pass as amended. Amend the bill as follows: Page 1, line 8, strike out the word "Stearns,". The acts of Congress referred to in the bill are as follows: [PUBLIC NO. 627-68тH CONGRESS] [H. R. 12264] AN ACT Granting the consent of Congress to the State of Minnesota and the counties of Sherburne and Wright to construct a bridge across the Mississippi River Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the consent of Congress is hereby granted to the State of Minnesota and the counties of Sherburne and Wright, and their successors and assigns, to construct, maintain, and operate a bridge and approaches thereto across the Mississippi River at a point suitable to the interests of navigation, at or near the village of Clearwater in the county of Wright, in the State of Minnesota, in accordance with the provisions of the act entitled "An act to regulate the construction of bridges over navigable waters," approved March 23, 1906. SEC. 2. The right to alter, amend, or repeal this act is hereby expressly reserved. Approved, March 4, 1925. [PUBLIC-No. 21-69TH CONGRESS] [H. R. 172] AN ACT To extend the time for the construction, of a bridge across the Mississippi River at or near the village of Clearwater, Minn. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the times for commencing and completing the construction of a bridge authorized by act of Congress approved March 4, 1925, to be built by the State of Minnesota and the counties of Sherburne and Wright across the Mississippi River at or near the village of Clearwater in the county of Wright, in the State of Minnesota, are hereby extended to March 4, 1927, and March 4, 1929, respectively. SEC. 2. The right to alter, amend, or repeal this act is hereby expressly reserved. Approved, February 26, 1926. [PUBLIC NO. 59-70TH CONGRESS] [H. R. 193] AN ACT To extend the times for commencing and completing the construction of a bridge across the Mississippi River at or near the village of Clearwater, Minn. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the times for commencing and completing the construction of a bridge authorized by the act of Congress approved March 4, 1925, to be built by the State of Minnesota and the counties of Sherburne and Wright across the Mississippi River at or near the village of Clearwater in the county of Wright, in the State of Minnesota, are hereby extended one and three years, respectively, from the date of approval hereof. SEC. 2. The right to alter, amend, or repeal this act is hereby expressly reserved. Approved February 16, 1928. [PUBLIC NO. 981-70TH CONGRESS] [H. R. 16448] AN ACT To extend the times for commencing and completing the construction of a bridge across the Mississippi River at or near the village of Clearwater, Minn. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the times for commencing and completing the construction of a bridge authorized by the act of Congress approved March 4, 1925, as amended by acts of Congress approved February 26, 1926, and February 16, 1928, to be built by the State of Minnesota and the counties of Sherburne and Wright across the Mississippi River at or near the village of Clearwater, in the county of Wright, in the State of Minnesota, are hereby extended one and three years, respectively, from February 16, 1929. SEC. 2. The right to alter, amend, or repeal this act is hereby expressly reserved. Approved, March 2, 1929. The bill has the approval of the War and Agriculture Departments, as will appear by the letters attached and which are made a part of this report. WAR DEPARTMENT, February 21, 1930. Respectfully returned to the chairman Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives. So far as the interests committed to this department are concerned, I know of no objection to the favorable consideration of the accompanying bill (H. R. 9901, 71st Cong., 2d sess.), to extend the times for commencing and completing the construction of a bridge across the Mississippi River at or near the village of Clearwater, Minn., if amended as indicated in red thereon. PATRICK J. HURLEY, Hon. JAMES S. PARKER, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Washington, D. C., February 25, 1930. Chairman Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives. DEAR MR. PARKER: Careful consideration has been given to the bill, H. R. 9901, transmitted with your letter of February 15 with request for a report thereon and such views relative thereto as the department might desire to communicate. This bill would extend for one and three years, respectively, from February 16, 1930, the times for commencing and completing the construction of the bridge across the Mississippi River, at or near the village of Clearwater, authorized by acts of Congress approved March 4, 1925, February 26, 1926, February 16, 1928, and March 2, 1929, to be built by the State of Minnesota and the counties of Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright, in said State. The location indicated for the proposed bridge is not on the system of Federal-aid highways approved for Minnesota. However, favorable action on the bill is recommended. R. W. DUNLAP, Acting Secretary. Sincerely, |