records of the General Land Office, namely, local office tract books for Choctaw Meridian, Miss., volumes 51 and 68, now on file in the National Archives, do contain a notation of such a certificate issued to Charles (T.) Murphy, which notation was subsequently dropped for reasons not now apparent. It seems, however, that the land in question has been occupied by Mr. Hand or his predecessors in interest, and taxes have been paid thereon for many years. The Color of Title Act (43 U. S. C. sec. 1068) was enacted to take care of situations similar to the present case. Under that act, persons occupying public lands under color of title, upon which improvements have been placed or some part of which has been reduced to cultivation, may apply to purchase the land at a reasonable price, considering their equities. Patents issued under that act would contain a reservation of minerals, including oil and gas, to the United States. Mr. Hand is either unwilling or unable to comply with the requirements of the Color of Title Act. No reason appears why the basic principles of that act should not be adapted to the relief legislation proposed in H. R. 4261. Since Mr. Hand's title is founded upon a claim antedating the period when the Government required reservations of minerals in disposing of land under private entries, no objection will be made to the issuance of a patent in fee, without reservation of minerals to the United States. He should, however, be required to furnish satisfactory evidence of his right to possession or ownership of the land involved, together with a disclosure of adverse claimants, if any. Furthermore, he should pay the nominal amount of $50 for the land as consideration therefor and to defray the administrative costs of issuance of patent. Such flat fee payment would obviate the necessity for and the delays incident to field examination and appraisal of the land. In accordance with the foregoing, it is recommended that H. R. 4261 be amended by striking all after the enacting clause and inserting the following: "That the Secretary of the Interior, upon the submission of satisfactory evidence that L. J. Hand is equitably entitled to a patent for the land hereinafter described, and upon the payment of $50 as consideration therefor, is hereby authorized to issue to said L. J. Hand a patent in fee to the following-described land, to wit: The southwest quarter of the southwest quarter, section 30, and the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter, section 31, township 15 north, range 4 east, Choctaw Meridian, Holmes County, Mississippi, containing seventy-nine and eighty-seven one-hundredths acres, more or less. Since your committee desires to hold an immediate hearing on this bill, this report has not been submitted to the Bureau of the Budget, and I am, at present, unable to advise you concerning its relationship to the program of the President. Sincerely yours. OSCAR L. CHAPMAN, Under Secretary of the Interior. As disclosed by the hearings, Mr. Hand and those through whom he claims have paid the taxes on the said lands since 1856. As further disclosed by the hearings, the said land is assessed at $1 an acre. The land is of little value and, as is disclosed by the hearings, all of the timber has been cut. None of the land is in cultivation although some was formerly cleared and cultivated. There are no mineral rights involved. It was acquired by the present owner and those through whom he claims long prior to the Color of Title Act. While the Secretary suggested an amendment so as to require Mr. Hand to pay a nominal amount of $50, inasmuch as the report of the Secretary of the Interior showed that under the Color of Title Act the Government would retain the mineral rights, and inasmuch as the present owner and those through whom he claims were the owners of the land, and inasmuch as they had relied upon the certificate of the Federal Land Office at Jackson showing that the said land had been entered by the said Charles T. Murphy, the committee felt that the bill should be reported without amendment, and that the present owner, Mr. Hand. should not be required to pay the sum of $50 or any other amount. The bill is in the exact language of Private 352, Eightieth Congress, covering 72% acres of land located in the same county ap proved on June 12, 1948. Similar equities were involved in the said bill favorably passed by the Congress and approved by the President as stated on June 12, 1948. There was also passed in the Eightieth Congress on April 21, 1948, Private 259 in the same county. Moreover, the provisions of the bill are similar to those of H. R. 9943 introduced in the Seventy-sixth Congress on which a favorable report was made and which was enacted into law (54 Stat. 1385). The enactment of H. R. 4261 without amendment is unanimously recommended by the Committee on Public Lands. AUTHORIZING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A FEDERAL INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON RECREATION MAY 16, 1949.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. PETERSON, from the Committee on Public Lands, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 892] The Committee on Public Lands, to whom was referred the bid (H. R. 892) to authorize the establishment of a Federal Interagency Committee on Recreation, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. The amendments are as follows: Page 1, line 6, following the word "programs" insert the words "pertaining to public recreation". Page 1, line 7, delete the comma following the word "law" and insert the word "and". Page 1, line 7, delete the comma following the word "research". Delete the words "and to" and all of line 8 and insert in lieu thereof the words "pertaining to those authorized programs”. EXPLANATION OF THE BILL The purpose of this bill is to grant specific statutory authorization for the establishment and functioning of a Federal Interagency Committee on Recreation. Such a committee has existed unofficially since the fall of 1946 by mutual agreement of the various agencies concerned with public recreation functions. The present committee includes representatives from the Corps of Engineers of the Department of the Army, the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior, the Extension Service and the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, the Office of Education and the Children's Bureau of the Federal Security Ageney, and the Public Housing Administration of the Housing and Home Finance Agency. H. Repts., 81-1, vol. 3-72 All of the Departments concerned feel that the committee serves a useful purpose and believe that it should be given a legal status. Official recognition will enable the committee to request and obtain nominal funds for its continuing operation and even more effective action. Certain clarifying amendments have been made by the committee. At hearings held before the committee, representatives of the interested Departments testified that the bill should be enacted into law in order to promote a closer coordination of their respective programs, to permit the Departments to engage in joint recreational research, and to encourage the exchange and dissemination of information Pertinent comments from the favorable report of the Department of the Interior are set forth below: This Department recommends the enactment of H. R. 892. Because of the many varied problems concerning public recreation which have come to our attention in connection with the exercise by this Department of functions dealing with public recreation, and because of the interest of certain other Federal agencies and departments in related problems, there was organized in the fall of 1946 by mutual agreement of the agencies concerned a Federal Interagency Committee on Recreation. The committee was organized under the sponsorship of the Secretary of the Interior. The committee has functioned well, and, we believe, serves a very useful prupose. However, it is desirable to give the committee a statutory basis in order that nominal funds for its continuing operation may be requested and obtained. The present committee includes representatives from the Corps of Engineers of the Department of the Army, the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior, the Extension Service and the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, the Office of Education and the Children's Bureau of the Federal Security Agency, and the Public Housing Administration of the Housing and Home Finance Agency. The committee serves as a clearinghouse for the exchange of information on policies, plans, methods, experiences, and procedures among the agencies; considers current agency problems and projects presented to it and recommends basic principles which might well be followed in these and similar projects and problems; and endeavors to facilitate the provision of information about the recreation activities of Federal agencies. The committee discusses the responsibilities of the Federal Government in the recreation field in an effort to discover existing gaps in Federal recreation programs and services. The member agencies of the committee cooperate in stimulating and assisting State agencies in the development of needed recreation facilities and services, in accordance with cooperative plans developed by the committee, so far as resources make this possible. The Department of Agriculture reported as follows: Two agencies within the Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service and the Extension Service, have for some 2 years been meeting with other agencies in Government on an informal basis to coordinate the recreational work being sponsored by each of them. Based on our experience to date, we feel that much good has come from this cooperative effort. It has improved the work of the established agencies and helps coordinate the recreational work done by the several agencies. Since H. R. 892 would give congressional recognition to the committee, its passage should enhance the efforts of the several agencies working in the field of recreation to systematically coordinate their work. The Department of Agriculture recommends that the bill be passed. Practically no additional funds, if any, will be required as these functions are now being performed informally by personnel in the Departments involved. The Committee on Public Lands unanimously recommends the enactment of H. R. 892. PROVIDING FOR RETURN OF REHABILITATION AND BETTERMENT OF COSTS OF FEDERAL RECLAMATION PROJECTS MAY 16, 1949.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. REGAN, from the Committee on Public Lands, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 1694] The Committee on Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 1694) to provide for the return of rehabilitation and betterment of costs of Federal reclamation projects, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. The amendments are as follows: Page 2, line 1, strike out the word "may" and insert in lieu thereof the words "shall, to the fullest practicable extent,". Page 2, line 1, strike out the words "in whole or in part". Such rehabilitation and betterment work may be performed by contract, by force-account, or, notwithstanding any other law and subject only to such reasonable terms and conditions as the Secretary of the Interior shall deem appropriate for the protection of the United States, by contract entered into with the organization concerned whereby such organization shall perform such work. EXPLANATION OF THE BILL The purpose of this bill is to permit the repayment of rehabilitation and betterment costs of Federal reclamation projects to be scheduled in accordance with the repayment ability of the water users. H. R. 1694 would not authorize any work on reclamation projects since the performance of necessary maintenance is already authorized by law. It merely authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to make the necessary repayment arrangements with the water users. This legislation is needed to relieve an emergency situation existing on many of the older reclamation projects. Deferred maintenance |