72D CONGRESS 1st Session } SENATE { REPORT No. 193 BRIDGE ACROSS PAWCATUCK RIVER BETWEEN WESTERLY, R. I., AND STONINGTON, CONN. FEBRUARY 5 (calendar day, FEBRUARY 8), 1932.-Ordered to be printed Mr. VANDENBERG. from the Committee on Commerce, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 7247] The Committee on Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 7247) authorizing the Rhode Island State Board of Public Roads and the State Highway Department of the State of Connecticut to construct, maintain, and operate a free highway bridge across the Pawcatuck River near the location of the present Broad Street Bridge, between Westerly, R. I., and Stonington, Conn., having considered the same, report favorably thereon and recommend that the bill do pass without amendment. The bill has the approval of the Departments of War and Agriculture, as will appear by the annexed House of Representatives Report No. 269, which is made a part of this report. [House Report No. 269, Seventy-second Congress, first session] The Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 7247) authorizing the Rhode Island State Board of Public Roads and the State Highway Department of the State of Connecticut to construct, maintain, and operate a free highway bridge across the Pawcatuck River near the location of the present Broad Street Bridge between Westerly, R. I., and Stonington, Conn., having considered the same, report thereon with a recommendation that it pass. The bill has the approval of the War and Agriculture Departments, as will appear by the letters attached. WAR DEPARTMENT, January 14, 1932. 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. 7247, 72d Cong., 1st sess.) authorizing the Rhode Island State Board of Public SR-72-1-VOL 1-22 Roads and the State Highway Department of the State of Connecticut to construct a free highway bridge across the Pawcatuck River near the location of the present Broad Street Bridge between Westerly, R. I., and Stonington, Conn. PATRICK J. HURLEY, Hon. SAM RAYBURN, Secretary of War DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Chairman Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives. DEAR MR. RAYBURN: Careful consideration has been given to the bill (H. R. 7247) transmitted with your letter of January 9 with request for a report thereon and such views relative thereto as the department might desire to communicate. This bill would authorize the State Board of Public Roads of Rhode Island, and the State Highway Department of Connecticut to construct, maintain, and operate a free highway bridge and approaches thereto across the Pawcatuck River at or near the location of the present Broad Street Bridge between Westerly, R. I., and Stonington, Conn. The bill also would confer upon said States ell such rights and powers as are possessed by railroad corporations or by bridge corporations to enter upon lands and to acquire, condemn, occupy, possess, and use real estate and other property needed for the location, construction, operation, and maintenance of such bridge and its approaches. The location indicated for the proposed bridge is on the system of Federal-aid highways approved for the States of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Favorable action on the bill is recommended. Sincerely, C. F. MARVIN, Acting Secretary. О FEBRUARY 5 (calendar day, FEBRUARY 8), 1932.-Ordered to be printed Mr. CAREY, from the Committee on Military Affairs, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. J. Res. 80] The Committee on Military Affairs, to which was referred Senate Joint Resolution 80, authorizing the Secretary of War to furnish equipment, goods, and supplies to governors and acting governors for use in aid of distressed citizens, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with the recommendation that it do pass, amended as follows: Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu thereof the following: That whenever by reason of storm, flood, famine, earthquake, or other emergency, considerable numbers of the people of any State, Territory, or dependency of the United States are rendered destitute or in peril of death or suffering from starvation, natural violence, or exposure to the elements, the Secretary of War is hereby authorized, in his discretion, and under such regulations as he shall prescribe, and at the request of the chief executive of the State or Territorial government concerned, to employ such military forces, equipment, transportation, services, and supplies, of the United States as are available for such emergency relief measures as the said Secretary shall deem appropriate; and the Secretary of War shall annually submit to Congress, through the Bureau of the Budget, estimates to cover the amounts necessary to be appropriated to reimburse the War Department for the funds expended and the property and equipment used, lost, damaged, or destroyed in carrying out the provisions of this resolution. Amend the title so as to read: To authorize the Secretary of War to employ military forces and property for emergency relief. The report of the Secretary of War on the original resolutionl is made a part of this report and is printed below. The committee believes that the amendments offered will overcome the objections of the department. Hon. DAVID A. REED, WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, D. C., January 20, 1932. Chairman Committee on Military Affairs, United States Senate. DEAR SENATOR REED: Careful consideration has been given to the bill, S. J. Res. 80, authorizing the Secretary of War to furnish equipment, goods, and supplies to governors and acting governors for use in aid of distressed citizens, transmitted to the War Department under date of January 19, 1932, with a request for information and the views of the department relative thereto. There are no applicable provisions of existing law on this subject. The effect of the proposed bill, if enacted, while legalizing the use of Army property for unemployment relief would result in numerous demands upon the War Department from the executives of States for supplies and equipment which the department could not meet. To aid in alleviating distress resulting from the present general unemployment situation, the Secretary of War has taken the responsibility of issuing instructions to all corps area commanders to cooperate to the fullest extent with local authorities in extending unemployment relief as far as the available resources of the War Department will permit by authorizing: (a) The loan of cots and blankets, when available, to recognized charitable organizations upon the request of the governor of any State. (b) The sale of salvaged clothing, when available at nominal prices to charitable organizations as well as the sale of certain surplus clothing at fixed reduced prices. Other than as noted in (a) and (b) above, stocks of Army supplies and equipment, including food, consist only of those required for the current supply of the Army, or for maintenance of the prescribed war reserve. With but one or two exceptions, none of the items comprising the war reserve are suitable for unemployment relief purposes. Any reduction in such stocks, or of those required for the current supply of the Army would necessitate immediate replacement. Such replacement could be effected only by a corresponding increase in Army appropriations, and the proposed bill makes no provision for such purpose. For the reasons stated above, the department does not favor the passage of the proposed bill. Sincerely yours, PATRICK J. HURLEY, FEBRUARY 5 (calendar day, FEBRUARY 8), 1932.-Ordered to be printed Mr. BINGHAM, from the Committee on Territories and Insular Affairs, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 417] The Committee on Territories and Insular Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (S. 417) to provide a government for American Samoa, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon and recommends that the bill do pass. This bill carries out the recommendations, as embodied in Senate Document No. 249, Seventy-first Congress, of the American Samoan Commission, appointed under authority of Public Resolution No. 89, Seventieth Congress, "To provide for accepting, ratifying, and confirming the cessions of certain islands of the Samoan group to the United States, and for other purposes," approved February 20, 1929, and Public Resolution No. 3, Seventy-first Congress, approved May 22, 1929, amendatory thereof. In brief, the bill provides that the people of American Samoa shall make their own laws, subject to the veto of the governor, and with the right of appeal to the President of the United States, if they choose to override the governor's veto. The bill gives them American citizenship and grants them the right of appeal in all important legal cases to the Federal District Court in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii. The proposed organic act sets up a very considerable measure of selfgovernment for the people of American Samoa, which is made as flexible as possible so as to allow them to develop themselves, should they choose, away from their present communal system of social organization and property into one more completely in tune with American civilization, and at the same time permitting them to maintain such native customs not in conflict therewith which they may wish to preserve. The bill of rights which it embodies has been phrased as near as may be in consonance with the language of the Constitution on those subjects calculated to afford protection to the individual, without doing violence to long-established native institutions. |