Penitentiary at Walla Walla, Wash., act of March 3, 1893 (Sup. R. S., p. 127, vol. 2). Territorial penitentiaries in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado, act of June 24, 1873 (17 Stat., 419).

Penitentiaries in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana, act of February 22, 1889 (25 Stat., 680).

Penitentiary in Idaho, act of July 3, 1890 (26 Stat., 216).

Penitentiary in Utah, act of July 16, 1894 (26 Stat., 107).

Penitentiary in Wyoming, act of July 10, 1890 (26 Stat., 223).

The last of these cessions was the five United States jails in Oklahoma and Indian Territory, which were donated to the counties in which they were located, when Oklahoma was admitted to statehood.

The old Fort Smith jail has been closed up and practically abandoned for five years or more. I know of no good reason why the Government should not now get rid of it, thus following the custom of years.

Several bills have been introduced in previous sessions of Congress, having for their object the turning over of this property to the State of Arkansas for a site for a State armory and training camp. I believe H. R. 9089 is the first one to donate the property to the city of Fort Smith. I express no view as to whether the donation should be to the State, the county, or the city. This strikes me as a question for the Arkansas people to settle among themselves.

Very truly, yours,

A. MITCHELL Palmer,
Attorney General.

Ό

INCREASE EFFICIENCY OF MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT.

OCTOBER 17, 1919.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. SANFORD, from the Committee on Military Affairs, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 2980.]

The Committee on Military Affairs, to whom was referred the bill H. R. 2980, being a bill to repeal section 1110, Revised Statutes, and the first proviso of section 12, of an act entitled, "An act for making further and more effectual provision for the national defense, and for other purposes," approved June 3, 1916, having considered the same, reports and recommends the passage of the bill without amendment. That part of the law which it is desired to repeal reads as follows: That ordnance sergeants shall be selected by the Secretary of War from the sergeants of the line or Ordnance Departments who shall have served faithfully for eight years, including four years in the grade of noncommissioned officer.

At the time of the enactment of the proviso which it is proposed to repeal the duties of ordnance sergeants were mainly those of storekeeper. At the present time the varied equipment of organizations of the Army requires technically trained men as ordnance sergeants and it is believed that the needs of the Army will be better met by the training and selection of younger men.

The Chief of Ordnance is unable to get men under the present law to handle ordnance material on account of the requirements that only men shall be selected who have had eight years' experience including four years in the grade of noncommissioned officer. The number of men who have been in the Army eight years is at the present time small and the number is still smaller of those who would have had during their eight years' experience four years in the grade of noncommissioned officer. Indeed the committee is advised by the War Department that the present limitation makes it almost impossible to select men who have the adequate knowledge of ordnance material.

66th CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. {0.990. 1st Session."

EXCHANGE OF LEGATION PROPERTY AT BANGKOK, SIAM.

OCTOBER 18, 1919.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. ROGERS, from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany S. 2250.]

The Committee on Foreign Affairs, to which was referred the bill (S. 2250) to provide for the exchange of certain legation buildings and grounds owned by the Government of the United States in Bangkok, Siam, reports the same back to the House without amendment and with the recommendation that the bill do pass.

In 1884 the Government of Siam presented to the American Government lands and buildings in Bangkok, the capital city of Siam, for use by the American Government as a legation. The property was situated upon the river which flows through the center of Bangkok and which was at that time the principal avenue of approach to the city for travel and commerce of all kinds. Since that time Bangkok has become connected with the sea by railroad. Of late years, for this reason, locations along the river front have become less necessary and the tide of business and residential development has been away from the river front. Thus while in 1884 practically all legations of foreign governments were located along the river front, at the present time only two or three remain there. The others have moved back from the river and into a higher and more generally attractive part of the city. Because of the fact that the United States had received the legation property as a gift from the Siamese Government, it has always felt a certain obligation to remain in the original location. In 1913, however, conditions had become so intolerable and the neighborhood had become so undesirable for legation purposes that the legation was forced to move to the newer part of the town, whither the other legations had already preceded it. Since 1913 our original location has been occupied only by a caretaker and has been a source of expense without the slightest compensating advantage.