interested in the development, extension, and improvement of libraries as essential factors in the educational program of the Nation. Librarians of schools and institutions of higher education form a large proportion of the association's membership. We urge the adoption of H. R. 13085, a bill to amend section 203 of the Federal Property and Administration Services Act of 1949 to provide for the donation of surplus property to public libraries. Under the present Surplus Property Act, school, college, and university libraries can benefit from surplus property, both real and personal, but public libraries can receive only real property since they are not specifically named for personal. This is an inconsistency because public libraries are basically educational in character. State legislation has recognized repeatedly the public library as an educational institution. For instance, the phrase "public schools, public libraries, and other educational institutions" frequently appears in State laws. In other words, the local public library performs a significant function in our educational processes, our cultural development, our economic activities, and political and social progress. It supplements the work of the schools by furnishing children with books for use both in school and during vacation times. The public library supplies material to youth seeking vocational guidance, scientific and technological information of our modern world, as well as our country's history. The public library helps the adult citizen with books for continuing his education, for obtaining unbiased information on local, national, and international problems and issues. That the Congress recognizes the place of our public libraries in the educational development of our Nation was made clear in 1956 when the Library Services Act was passed. The accomplishments under this act in bringing library service to children, young people, and adults in farming communities, villages, and small towns have been many, but there are still some 25 millions of rural Americans without public library service. The distribution of Federal surplus personal property to public libraries would release some funds of these institutions for further extension of their library services. Public libraries could use to advantage such surplus materials as: 1. Books of a general nature (fiction and nonfiction) which are declared surplus to the armed services, and in some instances where a military installation has closed it could be an entire library. Although these books are presently available to school, college, and university libraries, they are not suitable for these institutions. Installation libraries serve the man in the Armed Forces with informational, recreational, and reference materials purchased for the adult reader. It is generally the recreational material which is made available as surplus. These books could be used by public libraries to increase their collections for the general public. 2. Tables, chairs, desks, shelving, filing cabinets, book carts, fans, and typewriters and other equipment suitable for library purposes. 3. Vehicles, particularly trucks, which could be converted into bookmobiles and in some cases bookmobiles themselves. Local public libraries are tax supported in whole or in part by municipal or county governments. They operate on public taxes and are exempt from Federal income tax. The financial plight of many of the local public libraries is great because there are never sufficient funds made available for their educational function. Since these surplus materials were originally purchased with tax money, their acquisition by libraries would be a means of supplementing public library income. Numerous letters from local public libraries have given evidence of the need for these materials. Such use of surplus property is clearly in the public interest and for the general good of the communities so benefited. The American Library Association, therefore, supports H. R. 13085, the proposed amendment to the Federal Property and Administration Services Act, which would make public libraries eligible for Federal surplus personal property. NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE LIBRARY, Hon. PERKINS BASS, United States House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. BASS: It has recently come to my attention that Public Law 655, chapter 513 of the 84th Congress, 2d session, as amended, provides Government surplus materials to schools, Boy Scouts, health departments, and civil defense workers. Is there any possibility that this law could be amended to include public libraries? Surely they are giving service to young people which is as valuable in its way as the service of scouting. The library is an important educational institution: in fact the one basic educational resource once formal schooling is over that is free to all. Many rural libraries do not have adequate desks, and some of our small city libraries could use files. Just recently one small city library replaced a desk chair which was held together with rope with a better castoff from city hall, and many of the librarians sit in straight chairs to type, if they have a typewriter. Our libraries are so poorly supported that standard office equipment is often nonexistent. The Rural Library Services Act does not allow funds for the purchase of such items for individual libraries. The New Hampshire allotment of $62,000, if the full $7,500,000 should ever be appropriated, would not go very far if it was divided among the 228 rural libraries. We could, however, help these libraries if we had access to surplus materials. This is the wrong season of the year to propose such legislation, but I hope you will give the idea serious consideration at the appropriate time. Sincerely, (Mrs.) MILDRED P. MCKAY, State Librarian. STATEMENT OF LOUIS B. TRAYCIK, REPRESENTING THE SALVATION ARMY AND THE YMCA Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, I am happy to have the privilege of speaking to you today on behalf of two organizations with whom I have been closely connected; namely, the YMCA and the Salvation Army, who are two entities who would qualify under the terms of H. R. 9522, now before you. Both of these organizations are subject to standards set by the Michigan State Health and Welfare Department, are nonprofit and tax-exempt voluntary agencies, and receive their funds through a local community federated fund-raising body and are affiliated with and are a part of national standard setting organizations. These fine service agencies are now being looked to for unprecedented help due to the economic conditions that now exist. They could use surplus food and other kindred commodities to help the needy in our communities. The Salvation Army in my home of Flint, Mich., gave 1,353 emergency food and milk orders in 1957, which has stretched its budget to the breaking point. The Salvation Army is expanding its facilities to rehabilitate and train, in a Christian manner, human derelicts who would otherwise be a drain upon the public coffers. It could use surplus items in the training of these men in skills which will make them assets to the communities in which they reside. The economic decline has particularly affected those in the over-45-year class and many of these men have been coming in contact with the Salvation Army. It needs help to take care of these unfortunates. This bill, if passed by Congress, will greatly assist it to meet the present challenge. The YMCA operates boy's camps, having 90 resident and day camps serving 10,000 boys and girls in Michigan alone. Also, in my community it operates a boy's farm for boys homeless and emotionally upset. It could use not only surplus foods and kindred products, but also such surplus items as road-grading equipment, buses, sports equipment, and such other items. The boy's farm I have referred to its an experiment in family living which places a limited number of boys placed by the juvenile courts. These boys come from broken homes or homes in which family living is nonexistent. We try to give home living, home discipline under a housemother and father, and provide them with good schooling as well as religious training. We also attempt to provide adequate recreational facilities. This boy's farm or home idea is spreading throughout the country and is helping to solve our juvenile delinquency problems. It has helped in our community to such an extent that we have 85 percent success with our boys compared to about 30 percent success in those boys sent to the State boys vocational school in Lansing. Our boy's farm is being assisted by another organization; namely, the Downtown Flint Optimist Club, which is an affiliate of Optimist International, whose slogan is, "Friend of the Boy." It either cooperates with other organizations or operates boys homes throughout the country. These homes need assistance such as this bill will provide. It is respectfully urged that you give favorable consideration to this worthy proposal before you. (H. R. 13673 follows:) [H. R. 13673, 85th Cong., 2d sess.] A BILL To amend the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to permit donation of surplus property to volunteer fire-fighting organizations, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a) the first sentence of section 203 (j) (1) of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (40 U. S. C., sec. 484 (j) (1)) is amended to read as follows: "Under such regulations as he may prescribe, the Administrator is authorized in his discretion to donate without cost (except for direct costs of care and handling) for use in any State for purposes of education, public health, or civil defense, or for research for any such purpose, or for the purpose of aiding in the protection of life and property by volunteer fire-fighting organizations, any equipment, materials, books, or other supplies (including those capitalized in a working capital or similar fund) under the control of any executive agency which shall have been determined to be surplus property and which shall have been determined under paragraph (2), (3), or (4) of this subsection to be usuable and necessary for any such purpose." 66 (b) The last sentence of section 203 (j) (1) of such Act is amended by inserting before the period at the end thereof the following: except that notwithstanding a State agency is not designated under State law for the purpose of distributing property for use by volunteer fire-fighting organizations, such property may be transferred to such State agency for use for purposes of education, public health, or civil defense, or for research for any such purpose". SEC. 2 (a) The first sentence of section 203 (j) (3) of such Act (40 U. S. C., sec. 484 (j) (3)) is amended to read as follows: "Determination whether such surplus property (except surplus property allocated in conformity with paragraph (2) of this subsection) is usuable and necessary for purposes of education or public health, or for research for any such purpose, or for the purpose of aiding in the protection of life and property by volunteer fire-fighting organizations, in any State shall be made by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, who shall allocate such property on the basis of needs and utilization for transfer by the Administrator to such State agency for distribution to (A) tax-supported medical institutions, hospitals, clinics, health centers, school systems, schools, colleges, and universities, (B) other nonprofit medical institutions, hospitals, clinics, health centers, schools, colleges and universities which are exempt from taxation under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or (C) to any incorporated or unincorporated volunteer fire department, fire company, or other smaller fire-fighting organization which is tax-supported or has been held exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954." (b) The second sentence of section 203 (j) (3) is amended by inserting "or for the purpose of aiding in the protection of life and property by volunteer firefighting organizations in the State," after "in the State,". SEC. 3. Section 203 (k) (2) of such Act (40 U. S. C., sec. 484 (k)) is amended by striking out "or" at the end of clause (D), by striking out the comma at the end of clause (E) and inserting in lieu thereof "; or", and by inserting immediately after clause (E) the following new clause: "(F) the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, through such officers or employees of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare as he may designate, in the case of property transferred pursuant to this Act to volunteer fire-fighting organizations for aiding in the protection of life and property by such organizations,". SEC. 4. Section 203 (o) of such Act (40 U. S. C., sec. 484 (n)) is amended by inserting "or volunteer fire-fighting organizations" after "educational or public health institutions". APPENDIX-REPORTS FROM GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND DEPARTMENTS EXHIBIT 1-REPLIES FROM THE BUREAU OF THE BUDGET Hon. WILLIAM L. DAWSON, BUREAU OF THE BUDGET, Washington, D. C., March 22, 1957. Chairman, Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: This is in reply to your request for a report on H. R. 242, a bill to amend the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to permit the donation of surplus property to certain community organizations. We believe it inadvisable to enlarge the number of organizations or purposes for which surplus property may be donated. You may recall that the Government has had very unsatisfactory experience in the past under statutes authorizing donations for many different purposes. In 1949 those statutes were repealed because it had been found that the numerous claimants caused surplus property to remain in warehouses at Government expense for long periods, sometimes even for years, while first one group and then another examined the lists of available surplus. In the end, most of the property was not wanted by any group and had to be sold. In such instances the losses due to damage and deterioration of stock and the added costs of warehouse space, care, and handling, and administration seemed unjustified. The laws were repealed in order to speed up, simplify, and make less costly the task of surplus property disposal. We have therefore generally opposed bills proposing to expand the donation program to include such purposes and institutions as mosquito control districts, municipal water and gas systems, 4-H Clubs, municipal governments, and scientific and research organizations. For the same reasons we oppose extending the program to certain community organizations as proposed in H. R. 242. We have not questioned the worthiness of these purposes but have recommended to your committee and to the Senate Committee on Government Operations that, in view of the serious administrative difficulties involved, any further expansion of the donation program should be supported only for major purposes which are compelling in the national interest, and which are not primarily local responsibilities. Sincerely yours, PERCIVAL F. BRUNDAGE, Director. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, BUREAU OF THE BUDGET, Washington, D. C., July 24, 1957. Hon. WILLIAM L. DAWSON, Chairman, Committee on Government Operations. MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: This is in reply to your request for a report on H. R. 737, a bill to amend the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to permit the disposal of certain surplus property to State defense forces. The bill would authorize the donation to State defense forces of surplus equipment, uniforms, clothing, materials, and other supplies which are determined by the Secretary of Defense to be usable and necessary for such purposes, and would authorize the Secretary of Defense to allocate such property for transfer by the Administrator of General Services. 30975-58-6 75 |