72D CONGRESS 1st Session } SENATE { REPORT No. 381 PUBLIC LANDS FOR USE OF EASTERN NEW MEXICO NORMAL SCHOOL MARCH 2 (calendar day, MARCH 3), 1932.-Ordered to be printed Mr. BRATTON, from the Committee on Public Lands and Surveys, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 1590] The Committee on Public Lands and Surveys, to whom was referred the bill (S. 1590) granting certain public lands to the State of New Mexico for the use and benefit of the Eastern New Mexico Normal School, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with the recommendation that the bill do pass without amendment. Identical bills (S. 3940 and S. 498, respectively) were reported favorably by this committee and passed the Senate in the Seventieth and Seventy-first Congresses. The act approved June 20, 1910 (enabling act under which the State of New Mexico was admitted into the Union), contained a provision granting to said State 200,000 acres of land for normalschool purposes. By a provision of the constitution of said State, 30,000 acres of the grant thus made was reserved for a normal school to be thereafter established and located in one of the following counties: Union, Quay, Curry, Roosevelt, Chaves, or Eddy. The Legislature of New Mexico, at its 1927 session, established said normal school and located it at Portales, in Roosevelt County. The grant contained in the proposed legislation will give to said normal school the same amount of land as has been granted by the enabling act and previous legislation to each of the normal schools now existing at Las Vegas and Silver City. The normal school at Portales is now in process of establishment. The grant embraced in the pending bill will materially aid it during its period of infancy. The committee believe that this quantity of land-now a part of the public domain within said State can be put to no better use than to aid education. The letter of the Secretary of the Interior regarding the proposed legislation, under date of January 5, 1932, is appended hereto and made a part of this report, as follows: Hon. GERALD P. NYE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Chairman, Committee on Public Lands and Surveys, United States Senate. MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: In response to your request of December 21, 1931, for an opinion as to the merits of S. 1590 which is a bill that would grant certain public lands to the State of New Mexico for the use and benefit of the Eastern New Mexico Normal School, and for other purposes, I transmit herewith a memorandum on the subject that has been submitted by the Commissioner of the General Land Office. After a review of the proposed measure, I agree with the commissioner. RAY LYMAN WILBUR, Secretary. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Memorandum for the Secretary. S. 1590 proposes to grant to the State of New Mexico, 76,667 acres of surveyed, nonmineral, unappropriated, and unreserved public lands of the United States in the State of New Mexico, for the use and benefit of the Eastern New Mexico Normal School at Portales, to be used solely for normal-school purposes, this grant to be in addition to the grant for normal schools made under the provisions of the act of June 20, 1910. This bill is identical with S. 498, introduced by Senator Bratton in the second session of the Seventy-first Congress, upon which bill an adverse report was submitted by the department June 5, 1929, to the chairman Committee on Public Lands and Surveys. It is found that there were granted to the State of New Mexico by the act of June 20, 1910 (36 Stat. 557), the amount of 200,000 acres for the benefit of normal schools; by the act of June 21, 1898 (30 Stat. 484), a grant of 100,000 acres for the benefit of normal schools was made to the Territory of New Mexico, which was confirmed in the State by the act of June 20, 1910, making a total grant of 300,000 acres to New Mexico to be used solely for normal-school purposes. There have been granted to the Territory and State of New Mexico under the provisions of the acts mentioned, for educational and other State institutions, such as universities, normal schools, agricultural colleges, military institutes, insane asylums, etc., a total of 3,694,702 acres not taking into consideration the grant of school section lands estimated at the amount of 8,711,324 acres, a total of more than 12,400,000 acres, including 1,000,000 acres granted in payment of railroad aid bonds issued by Santa Fe ard Grant Counties. In addition to these grants, a further grant of 250,000 acres was made by the act of Congress approved May 28, 1928 (45 Stat. 775), in aid of said railroad bond fund, making in all more than 12,650,000 acres granted to New Mexico for educational and other purposes. New Mexico is one of the few public land States which received a grant of four sections in each township for the support of common schools, the greater part of the States having been granted but two sections of land in each township, and many others but one section in each township. It has not been the policy of the Department to recommend further grants of lards to the States for specific purposes, except in the case of some special or urgent reason for such a grant. C. C. MOORE, Commissioner. 72D CONGRESS 1st Session } SENATE { REPORT No. 383 RELATING TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF A FEDERAL BUILDING AT PONCA CITY, OKLA. MARCH 2 (calendar day, MARCH 4), 1932.-Ordered to be printed Mr. KEYES, from the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 3086] The Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, to whom was referred the bill (S. 3086) relating to the construction of a Federal building at Ponca City, Okla., having considered the same report favorably thereon with the recommendation that the bill do pass. The sum of $250,000 has heretofore been appropriated and is now vailable for the construction of a Federal building at Ponca City, Okla., and this bill, if enacted, authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to provide facilities within the building for the holding of terms of the District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, provided that the total cost of said building, including the site, shall not exceed the sum heretofore appropriated. The situation at Ponca City is set forth, and the legislation recommended by the Treasury Department, in the following letter addressed to the chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds of the United States Senate: Hon. HENRY W. KEYES, TREASURY DEPARTMENT, Chairman Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, United States Senate. DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Reference is made to report forwarded on February 11 from this department on bill S. 3086, proposing to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to provide facilities for the holding of terms of the district court for the western district of Oklahoma, in the proposed post-office building at Ponca City, Okla., provided that the total cost of said building, including the site, shall not exceed the sum of $250,000 heretofore appropriated and now available for such construction, in which it was stated that the proposed change would require an increase in the limit of cost for the project from $250,000 to $360,000. The architects for the building, Messrs. John Duncan Forsyth and Donald McCormick, have stated that if no change is made in the space requirements as of record at the present time, and they be given authority to proceed with the revised drawings within the next few weeks, and the work in this department precedent to placing the building on the market be expedited, so as to take advantage of the present low building costs, they can design a building providing facilities for the United States court within the present limit of cost. On the assumption that the conditions laid down by the architects will be met this department recommends that the legislation proposed in bill S. 3086 be enacted. Very truly yours, SEYMOUR LOWMAN, Acting Secretary of the Treasury. |