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593. Consideration of bill to pay certain persons contracting to deliver strategic
minerals, etc., under war contracts.

610. Settlement of personal property claims of persons employed in Federal penal

and correctional institutions.

611. Consideration of bill for relief of R. C. Owen, R. C. Owen, Jr., and Roy

Owen over veto message.

612. Creating Joint Committee on Lobbying Activities.

613. Issuance of patent in fee to James M. Burton.

614. Issuance of patent in fee to Clarence M. Scott.

615. Issuance of patent in fee to Irene S. Bassett.

616. Issuance of patent in fee to Lavantia Pearson.

617. Issuance of patent in fee to Virginia Pearson.

618. Authorizing appointment of officers on active list of Philippine Scouts in

Regular Army.

619. Removing certain restrictions and conditions imposed on lands conveyed to

Charleston, S. C.

620. Relating to percentage of enlisted personnel in aviation tactical units of

Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.

621. Easements to Orange County, Calif., and to Irvine Co. over land in vicinity
of naval air base, Santa Ana, Calif.

622. Authorizing restocking, propagation, and conservation of game at Eglin Air

Force Base.

623. Amend act to convey certain real property situated on Santa Rosa Island,

Fla., to Okaloosa County.

624. Authorizing construction of experimental submarines.

625. Providing for appointment of female doctors and specialists in Medical

Department of Army.

626. Pay and allowances of officers of naval establishment appointed to permanent

grades.

627. Inquiry into certain operations of Federal Prison Industries, Inc.

628. Consideration of bill to provide for payment of noncitizens' claims against

United States.

629. Authorizing investigations by Foreign Affairs Committee.

630. Consideration of Public buildings act of 1949.

631. Consideration of bill providing pay and disability retirement for members

644. Transferring Pomona, Calif., station of Remount Service to W. K. Kellogg

Foundation, Inc.

645. Authorizing Secretary of Agriculture to combat citrus blackfly, white-

fringed beetle, and Hall scale.

646. Amending Civil service retirement act relative to service credits.

647. Providing for internal security of U. S. with respect to espionage and giving

of defense information.

648. Disposition of papers by sundry Government offices.
649. Disposition of papers by sundry Government offices.
650. Disposition of papers by sundry Government offices.

651. Amending Civil service retirement act relative to annuities for law enforce-
ment personnel.

652. Consideration of bill to amend Displaced persons act of 1948.

653. Investigation of matters relating to merchant marine and fisheries by Mer-
chant Marine and Fisheries Committee.

654. Refunding civil service retirement contributions in lieu of annuities to certain

former employees.

655. Extending annual and sick leave benefits to part-time Federal employees on

regular tours of duty.

656. Amending Agricultural act of 1948 so as to extend mandatory price support
on Maryland and cigar-leaf tobacco.

657. Foreign aid appropriation bill, 1950.

658. Conference report on bill providing additional revenue for District of Co-
lumbia.

SWAN ISLAND

APRIL 26, 1949.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. COOLEY, from the Committee on Agriculture, submitted the

following

REPORT

[To accompany H. R. 3717]

The Committee on Agriculture, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 3717) to repeal the act of July 24, 1946, relating to Swan Island animal quarantine station, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.

STATEMENT

This bill, H. R. 3717, was considered jointly with House Joint Resolution 177. Both measures have as their objective the repeal of the act of July 24, 1946, authorizing the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an international animal-quarantine station on Swan Island. Swan Island is in the Caribbean Sea (lat. 17°25' N., long. 83°56′ W.) and is under the sovereignty of the United States. The land on which the quarantine station is located was leased from private owners at an annual rental of $200 and buildings and equipment costing about $85,000 have been installed there. The quarantine station has not yet begun operation.

The purpose of the act of July 24, 1946, was to provide an animal quarantine station which could be used not only by the United States but also by Mexico and the Central American nations. Its essential function was to permit importation of breeding stock from all parts of the world and still to protect the United States and the North American Continent against the introduction of foot-and-mouth disease and other highly infectious livestock diseases.

Since the enactment of the legislation authorizing the station, footand-mouth disease has become established in Mexico so that the primary reason for the quarantine station-to keep the disease off the North American Continent-no longer exists.

Representatives of the livestock industry and of the Department of Agriculture are in agreement that the establishment of the proposed quarantine station is now neither necessary nor desirable. The committee, therefore, recommends that the enabling legislation be repealed by this bill and that the Department of Agriculture proceed to dispose of its installations on Swan Island.

The committee understands that the Bureau of Animal Industry has the authority under its general appropriation to continue the lease of the site for another year, so that there will be time to dismantle and dispose of the facilities.

DEPARTMENT REPORT

Following is the report of the Secretary of Agriculture favoring enactment of this bill:

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY,

Washington, April 5, 1949.

Hon. HAROLD D. COOLEY,

Chairman, Committee on Agriculture,

House of Representatives.

DEAR MR. COOLEY: This is in reply to your request of March 25, 1949, for a report on H. R. 3717, a bill to repeal the act of July 24, 1946, relating to the Swan Island animal quarantine station.

The act of July 24, 1946 (60 Stat. 633, 21 U. S. C. 133), provides for the establishment of an international animal quarantine station on Swan Island, and, notwithstanding the provisions of any other law but subject to regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary of Agriculture, permits the entry therein of animals from any country and their subsequent entry into other parts of the United States under said regulations. The laws affected by this legislation are the act of August 30, 1890, as amended (21 U. S. C. 101-105), which provides authority to inspect imported animals, to quarantine them as required, or to suspend importations in order to exclude dangerous animal diseases, and section 306 (a) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U. S. C. 1306 (a)), which prohibits the importation of certain livestock and products from countries where foot-and-mouth disease or rinderpest exists.

The original concept of an international animal quarantine station was to afford the United States greater protection against foot-and-mouth disease by providing officially controlled facilities whereby neighboring countries to the south could, with comparative safety, import breeding stock through the station from countries where the disease exists. Mexico and the Central American countries were then free of foot-and-mouth disease. Certain livestock interests of those countries desired to import cattle from countries where foot-and-mouth disease existed, and such importations have occurred from time to time. By providing an international quarantine station as a means for control of the importations, it was considered that the likelihood of introducing the disease to these neighboring countries would be lessened, thereby decreasing the danger to the United States.

However, when legislation was introduced in the Congress on June 7, 1946 (H. J. Res. 364), it contained provisions beyond the original purpose. It included language which would permit the importation, through the Swan Island quarantine station into the United States, of animals from countries where foot-and-mouth disease or rinderpest exists, notwithstanding the provisions of any other law. During the course of committee hearings, officials of this Department affirmed the desirability of strengthening our protection against foot-and-mouth disease by assisting the countries to the south.

Since enactment of the legislation, facilities and equipment have been provided at a total cost of slightly more than $85,000. Following the installation of facilities, regulations to govern the operation of the station were prepared and a notice of intention to regulate was issued in the Federal Register for December 7, 1948. Interested persons were given 30 days (later extended to 60 days) within which to submit written data, views, or arguments concerning the proposed regulations. The Department received many protests against the pro

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