legislation will provide. The passage of the resolution is therefore earnestly recommended. There is attached hereto a letter from the Secretary of the Interior transmitting a memorandum from the Acting Commissioner of Reclamation explaining the need of this legislation and recommending its enactment. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Hon. ADDISON T. SMITH, Chairman Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation, House of Representatives. MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: With further reference to your request of the 18th for a report on S. J. Res. 151, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to deliver water during the irrigation season of 1930 on the Uncompahgre project, Colorado, I transmit herewith a memorandum from the Acting Commissioner of Reclamation. After a review of the proposed measure, I agree with the acting commissioner. Very truly yours, RAY LYMAN WILBUR, Secretary. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Attached letter of March 18 from Hon. Addison T. Smith, chairman Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation, House of Representatives, requests report on S. J. Res. 151, "To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to deliver water during the irrigation season of 1930 on the Uncompahgre project, Colorado." Under date of February 25 a meeting was held at Denver, Colo., attended by representatives from the State of Colorado, Uncompahgre project, the chamber of commerce, and other local bodies interested in the welfare of the Uncompahgre project. At this meeting there was passed a resolution reading as follows: "Whereas the Uncompahgre reclamation project is at this time in a bad financial condition; and "Whereas the farm owners thereunder are liable under their present contract to the extent of an average of $6.93 per acre on approximately 35,000 acres under said project, which liability includes accumulated charges for delinquencies, interest thereon, and liabilities for the current year 1930; and "Whereas this committee recently appointed by Secretary of the Interior Wilbur has not and will not have sufficient time to work out a detailed constructive program for the relief of the situation on said project; and "Whereas it will be necessary for immediate action to be taken by the Congress of the United States partially relieving the present situation on said project if the farmers thereon are to be induced to farm the lands thereon during the present crop season year; and "Whereas the time for plowing is now at hand: Now, therefore, be it "Resolved by the undersigned members of the committee appointed by Secretary of the Interior Wilbur, That it is the unanimous sense and opinion of said committee that the Congress of the United States be urged by resolution to be passed immediately to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to permit water from the Uncompahgre project reclamation system to be furnished any landowner or water user thereunder if and when said landowner or water user, pays at a time satisfactory to the Secretary of the Interior, one regular, annual construction charge repayment to the United States Government and the operation and maintenance charge for the current year 1930, notwithstanding any delinquencies." The foregoing resolution recites the conditions making necessary some such provision as that embodied in Senate Joint Resolution 151. It is my belief that the proposed legislation is meritorious and that it should receive favorable consideration. P. W. DENT, Acting Commissioner. There is also attached a letter from the Commissioner of Reclamation to Hon. Edward T. Taylor, of Colorado. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Hon. EDWARD T. TAYLOR, United States House of Representatives. MY DEAR MR. TAYLOR: You have doubtless been advised of a conference held at Denver on February 25 and 26, to consider the economic problems of the Uncompahgre project. The outcome of the conference was the creation of a committee, composed of State authorities, representatives of the college, the bureau, and the water users, to make a study of conditions and determine what ought to be done. It is a satisfactory arrangement to all concerned. There is one obstacle to this arrangement which we hope Congress will help us to overcome. It is that, under the adjustment act of 1926, the district was required to repay certain delinquencies within five years. Some of the water users are not able to do this, and they are so far delinquent that unless some arrangement is made, they will not be able to get water this year. At my suggestion, which was unanimously approved by all the representatives at the conference, all who will pay one year's charges to the Government, including both construction and operation and maintenance, shall be entitled to water in 1930, regardless of their delinquencies. This agreement requires the approval of Congress, and I understand a resolution has been introduced by Senator Phipps and has passed the Senate. I hope the House will also approve. It means protection of the Government's interests rather than any sacrifice of them, as all who obtain water will make one full year's payment and time will be given to deal with the questions of credit, drainage, and settlement of unoccupied lands, which are the principal economic difficulties of the project. Sincerely yours, HR-71-2-VOL 2- 75 CONDUCT INVESTIGATIONS OF COTTON GINNING MARCH 21, 1930.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. HAUGEN, from the Committee on Agriculture, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 10173] The Committee on Agriculture, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 10173) to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct investigations of cotton ginning, having considered the same, report thereon with a recommendation that it do pass. The bill reported herewith reads as follows: [H. R. 10173, Seventy-first Congress, second session] A BILL To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct investigations of cotton ginning Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized to investigate the ginning of cotton; to establish and maintain experimental ginning plants and laboratories; and to make such tests, demonstrations, and experiments, and such technical and scientific studies in relation to cotton ginning as he shall deem necessary and to publish the results thereof, with a view to developing improved ginning equipment and encouraging the use of improved methods, and he may cooperate with any department or agency of the Government, any State, Territory, District, or possession, or department, agency, or political subdivision thereof, or any person, as he shall find to be necessary. SEC. 2. That for the purposes of this act there is hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of $100,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1931, and thereafter such sums as may be necessary. The Department of Agriculture favors this legislation as indicated by the following letter: Hon. G. N. HAUGEN, House of Representatives. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, DEAR MR. HAUGEN: I have your letter transmitting a copy of H. R. 10173, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct investigations in ginning and to establish and maintain experimental ginning plants and laboratories. I am pleased to comply with your request for a report on this bill. For some time the department has been urged by agricultural workers in the cotton States to undertake a study of cotton ginning with a view to preventing some of the losses which cotton growers are experiencing from this source. It has been pointed out that ginning as a factor in quality of cotton is of equal importance with breeding and that the results of years of careful work in the selection and improvement of varieties may often be nullified in the ginning process. Losses are known to range as high as $25 on individual bales. Estimates of total ginning damage to the cotton crop which have been made by responsible workers range from thirty to sixty million dollars a year. These figures are thought to be conservative inasmuch as the calculations are based only upon the outward appearance of ginned lint which is obviously damaged. They do not take into account other important elements of damage which appear when the cotton reaches the manufacturing process but which in the meantime can be detected only by comparative analyses of the seed cotton and ginned lint. There seems to be complete unanimity of purpose and desire on the part of growers, ginners, and gin manufacturers to reduce as far as possible these losses. The need is for authentic and definite information concerning the effect upon ginned fibers and spinning quality of such factors and conditions of ginning as moisture content, length, uniformity, and strength of staple in the seed cotton, saw and brush speeds and breast roll densities, shape and pitch of saw teeth, types and adjustments of cleaning equipment, and other factors of machine operation and design. It is the task of ginning research to develop and make available this information. Except for the work which has been done in the past two seasons by the agricultural engineers and fiber analysts in this department, little if any research has previously been done in this field. This is due to the fact that until recently methods have been lacking for accurately measuring the effect upon fibers of any of the conditions of ginning. There have lately been developed, however, in connection with the standardization of cotton grades and staples, methods of fiber analysis which to a great extent supply this want. Recognizing the need of means of improving ginning practices, the department workers have applied these methods to ginning research with success. Definite progress has been made in the preliminary studies which have been under way but the work is now hampered by the necessity of using commercial type gins which do not afford the range of conditions, the flexibility of adjustment, or the control needed in scientific work. Further progress in experimentation will require facilities and equipment especially designed to permit the easy variation and control of the large number of conditions which are factors in ginning results. Improvement of the quality of the cotton crop is now recognized as one of the means by which the prosperity of cotton growers in this country might be increased. Improved ginning is one of the means of improving the quality of the crop. H. R. 10173 would authorize and provide the needed facilities with which a more effective attack could be made upon the ginning problem. With these facilities it is believed that improvements in ginning practices can be developed which will not only result in the general improvement of the cotton crop but which will increase the income of individual growers by reducing the losses from damage which are now being sustained. Sincerely yours, ARTHUR M. HYDE, Secretary. The bill authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to investigate the ginning of cotton, to establish and maintain ginning plants and laboratories, to make tests, and to conduct experiments and demonstrations, with a view to developing improved ginning equipment, and encouraging the use of improved methods in cooperation with any department or agency of the Government, or any State, or political subdivision thereof, or any person or agency that he shall find to be necessary. The bill authorizes an appropriation of $100,000. The legislation was referred to the Secretary of Agriculture, and it has the approval of both the Secretary of Agriculture and the Director of the Budget. Hearings were held, and Dr. Arthur W. Palmer, of the cotton division of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, and Dr. R. W. |