PROVIDE BRANCH LIBRARY IN GEORGETOWN

FEBRUARY 19, 1931.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. REID of Illinois, from the Committee on the District of Columbia, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. R. 12743]

The Committee on the District of Columbia, to which was referred the bill (H. R. 12743) to authorize the construction of a branch library in the Georgetown section of the District of Columbia, having considered the same, report it back to the House with the recommendation that the bill do pass for the following reasons:

Washington, when compared with cities of similar size, is found to have a lesser number of branches to serve the various districts of the city. The average number of branch libraries in 42 other cities above 200,000 population is 20. Cincinnati has 33, Minneapolis 21, Portland 17, Louisville 21, all being smaller cities. These figures are to be compared with the Washington figure of only three major branches, with five minor subbranches housed in rented quarters or in public-school buildings.

Because of this situation Washington's book circulation in 1930 was but 3.45 per capita as compared with the average 4.33 for the 42 cities above referred to. The per capita figure for Cleveland was 8.57, for Milwaukee 7.03, for Rochester 7.45, and for Portland 8.87. In the matter of library per capita maintenance Washington stood twenty-first in the list with but 74 cents per capita compared with $2.12 for Cleveland and $1.51 for Boston. The percentage of the District budget allocated for library support was 0.9 per cent as compared with an average of 1.3 per cent for all 42 cities; 1.5 per cent for cities from 300,000 to 500,000 population, and 3.2 per cent in Cleveland and 2.4 per cent in Minneapolis.

These figures appear to indicate the need for more branch libraries in Washington, but we feel that such need is particularly acute in the case of the Georgetown section, now deprived of public library facilities, which section includes the oldest community in the District of

Columbia with a population to be served estimated to run from 25,000 to 40,000.

Georgetown has increased rapidly in population in the last 10 or 15 years during which period its various civic bodies have been urging the erection of a Georgetown branch library. Their community is from 2 to 3 miles from the nearest public library which is the central Carnegie Library at the intersection of Massachusetts and New York Avenues NW. There are many instances where the boys and girls of poorer Georgetown folk have walked to and from the Carnegie library, or from 5 to 6 miles, in order to enjoy its services.

The bill in question has been indorsed by the Georgetown Citizens' Association, the Progressive Citizens' Association of Georgetown, the Burleith Citizens' Association, and by other Georgetown groups who participated in the founding, a year ago, of the Georgetown Public Library Association, whose sole object is to work for the securing of this greatly needed public improvement.

O

COMPLETION OF DAM NO. 2, ETC., AT MUSCLE SHOALS

FEBRUARY 19, 1931.-Ordered to be printed

Mr. WURZBACH, from the committee of conference, submitted the following

CONFERENCE REPORT

[To accompany S. J. Res. 49]

The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the amendment of the House to the joint resolution (S. J. Res. 49) to provide for the national defense by the creation of a corporation for the operation of the Government properties at and near Muscle Shoals, in the State of Alabama, and for other purposes, having met, after full and free conference, have agreed to recommend and do recommend to their respective Houses as follows:

That the Senate recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the House to the text of the joint resolution and agree to the same, with an amendment as follows:

In lieu of the language put in by the House, insert the following:

That for the purpose of maintaining and operating the properties now owned by the United States in the vicinity of Muscle Shoals, Ala., in the interest of the national defense and for agricultural and industrial development, and to aid navigation and the control of destructive flood waters in the Tennessee River and Mississippi River Basins, there is hereby created a body corporate by the name of the "Muscle Shoals Corporation of the United States" (hereinafter referred to as the corporation). The board of directors first appointed shall be deemed the incorporators and the incorporation shall be held to have been effected from the date of the first meeting of the board. This act may be cited as the “Muscle Shoals act of 1931."

SEC. 2. (a) The board of directors of the corporation (hereinafter referred to as the board) shall be composed of three members, not more than two of whom shall be members of the same political party, to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The board shall organize by electing a chairman, vice chairman, and other officers, agents, and employees, and shall proceed to carry out the provisions of this act.

(b) The terms of office of the members first taking office after the approval of this act shall expire as designated by the President at the time of nomination, one at the end of the second year, one at the end of the fourth year, and one at the end of the sixth year, after the date of approval of this act. A successor to a member of the board shall be appointed in the same manner as the original members and shall have a term of office expiring six years from the date of the expiration of the term for which his predecessor was appointed.

"(c) Any member appointed to fill a vacancy in the board occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which his predecessor was appointed shall be appointed for the remainder of such term.

(d) Vacancies in the board so long as there shall be two members in office shall not impair the powers of the board to execute the functions of the corporation, and two of the members in office shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of the business of the board.

(e) Each of the members of the board shall be a citizen of the United States and shall receive compensation at the rate of $50 per day for each day that he shall be actually engaged in the performance of the duties vested in the board, to be paid by the corporation as current expenses, not to exceed, however, one hundred and fifty days for the first year after the date of the approval of this act, and not to exceed one hundred days in any year thereafter. Members of the board shall be reimbursed by the corporation for actual expenses (including traveling and subsistence expenses) incurred by them while in the performance of the duties vested in the board by this act.

No director shall have any financial interest in any public-utility corporation engaged in the business of distributing and selling power to the public nor in any corporation engaged in the manufacture, selling, or distribution of fixed nitrogen, or any ingredients thereof, nor shall any member have any interest in any business that may be adversely affected by the success of the Muscle Shoals project as a producer of concentrated fertilizers.

(g) The board shall direct the exercise of all the powers of the corporation. (h) All members of the board shall be persons that profess a belief in the feasibility and wisdom, having in view the national defense and the encouragement of interstate commerce, of producing fixed nitrogen under this act of such kinds and at such prices as to induce the reasonable expectation that the farmers will buy said products, and that by reason thereof the corporation may be a self-sustaining and continuing success. SEC. 3. (a) The chief executive officer of the corporation shall be a general manager, who shall be responsible to the board for the efficient conduct of the business of the corporation. The board shall appoint the general manager, and shall select a man for such appointment who has demonstrated his capacity as a business executive. The general manager shall be appointed to hold office for ten years, but he may be removed by the board for cause, and his term of office shall end upon repeal of this act, or by amendment thereof expressly providing for the termination of his office. Should the office of general manager become vacant for any reason, the board shall appoint his successor as herein provided.

(b) The general manager shall appoint, with the advice and consent of the board, two assistant managers who shall be responsible to him, and through him, to the board. One of the assistant managers shall be a man possessed of knowledge, training, and experience to render him