72D CONGRESS 1st Session } SENATE { REPORT No. 552 DEFERMENT AND ADJUSTMENT OF CONSTRUCTION CHARGES ON INDIAN IRRIGATION PROJECTS APRIL 11 (calendar day, APRIL 12), 1932.-Ordered to be printed Mr. KENDRICK, from the Committee on Indian Affairs, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 3675] The Committee on Indian Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (S. 3675) relating to the deferment and adjustment of construction charges for the years 1931 and 1932 on Indian irrigation projects, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment as follows: On page 1, line 10, after the words "of Congress" strike out the remainder of the line and all of lines 11 and 12 and insert the following language in lieu thereof: For the temporary relief of water users on irrigation projects constructed and operated under the reclamation law, approved April 1, 1932 (Public, No. 70, 72d Cong.). This bill has the recommendation of the Secretary of the Interior, as set forth in the following letter, which is appended hereto and made a part of this report. Hon. LYNN J. FRAZIER, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Chairman Committee on Indian Affairs, United States Senate. MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: In response to your request of February 18, 1932, for a report on S. 3675, a bill relating to the deferment and adjustment of construction charges for the years 1931 and 1932 on Indian irrigation projects, I transmit herewith a memorandum on the subject that has been submitted by the Assistant Commissioner of Indian Affairs. After a review of the proposed measure, I agree with Mr. Scattergood. Very truly yours, RAY LYMAN WILBUR, Secretary. Memorandum for the Secretary. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, OFFICE OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, This is in reference to a letter addressed to you from Hon. Lynn J. Frazier, chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs, United States Senate, with which he transmitted a copy of S. 3675 (72d Cong., 1st sess.) for your consideration and report. The proposed legislation if enacted would authorize the Secretary of the Interior, under such rules and regulations as he may prescribe, to defer the payment of construction charges assessed against lands of the various Indian irrigation projects under the direction of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs for the calendar year 1931 and to adjust the construction charges for the calendar year 1932 on such projects in the same manner and to the same extent as provided in legislation heretofore or hereafter enacted by Congress applicable to the years 1931 and 1932 for irrigation projects constructed and operated under the reclamation law. It is assumed that the contemplated legislation referred to is that embodied in S. 3706 (72d Cong., 1st sess.) which passed the Senate on February 23, 1932. The fundamental feature of the legislation proposed in S. 3706 is a provision that there shall be required "no payment on the regular construction charge for the calendar year 1931, and in lieu of the regular installment of construction charge provided for under existing contracts, may pay for the calendar year 1932 on the basis of 50 per centum of the amount which, but for this act, would be payable under said contracts, such amount to be computed and determined for that year in the manner provided in said contracts and the law applicable thereto. Interest and penalty as now provided by law and contracts for nonpayments when due shall apply on all charges for 1932 adjusted as herein authorized. No interest or penalty shall be payable on that portion of the charges herein authorized to be deferred." It is a fact well known that the farmers and water users on the various Indian irrigation projects, whether they be Indians or whites, are laboring under the same unfavorable financial conditions as those existing on the reclamation projects which gave rise to the proposed legislation for the relief of those projects. This service has received numerous petitions from different sections of the country in which our irrigation projects are located urging relief in some form to enable the water users to carry on during the coming year. It would seem altogether consistent, therefore, that if Congress enacts legislation granting deferment and adjustment of construction charges on lands included in projects under the reclamation law, similar legislation be enacted extending relief to the projects under the Indian irrigation service such as is contemplated in S. 3675 (72d Cong., 1st sess.). J. HENRY SCATTERGOOD, O Assistant Commissioner. APRIL 11 (calendar day, APRIL 13), 1932.—Ordered to be printed Mr. ODDIE, from the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 4080] The Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, to whom was referred the bill (S. 4080) to regulate the manufacture and sale of stamped envelopes, having carefully considered the same, reports favorably thereon and recommends that the bill do pass. The committee holds the opinion that the Government is already conducting too many enterprises in competition with private business and that it is especially timely that the postal laws should be amended to remove the Post Office Department as a competitor of commercial printers and publishers in the sale of printed return addresses on stamped envelopes. The argument is advanced by the Post Office Department that because it has been engaged in selling printing over a long period of years it should be allowed to continue, is not convincing. While this bill terminates the activities of the Post Office Department in printing return addresses on stamped envelopes, it is recognized by the committee that the embossed stamped envelopes serve a desirable purpose and consequently under the provisions of this bill they will continue to be made available to the general public. Under the provisions of this bill printing orders now exclusively handled by the Federal Government through the Post Office Department and the printing being done in one locality will henceforth be diverted to the numerous localities in which post offices are established. Representatives of labor organizations informed the committee that the Post Office Department's competition with printers had contributed in no small degree to unemployment. Publishers and printers corroborate the testimony of workers in print shops and allied industries that the enactment of this bill will greatly relieve Memorandum for the Secretary. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, OFFICE OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, This is in reference to a letter addressed to you from Hon. Lynn J. Frazier, chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs, United States Senate, with which he transmitted a copy of S. 3675 (72d Cong., 1st sess.) for your consideration and report. The proposed legislation if enacted would authorize the Secretary of the Interior, under such rules and regulations as he may prescribe, to defer the payment of construction charges assessed against lands of the various Indian irrigation projects under the direction of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs for the calendar year 1931 and to adjust the construction charges for the calendar year 1932 on such projects in the same manner and to the same extent as provided in legislation heretofore or hereafter enacted by Congress applicable to the years 1931 and 1932 for irrigation projects constructed and operated under the reclamation law. It is assumed that the contemplated legislation referred to is that embodied in S. 3706 (72d Cong., 1st sess.) which passed the Senate on February 23, 1932. The fundamental feature of the legislation proposed in S. 3706 is a provision that there shall be required "no payment on the regular construction charge for the calendar year 1931, and in lieu of the regular installment of construction charge provided for under existing contracts, may pay for the calendar year 1932 on the basis of 50 per centum of the amount which, but for this act, would be payable under said contracts, such amount to be computed and determined for that year in the manner provided in said contracts and the law applicable thereto. Interest and penalty as now provided by law and contracts for nonpayments when due shall apply on all charges for 1932 adjusted as herein authorized. No interest or penalty shall be payable on that portion of the charges herein authorized to be deferred." It is a fact well known that the farmers and water users on the various Indian irrigation projects, whether they be Indians or whites, are laboring under the same unfavorable financial conditions as those existing on the reclamation projects which gave rise to the proposed legislation for the relief of those projects. This service has received numerous petitions from different sections of the country in which our irrigation projects are located urging relief in some form to enable the water users to carry on during the coming year. It would seem altogether consistent, therefore, that if Congress enacts legislation granting deferment and adjustment of construction charges on lands included in projects under the reclamation law, similar legislation be enacted extending relief to the projects under the Indian irrigation service such as is contemplated in S. 3675 (72d Cong., 1st sess.). J. HENRY SCATTERGOOD, O Assistant Commissioner. |