"ARTICLE VII All 70 Stat. 638. "The compact administrators may request the United States Forest Service to act as the primary research and coordinating agency of the Middle Atlantic Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact in cooperation with the appropriate agencies in each state, and the United States Forest Service may accept the initial responsibility in preparing and presenting to the compact administrators its recommendations with respect to the regional fire plan. Representatives of the United States Forest Service may attend meetings of the compact administrators. "ARTICLE VIII "The provisions of Articles IV and V of this compact which relate to mutual aid in combating, controlling or preventing forest fires shall be operative as between any state party to this compact and any other state which is party to a regional forest fire protection compact in another region: Provided, That the legislature of such other state shall have given its assent to such mutual aid provisions of this compact. "ARTICLE IX "This compact shall continue in force and remain binding on each state ratifying it until the legislature or the governor of such state takes action to withdraw therefrom. Such action shall not be effective until six months after notice thereof has been sent by the chief executive of the state desiring to withdraw to the chief executives of all states then parties to the compact." SEC. 2. The right to alter, amend, or repeal this Act is expressly reserved. Approved July 25, 1956. To provide for the protection of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a) for the Okefenokee purpose of protecting the natural features and the very substantial National Wildpublic values represented in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, life Refuge, Ga. Georgia, from disastrous fires such as those which swept over 80 per centum of the area between October 1954 and June 1955, and for the purpose of safeguarding the forest resources on more than four hundred thousand acres of adjoining lands recently damaged by wildfires originating in or sustained by the desiccated peat deposits in the Okefenokee Swamp, the Secretary of the Interior shall construct a continuous perimeter road around the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge with additional fire access roads (leading from such perimeter road) in and around such refuge; and for the purpose of protecting such refuge against damage from drought he shall construct a sill and dike in the Suwanee River near the point where the river leaves the refuge together with additional sills in the Old Saint Marys River Canal and at such other points within the refuge as he may determine to be necessary to prevent drainage of the Okefenokee Swamp during periods of drought such as those which occurred in 1953-1955 and other years. (b) The Secretary of the Interior is authorized and directed to con- Surveys for duct such surveys as he deems necessary to provide more adequate pro- roads, etc. tection for the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, through the development and construction of perimeter and fire access roads and the installation of water controls as described in subsection (a), against the damaging effects of fire and drought. (c) The Secretary of the Interior is authorized and directed to cooperate with State and local authorities in protecting public and private lands from wildfires originating in or sustained by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge by integrating the perimeter road and fire access roads with existing woods roads in such manner as he determines will best carry out the purpose of this Act. SEC. 2. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated to carry out Appropriations. this Act (1) the sum of $453,500 for the construction of a continuous perimeter road around the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and approximately one hundred and sixty-two miles of fire access roads, together with necessary bridges and culverts, in and around such refuge, and (2) the sum of $275,000 for the construction of a sill and dike in the Suwanee River and sills at other appropriate points in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Approved July 26, 1956. To amend the Act of March 4, 1915 (38 Stat. 1086, 1101; 16 U. S. C. 497). National Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the last para- forest. graph under the heading "FOREST SERVICE" in the Act of March 4, 1915 Use of lands. (38 Stat. 1086, 1101; 16 U. S. C. 497), is amended to read as follows: "The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized, under such regulations as he may make and upon such terms and conditions as he may deem proper, (a) to permit the use and occupancy of suitable areas of land within the national forests, not exceeding eighty acres and for periods not exceeding thirty years, for the purpose of constructing or maintaining hotels, resorts, and any other structures or facilities necessary or desirable for recreation, public convenience, or safety; (b) to permit the use and occupancy of suitable areas of land within the national forests, not exceeding five acres and for periods not exceeding thirty years, for the purpose of constructing or maintaining summer homes and stores; (c) to permit the use and occupancy of suitable areas of land within the national forest, not exceeding eighty acres and for periods not exceeding thirty years, for the purpose of constructing or maintaining buildings, structures, and facilities for industrial or commercial purposes whenever such use is related to or consistent with other uses on the national forests; (d) to permit any State or political subdivision thereof, or any public or nonprofit agency, to use and occupy suitable areas of land within the national forests not exceeding eighty acres and for periods not exceeding thirty years, for the purpose of constructing or maintaining any buildings, structures, or facilities necessary or desirable for education or for any public use or in connection with any public activity. The authority provided by this paragraph shall be exercised in such manner as not to preclude the general public from full enjoyment of the natural, scenic, recreational, and other aspects of the national forests." Approved July 28, 1956. (453) Chapter 781 - 2d Session AN ACT To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to charge for special services to purchasers of timber from Indian lands. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary Timber on of the Interior is authorized to charge purchasers of timber on Indian Indian lands. lands that are held by the United States in trust, or that are subject Service charges. to restrictions against alienation or encumbrance imposed by the 70 Stat. 721. United States, for special services requested by the purchasers in 70 Stat. 722. connection with scaling, timber marking, or other activities under the contract of purchase that are in addition to the services otherwise provided by the Secretary, and the proceeds derived therefrom shall be deposited to the credit of the appropriation from which the special services were or will be provided. Approved July 30, 1956. (454) To provide for the redemption by the Post Office Department of certain unsold Federal migratory-bird hunting stamps, and to clarify the requirements with respect to the age of hunters who must possess Federal migratory-bird hunting stamps. stamp. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 1 of the Migratory waterMigratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act of March 16, 1934, as amended fowl hunting by section 1 of the Act of June 15, 1935 (49 Stat. 378; 16 U. S. C., 1952 edition, sec. 718a), is hereby amended by striking out the words "no person over sixteen years of age", and by inserting in lieu thereof the words "no person who has attained the age of sixteen years". SEC. 2. The last two sentences of section 2 of said Act of March 16, 1934, as amended by section 2 of said Act of June 15, 1935 (49 Stat. 379; 16 U. S. C., 1952 edition, sec. 718b), are hereby amended so as to read as follows: "Each such stamp shall expire and be void after Expiration; the thirtieth day of June next succeeding its issuance. The Post- redemption. master General, pursuant to regulations to be prescribed by him, shall provide for the redemption, on or before the thirtieth day of June of each fiscal year, of blocks composed of two or more attached unused stamps issued for such year that were sold on consignment to retail dealers for resale to their customers and that have not been resold by such dealers. As used in this section, the term 'retail dealers' means persons regularly engaged in the business of retailing hunting or fishing equipment, and persons duly authorized to act as agents of a State or political subdivision thereof for the sale of State or county hunting or fishing licenses." SEC. 3. (a) Hereafter such quantity of migratory-bird hunting Collectors' stamps, not sold at the end of the fiscal year for which issued, as supply. determined by the Postmaster General to be (1) required to supply the market for sale to collectors, and (2) in suitable condition for such sale to collectors, shall be turned over to the Philatelic Agency and therein placed on sale. Any surplus stock of such migratory-bird Destruction hunting stamps may be destroyed in such manner as the Postmaster General shall direct. of surplus. (b) The fourth sentence of section 2 of the Act of March 16, 1934, as amended (48 Stat. 451; 16 U. S. C., sec 718b), is hereby further amended to read as follows: "Such stamps shall be usable as migratory-bird hunting stamps only during the fiscal year for which issued." (c) The first and second provisos in the paragraph under the head- Repeal. ing "Migratory Bird Conservation Fund" in the Act of June 28, 1941 (55 Stat. 356; 16 U. S. C., sec. 7181) are hereby repealed." Approved July 30, 1956. (455) |