BAGGAGE OF TRAVELERS. JULY 16, 1912.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed. Mr. PETERS, from the Committee on Ways and Means, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 24926.] The Committee on Ways and Means, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 24926) to amend paragraph 709 of the tariff act of August 5, 1909, having had the same under consideration, report it back to the House without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. This bill, while not increasing the value limit of baggage of persons entering the United States from abroad, enlarges the scope of the provisions of the present law in the following particulars: The present law confines the exemptions to such articles as actually accompany and are in the use of and as are necessary and appropriate for the wear of such persons While this bill exempts such articles as were actually owned by them and in their possession abroad at the time of or prior to their departure from a foreign country. In the case of returning residents of the United States the present law provides that: All wearing apparel and other personal effects taken out of the United States to foreign countries shall be admitted free of duty Where this bill enlarges this scope so as to admit free of duty all wearing apparel, personal and household effects taken by them out of the United States to foreign countries. Further, while the present law provides that no more than one hundred dollars in value of articles purchased abroad by such residents of the United States shall be admitted free of duty upon their return This bill provides for the free entry of one hundred dollars in value of articles acquired abroad by residents of the United States for personal or household use or as souvenirs or curios, but not bought on commision or intended for sale. Thus articles acquired not only by purchase but by gift, as well as souvenirs or curios, could be included in the $100 limit. The views of the Secretary of the Treasury are herewith appended and made a part of this report. Hon. OSCAR W. UNDERWOOD, TREASURY DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, Chairman Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of July 13, inclosing a copy of H. R. 24926, a bill to amend paragraph 709 of section 1 of the tariff act, in which you request my suggestions, for the use of the committee, with regard to this measure and as to the advisability of enacting the same into law. In reply I have to advise you that the views of the department with respect to amending this paragraph of the tariff act were fully set forth in my letter of March 27, 1912, addressed to you. To those views I still adhere. With special reference to the bill now under consideration I have to say that, in my opinion, it will be, if enacted into law, an improvement over the existing paragraph, especially with reference to the change allowing personal effects to be entered free of duty whether or not they accompany the person arriving in this country, and also with reference to the elimination of the limitation that such effects must be necessary and appropriate for the wear and use of the traveler for the immediate purposes of the journey. I also note that household effects taken by residents of the United States out of this country to foreign countries are to be admitted free of duty upon their return and upon their identity being established. This, in my opinion, is an improvement in the language of the statute. Upon further consideration, however, I have to invite your attention to the fact that the last clause of H. R. 24926 is a limitation of the amount in value of articles acquired abroad for personal or household use or as souvenirs or curios and does not in terms authorize any amount of such articles to be admitted free of duty. The earlier exemption refers only to wearing apparel, articles of personal adornment, toilet articles, and similar personal effects, so that we have, in fact, a limitation upon an exemption that has not been created with respect to articles for household use or as souvenirs or curios up to $100 in value. I suggest that the language be changed to read: "Provided further, That up to but not exceeding one hundred dollars in value of articles acquired abroad by residents of the United States for personal or household use or as souvenirs or curios, but not bought on commission or intended for sale, shall be admitted free of duty." I also invite your attention to the fact that articles up to $100 in value, of the class just described, might be bought, duty free, with great frequency by persons living near the Canadian and Mexican borders, and I consequently renew my recommendation contained in my letter of March 27, above referred to, that the following clause be added: "And provided further, That no exemption shall be allowed upon articles acquired abroad by residents of the United States making short or frequent trips into contiguous foreign country or those crossing the boundary line for the express purpose of making purchases." Subject to the above modifications, the bill as drafted meets with my approval, and I recommend that it be enacted into law. FRANKLIN MACVEAGH, Secretary. Respectfully, PENSIONS FOR VOLUNTEER ARMY NURSES. JULY 16, 1912.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed. Mr. REDFIELD, from the Committee on Invalid Pensions, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 21721.] The Committee on Invalid Pensions, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 21721) granting pensions to volunteer Army nurses of the Civil War, report thereon with the recommendation that the bill do pass. The bill as drawn and referred was carefully considered by the committee, and was agreed to by unanimous vote. The purpose of the bill is to grant those surviving women who did voluntary services as nurses during the Civil War the same rate of pensions that are given to the enlisted nurses. These voluntary nurses performed services at different times and places throughout the Civil War, enduring similar privations and hardships to those suffered by the enlisted nurses and such as were incident to Army life on the field of battle. Their work is so well known as to need no detailed description. The number of persons affected by this legislation is stated by the officers of the National Association of Army Nurses to be about 75, the majority of whom are said to be over 80 years of age. It is safe to assume that all women who rendered such services as voluntary nurses for any extended period during the Civil War had reached the average age of 25 years when the war began. The war began over 51 years ago, and, therefore, there should be few such persons living under the age of 76 years. From such information as your committee could obtain on inquiry from the volunteer Army nurses organizations of the country there are fewer than 100 women living who served as volunteer Army nurses during the Civil War who are not now on the pension rolls. Existing laws provide pensions for Army nurses who were regularly enlisted and paid by the Government, but provide nothing for those who served voluntarily though doing like duty. At the close of the fiscal year 1908 there were 510 Army nurses on the pension rolls at various rates, the majority of whom were drawing Your then $12 per month. A few of these nurses were pensioned on account of services in the Spanish War, and at that time, 1908, more than three-fifths of these 510 nurses were over 70 years of age. committee believe that in view of the extraordinary and unselfish services rendered by these women in extending kindnesses and care to sufferers on the field of battle and in the hospitals that a grateful Government could well afford to extend to such of them as survive in their old age the provisions of the law which now apply to those who were formally enrolled in the services of the Government. The committee believe that the amount called for by this bill will not, at the largest, exceed $15,000 per annum, and as the normal expectation of life at 76 years of age is barely 7 years, the payment can not continue long. By the bill pensions are limited to $12 per month and to such nurses as have served for a period of not less than 90 days, and as shall have made due proof of the performance of such services under such rules and regulations as the Secretary of the Interior may provide. |