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CONGRESS,

TENTS FOR CONFLAGRATION SUFFERERS.

APRIL 1, 1916.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. NICHOLLS of South Carolina, from the Committee on Military Affairs, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 13769.]

The Committee on Military Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 13769) to authorize the Secretary of War to supply tents for temporary use of the sufferers from the recent conflagration in Paris, Tex., and for other purposes, having considered the same, report thereon with a recommendation that it do pass with the following amendment:

Strike out the word "food" in line 12 and insert the words "and such supplies as in the judgment of the War Department are necessary."

The following letters and telegrams are attached as part of this report:

The CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AFFAIRS,

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, March 30, 1916.

House of Representatives.

SIR: I have the honor to return herewith bill H. R. 13769, Sixty-fourth Congress, first session, authorizing the Secretary of War to supply tents for temporary use of the sufferers from the recent conflagration in Paris, Tex., and for other purposes, and to advise you that if an appropriation in the sum of $60,000, as contemplated by the bill, is made, this amount, together with the amount which it is understood has been subscribed by the citizens of Paris, Tex., and vicinity, will be ample to cover the cost of the tents, blankets, cots, and food necessary to relieve the sufferers.

Very respectfully,

NEWTON D. BAKER,
Secretary of War.

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[Telegram.

PARIS, TEX., March 24, 1916.

THE ADJUTANT General,

Washington, D. C.:

Paris, Tex., has population about 16,000, with 10,000 white and 6,000 colored. Value of property destroyed about $14,000,000, or about 80 per cent of total value of buildings and personal property of city. White persons homeless, about 4,000;

colored, 4,000. Nearly all these people lost all household goods. Of this number about 4,500 are indigent citizens of Paris. Have furnished emergency shelter for about 6,000 and emergency food supplies for all. Total contributions by citizens, $25,000; contributed by neighboring cities, about $12,000.

Governor has asked your authority to issue tentage; I do not know how much he has. Rations and shelter required as follows: Rations, 800 persons 60 days, and 1,500 persons 30 days; total, 93,000 rations at 30 cents, value $27,900. Food can be bought within 100 miles. Shelter required for 5,000 persons if large pyramidal tents are used, value, $42,000. Cots for 6,000 at $2 is $12,000. Blankets for 2,000 persons at $2 is $4,000. Freight, $600. Expense of distribution $500. Total, $87,000. On hand, $37,000; to be supplied, $50,000. Officials and other leading citizens are devoting attention to relieving public distress to the neglect of their own urgent affairs.

In view of their serious private losses the contributions are very liberal, and to double them would be more than should be expected of a stricken community of this size. The necessity is urgent and I strongly recommend Federal aid. As the shelter should last longer than the life of tents and be semi-permanent, it is recommended that tentage be not furnished, but that a slightly increased money equivalent be given for construction of shacks from paper and cheap lumber. I recommend emergency allotment of $60,000 under appropriations covering above-mentioned purposes. am quartermaster the funds can be invoiced to me. I am working with local committees and will so continue until further orders.

As I

PICKERING.

[Telegram.]

Hon. EUGENE BLACK,

PARIS, TEX., March 24, 1916.

House of Representatives, Washington, D, C., Capt. Pickering, of the United States Army, under orders from War Department, has sent to Washington to-night his report. Our relief committee urges upon you, as their Representative, to secure the aid of all Texas Congressmen to secure at once an emergency appropriation to cover the required quick relief to a situation resultant of the most disastrous conflagration that has ever occurred in the South, which equals 80 per cent of the value of the personal property and buildings in Paris. Please see all Texas Congressmen and have action taken at once. We have 8,000 homeless people to take care of, about equally divided, white and black. Immediate action absolutely necessary. Kindly wire relief committee here program.

RELIEF COMMITTEE OF CITY OF PARIS.

(J. J. Culbertson, H. P. Mayer, W. M. Milling, H. G. Armstrong, T. L. Beauchamp, E. H. McCuistion, W. A. Collins, T. J. Record, H. L. Baker.)

CONGRESS

WATER SUPPLY OF BLACK HAWK, COLO.

APRIL 3, 1916.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. TAYLOR of Colorado, from the Committee on the Public Lands, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 11472.]

The Committee on the Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 11472) to reserve certain lands and make them part of the Pike National Forest, having had the same under consideration, recommend that the bill do pass.

This bill was referred to the Department of the Interior and to the Department of Agriculture for report, and the reports thereon very fully set forth the object and purpose of the bill and the desirability of this legislation, and your committee believes, from both of those reports and the statements of the Representatives from Colorado, that the city of Black Hawk is eminently entitled to this consideration. The reports referred to are as follows:

Hon. SCOTT FERRIS,

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
Washington, March 13, 1916.

Chairman Committee on the Public Lands, House of Representatives.

MY DEAR MR. FERRIS: I am in receipt of your request for report on H. R. 11472, to reserve certain lands in Colorado and make them a part of the Pike National Forest, subject to prior valid adverse rights.

The lands proposed to be so reserved are secs. 19 and 30, T. 2 S., R. 72 W., sixth principal meridian, and adjoin the national forest on the east. The records of the General Land Office show that such sections were surveyed in 1870, are generally rough and mountainous, and that when surveyed the timber thereon had been practically cleared for use in the mines of Central and Black Hawk; that such sections have an aggregate area of 1,292 acres, 400 acres therein being embraced in final entries, 80 acres in a recent final homestead, and the remainder in old preemption cash entries, and that 120 acres are subject to the right of way of the Gilpin & Clear Creek Railway, H. R. 653, introduced December 6, 1915, proposes to grant to the city of Black Hawk the right to purchase a portion of the land, namely, S. NE. †, S. + NW. †, W. SW. sec. 19, N. NE. NW., and N. SW. sec. 30, 569.02 acres, for the protection of its water supply, and the lands are now withdrawn in aid of such legislation.

I see no objection to the proposed legislation or to the form of the bill, but I am without information as to the necessity therefor. As the national forest is under the administration of the Secretary of Agriculture, I would suggest that the bill be referred to him for report and recommendation.

Very truly, yours,

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Hon. SCOTT FERRIS,

Chairman Committee on the Public Lands, House of Representatives.

DEAR MR. FERRIS: I wish to acknowledge receipt of the copy of the bill (H. R. 11472) to reserve certain lands and make them part of the Pike National Forest, Colo., with the request that your committee be sent such recommendations as this department may desire to make.

From the forest officers it is learned that the purpose of the proposed addition is to protect the intakes and pipe lines of the water-supply system which supplies the town of Black Hawk, Colo. The two sections which it is proposed to add are mountainous land, in part covered with timber, and are of the general character which would be classified as suitable for inclusion within a national forest, irrespective of the special purpose for which their inclusion is now desired by the citizens of Black Hawk.

The bill provides for the addition of the entire area of both sections. As a matter of fact, parts of each section are alienated, but this feature is provided for by the language of the bill, which restricts its effect to unappropriated public lands. Moreover, it is understood that the patented land in section 19 now belongs to the city of Black Hawk, and that the alienated areas in section 30 belong to individuals from whom the city expects to purchase.

The watersheds of more than 1,100 municipalities in the West are within the national forests. Many of these are given special protection from grazing and from other uses. which might pollute the water supply, through the medium of the patrol afforded by the Forest Service and by special regulations of this department. The desire of the city of Black Hawk for this addition is evidently founded upon the satisfactory experience of other municipalities.

Since the inclusion of these areas will not add appreciably to the cost of administering the Pike National Forest and because of the additional protection which could be given the municipal water supply, this department approves of the passage of the bill.

Very truly, yours,

O

D. F. HOUSTON, Secretary.

64TH CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. ( 1st Session.

WISCONSIN BAND OF POTTAWATOMIE INDIANS.

APRIL 3, 1916.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed.

Mr. DILL, from the Committee on Indian Affairs, submitted the

following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 1776.]

The Committee on Indian Affairs, to whom was referred the bill H. R. 1776, being a bill for the relief of the Wisconsin Band of Pottawatomie Indians, having carefully considered the same, recommends that the bill be amended, and that as amended the bill do pass. Amend the bill by striking out all after the enacting clause on page 1. down to and including line 14 on page 2, and insert in lieu thereof the following:

That for the purpose of carrying into effect the act of June twenty-fifth, eighteen hundred and sixty-four (Thirteenth Statutes at Large, page one hundred and seventy-two), and the act of June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and thirteen (Thirty-eighth Statutes at Large, page one hundred and two), the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized and directed to place upon the books of the Treasury to the credit of that portion of the Wisconsin Band of Pottawatomie Indians now residing in the States of Wisconsin and Michigan the amount of money which shall be found as a balance due to the said Wisconsin Band of Pottawatomie Indians by the Secretary of the Interior, said balance to be determined as follows: By computing the interest on the original sum of $447,339, declared to be due said Pottawatomie Indians at the rate of four per centum per annum from April first, nineteen hundred and eight, to April fourth, nineteen hundred and ten, and on the balance thereafter found by deducting the various amounts spent out of the appropriations made by Congress for the said Pottawatomie Indians under the act approved April fourth, nineteen hundred and ten (Thirty-sixth Statutes at Large, page two hundred and eighty-eight), act approved August twenty-fourth, nineteen hundred and twelve (Thirty-seventh Statutes at Large, page five hundred and thirty-nine), act approved June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and thirteen (Thirty-eighth Statutes at Large, page one hundred and two), act approved August first, nineteen hundred and fourteen (Thirty-eighth Statutes at Large, page six hundred and six), joint resolution approved March fourth, nineteen hundred and fifteen (Thirty-eighth Statutes at Large, page twelve hundred and twenty-eight), act approved June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and thirteen (Thirtyeighth Statutes at Large, page one hundred and two), said interest to be computed at the rate of four per centum on balance due said Indians between the dates of said acts of Congress and to July first, nineteen hundred and sixteen, as the proportionate share of the said Wisconsin Band of the Pottawatomie Indians in the annuities and the land

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