an efficient coordination of national effort and will produce a Lore economical administration. We suggest the careful consideration of Senate Report 1329 of the third session of the Seventy-first Congress, dealing with the general subject of conserving wild life in which we found The larger part of a successful conservation program in the preservation and replacement of wild life belongs to the various States but, without active participation and the leadership of the Federal Government, the work will fail. National participation has been effective, but has not been either fully defined, coordinated, or supported. Our study has not advanced to a point which justifies our positive expression of opinion at this time in the matters of consolidation under a new Federal department of conservation or a consolidation of departments under one department with a permanent undersecretary in charge. Your committee has not had the opportunity to advance its investigation of these suggestions, and is leaving the subject open for further consideration. This bill is part of a developing plan which may, if it is deemed necessary, lead to larger consolidation under one department. But our investigations have not been completed and this bill providing for coordination of effort of national agencies may obviate such necessity, but it will produce valuable information which could later be applied to unit administration. The report referred to found Congress has created two major Federal bureaus especially to administer the resources of birds, mammals, and fishes and designed to be the scientific factfinding organization for all Federal agencies and operations having to do with the development, protection, and utilization of wild life. They are the Bureau of Fisheries in the Department of Commerce and the Bureau of Biological Survey in the Department of Agriculture. The functions of these two bureaus in the Federal program are of a vital and peculiar nature. From these bureaus must come the information, both scientific and practical, to enable administration executive agencies to use methods for increasing the production of wild life which are economical and practical. The Park Service in the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture are two major Federal bureaus also principally responsible for the preservation and replacement of wild life by reason of the control which they exercise over great areas of public domain; the opportunities thus provided for increasing the supply on such lands and also because of the demonstration value of such operations to the State commissions and to other organizations and individuals engaged in similar undertakings Will, without additional cost, greatly enlarge the present areas for the reproduction of game, fish, and animal life. We find that conservation is directly or partly administered by all members of the President's Cabinet: The Secretary of State, the Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of the Interior, Secretray of the Treasury, Secretary of War, Secretary of the Navy, the Attorney General, directing the Department of Justice; the Postmaster General, and the Secretary of Labor. We find that the game shortage and disappearance of wild life has been accentuated during the recent year and pending further consideration of a new department we believe that it is essential that quick cooperation and correlation of effort be brought about between the various departments to the end that there may be concentration in promoting the following objectives and activities. 1. To lend trained men to State commissions for aid in investigations. 2. To prepare and lend aid to the States to organize demonstration areas. 3. In cooperation with the States, to place more of the national forests under game management and work out cooperative plans for limiting and allocating the annual kill. 4. To stimulate game management on the public domain. 5. To secure more wilderness areas and gain congressional recognition of areas for wilderness recreation and 6. To obtain the facts relating to the game species on such wilderness areas. 7. To encourage game surveys and loan game experts to States wishing to reorganize their game program. 8. To promote game extension by furnishing game experts to agricultural colleges presenting satisfactory programs for game fact finding and extension work. 9. To assist in perfecting an annual game census and to secure standardized reports from license holders of the annual kill of all varieties of game animals for the benefit of more efficient administration of both State and Federal conservation agencies. This bill is intended to secure cooperation of work in departments now in existence and an exchange of opinion between these departments and joint effort in the future. In our report to the Seventy-first Congress, we found EVIDENCE OF DECREASE IN WILD LIFE Your committee finds convincing evidence of a rapid disappearance of wild life. The evidence supporting this conclusion comes from every source. It is not disputed. Both national and State sources of information agree, and substantiation comes from conservation and sportmen's organizations, from manufacturers and dealers, from research bureaus and statisticians. The alarm of the conservationist, sportsman, fisherman, recreationist, and hunter has never been greater than at the present period. The rapid disappearance of wild life is proclaimed by the great newspapers of the Nation and by the smallest local publication. This alarm is supported by all of the Government experts who have appeared before your committee and from reports received from the conservation commissions of the 48 States. There is unity of opinion on this subject. It is a matter which is not disputed, nor is the complaint and alarm sectional in character; it comes from every part of our country. It is estimated that 13,000,000 fishermen and hunters pay license fees to the various States who spend approximately $650,000,000 in outdoor recreation. We have an enormous national investment in unused waters and parks. The States own approximately 44,500,000 acres of land and water which has been set aside as game sanctuaries. The present bill without carrying an appropriation or additional cost in Government service, will facilitate the solution of an emergency affecting health, large financial investments, and assist in preserving the traditional policy of promoting outdoor recreation of great value to each of our States and to the people within the States. O F. C. WALCOTT, Chairman. HARRY B. HAWES, Vice Chairman. PETER NORBECK, CHAS. L. MCNARY, DECLARING DECEMBER 26, 1931, AND JANUARY 2, 1932, TO BE LEGAL HOLIDAYS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DECEMBER 18, 1931.-Ordered to be printed Mr. CAPPER, from the Committee on the District of Columbia, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 655] The Committee on the District of Columbia, to whom was referred the bill (S. 655) declaring December 26, 1931, to be a legal holiday in the District of Columbia, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon, and recommends that the bill do pass with the following amendments: In line 3, after the numerals "1931", insert the following: "and January 2, 1932". In line 3, strike out the words "a legal holiday" and insert in lieu thereof the words "legal holidays". In line 4, strike out the period, insert a colon in lieu thereof, and add the following: Provided, That all employees of the United States Government in the District of Columbia and all employees of the District of Columbia shall be entitled to pay for said holidays the same as on other days. Amend the title so as to read: A bill declaring December 26, 1931, and January 2, 1932, to be legal holidays in the District of Columbia. PURPOSE OF THE BILL The object of this bill is stated in the title as amended. Christmas Day, 1931, and New Year's Day, 1932, each fall on Friday. On the days following these holidays, the committee is advised that practically all of the governmental and commercial activities of the District will be suspended. These days, moreover, being Saturdays, are legal half-holidays for Government departments and banks. It is doubted, however, that banking houses will be protected against all eventualities should they remain closed all day on these two Saturdays without sanction of law. The bill also safeguards the per diem employees of the Federal and District Governments against loss of pay for these days, should they be deemed holidays without legal provision. The bill has been amended to accomplish this purpose. There is ample precedent for legislation of this nature. The Sixty-ninth Congress passed such a bill in 1925, when Christmas Day fell on Friday. That bill did not include the following January 2, also a Saturday, because Saturdays were not at that time legal halfholidays for Government workers. In the Seventy-first Congress, a joint resolution was approved, declaring July 5, 1930, a legal holiday, under like circumstances. The District Commissioners have reported favorably on this bill as amended. Indorsements have been received from the Washington (D. C.) Clearing House Association and the Hillcrest Citizens' Association. These documents are appended as part of this report. COMMISSIONERS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, .HON. ARTHUR CAPPER, United States Senate, Washington, D. C. SIR: The Commissioners of the District of Columbia have the honor to submit the following on Senate bill 655, Seventy-second Congress, first session, entitled, "A bill declaring December 26, 1931, to be a legal holiday in the District of Columbia," which you referred to them for report as to the merits of the bill and the propriety of its passage. The commissioners recommend that the bill be amended by inserting after the year "1931" the following: "and January 2, 1932"; that the word "holiday" in line 3 be amended to read "holidays"; and that there be added at the end of the bill the following proviso: "Provided, That all employees of the United States Government in the District of Columbia and all employees of the District of Columbia shall be entitled to pay for said holidays the same as on other days." With the above amendments, the Commissioners recommend favorable action on the bill. Very truly yours, L. H. REICHELDERFER, President Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia. HILLCREST CITIZENS ASSOCIATION, Hon. HENRY L. ASHURST, Senate Office Building, Washington, D. C. DEAR SENATOR ASHURST: At the regular meeting of the Hillcrest Citizens Association held Monday, December 14, 1931, a resolution was passed indorsing your bill making the 26th of December this year a legal holiday. Yours very truly, ALBERT H. SELLMAN, Secretary. THE WASHINGTON, D. C., CLEARING HOUSE ASSOCIATION, December 25, 1931, and January 1, 1932, are legal holidays in the District of Columbia for all purposes. Saturday, December 26, 1931, and Saturday, January 2, 1932, are legal holidays after the hour of 12 o'clock noon so far as the transaction of banking business is concerned. |