It is therefore ordered that through the United States Shipping Board there be taken over to the United States the possession and title of the aforementioned vessels. The United States Shipping Board is further hereby authorized to repair, equip, and man the said vessels; to operate, lease, or charter the same in any service of the United States, or in any commerce, foreign or coastwise; and to do and perform any and all things that may be necessary to accomplish the purposes of the joint resolution above set forth. THE WHITE HOUSE, WOODROW WILSON. June 30, 1917. No. 2651. GERMAN BOATS. Whereas the following joint resolution adopted by Congress was approved by the President May 12, 1917: Joint resolution authorizing the President to take over for the United States the possession and title of any vessel within its jurisdiction, which at the time of coming therein was owned in whole or in part by any corporation, citizen, or subject of any nation with which the United States may be at war, or was under register of any such nation, and for other purposes. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President be, and he is hereby, authorized to take over to the United States the immediate possession and title of any vessel within the jurisdiction thereof, including the Canal Zone and all territories and insular possessions of the United States except the American Virgin Islands, which at the time of coming into such jurisdiction was owned in whole or in part by any corporation, citizen, or subject of any nation with which the United States may be at war when such vessel shall be taken, or was flying the flag of or was under register of any such nation or any political subdivision or municipality thereof; and, through the United States Shipping Board, or any department or agency of the Government, to operate, lese, charter, and equip such vessel in any service of the United States, or in any commerce, foreign or coastwise. SEC. 2. That the Secretary of the Navy be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to appoint, subject to the approval of the President, a board of survey, whose duty it shall be to ascertain the actual value of the vessel, its equipment, appurtenances, and all property contained therein, at the time of its taking, and to make a written report of their findings, to the Secretary of the Navy, who shall preserve such report with the records of his department. These findings shall be considered as competent evidence in all proceedings on any claim for compensation. And whereas the following vessel was, at the time of coming into the jurisdiction of the United States owned in whole or in part by a corporation, citizen or subject of the Empire of Germany, a nation with which the United States is now at war, or was flying the flag of or under the register of the Empire of Germany, or of a political subdivision or municipality thereof: Cargo steamship Prinz Eitel Friedrich, now lying at Hoboken, New Jersey. It is therefore ordered that through the United States Shipping Board there be taken over to the United States the possession and title of the aforementioned vessel. The United States Shipping Board is further hereby authorized to repair, equip and man said vessel; to operate, lease or charter the same in any service of the United States, or in any commerce, foreign or coastwise; and to do and perform any and all things that may be necessary to accomplish the purposes of the joint resolution above set forth. WOODROW WILSON. THE WHITE HOUSE, July 3, 1917. [No. 2653] EXERCISE OF AUTHORITY UNDER THE EMERGENCY SHIPPING FUND ACT. By virtue of authority vested in me in the section entitled "Emergency Shipping Fund" of an act of Congress entitled "An act making appropriations to supply urgent deficiencies in appropriations for the Military and Naval Establishments on account of war expenses for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and seventeen, and for other purposes," approved June 15, 1917, I hereby direct that the United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation shall have and exercise all power and authority vested in me in said section of said act, in so far as applicable to and in furtherance of the construction of vessels, the purchase or requisitioning of vessels in process of construction, whether on the ways or already launched, or of contracts for the construction of such vessels, and the completion thereof, and all power and authority applicable to and in furtherance of the production, purchase, and requisitioning of materials for ship construction. And I do further direct that the United States Shipping Board shall have and exercise all power and authority vested in me in said section of said act, in so far as applicable to and in furtherance of the taking over of title or possession, by purchase or requisition, of constructed vessels, or parts thereof, or charters therein; and the operation, management and disposition of such vessels, and of all other vessels heretofore or hereafter acquired by the United States. The powers herein delegated to the United States Shipping Board may, in the discretion of said board, be exercised directly by the said board or by it through the United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation, or through any other corporation organized by it for such purpose. THE WHITE HOUSE, WOODROW WILSON. July 11, 1917. [No. 2664] AUTHORITY TO ORGANIZE FOOD ADMINISTRATION GRAIN CORPORATION. Whereas, under and by virtue of an act of Congress entitled "An act to provide for the national security and defense by encouraging the production, conserving the supply and controlling the distribution of food products and fuel" approved August 10, 1917, it is provided among other things as follows: That, by reason of the existence of a state of war, it is essential to the national security and defense, for the successful prosecution of the war, and for the support and maintenance of the Army and Navy, to assure an adequate supply and equitable distribution, and to facilitate the movement, of foods, feeds, fuel, including fuel oil and natural gas, fertilizer and fertilizer ingredients, tools, utensils, implements, machinery and equipment required for the actual production of foods, feeds, and fuel hereafter in this act called necessaries; to prevent, locally or generally, scarcity, monopolization, hoarding, injurious speculation, manipulation, and private controls, affecting such Eupply, distribution, and movement; and to establish and maintain governmental control of such necessaries during the war. For such purposes the instrumentalities, means, methods, powers, authorities, duties, obligations, and prohibitions hereinafter set forth are created, established, conferred, and prescribed. The President is authorized to make such regulations and to issue such orders as are essential effectively to carry out the provisions of this act. That in carrying out the purposes of this act the President is authorized to create and use any agency or agencies * * * That the President is authorized from time to time to purchase, to store, to provide storage facilities for and to sell for cash at reasonable prices, wheat, flour, meal, beans, and potatoes. And whereas, in order to enable the United States Food Administration acting under the direction of the President to efficiently exercise the authority granted by said act, and to purchase, store, provide storage facilities for and to sell for cash at reasonable prices the commodities above named, and to enable said United States Food Administration to purchase and sell said commodities in the manner and by methods customarily followed in the trade, it is expedient and necessary that a corporation should be organized, all the stock of which, except the number of shares necessary to qualify directors or incorporators, shall be subscribed for, purchased, and owned by the United States. Now, therefore, under and by virtue of the power conferred upon me by the above-entitled act as herein before set forth, it is hereby ordered that an agency, to wit, a corporation, under the laws of Delaware, be created, said corporation to be named Food Administration Grain Corporation. That the governing body of said corporation shall consist of a board of directors composed of seven members. That the following persons, having been invited and given their consent to serve, shall be named as four of said directors, to wit: Herbert Hoover, of Washington, D. C. Julius H. Barnes, of Duluth, Minn. Gates W. McGarrah, of New York, N. Y. The remaining three shall be named by the incorporators and be subject to change by and with the approval of the President. The office and principal place of business of said corporation outside of the State of Delaware shall be at the city of New York, and branch offices shall be established at such places within the United States as may be selected and determined by the United States Food Administrator, by and with the consent of the President. That the capital stock of such corporation shall consist of 500,000 shares of the par value of $100 each. That the United States shall purchase from time to time at par so much of said capital stock as may be deemed necessary to supply the necessary capital to enable said corporation to carry on its business and none of said capital stock shall be sold to any person other than the United States and to the individual directors or incorporators, for the purpose of qualifying as such directors or incorporators, such qualifying shares to be held by said directors or incorporators in trust for the use and benefit of the United States. The United States Food Administrator is hereby directed to cause said corporation to be formed, with the powers contained in the ar ticles or certificate of incorporation, and in the by-laws requisite and necessary to define the methods by which said corporation shall conduct its business which have been approved by the President. All officers of said corporation shall be selected with the consent and approval of the President. The United States Food Administrator is hereby authorized and directed to subscribe for and purchase all of said capital stock in the name of and for the use and benefit of the United States and as purchased to pay for the same out of the appropriation of $150,000,000 authorized by section 19 of the act of Congress herein before entitled. Done in the District of Columbia this fourteenth day of August, in year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and seventeen and of the independence of the United States of America the one hundred and forty-second. the THE WHITE HOUSE, WOODROW WILSON. August 14, 1917. [No. 2681] EXERCISE OF AUTHORITY UNDER THE "NAVAL EMERGENCY FUND ACT," AND OTHERS. By virtue of authority vested in me in the section entitled "Naval emergency fund" of an act of Congress entitled "An act making appropriations for the naval service for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and eighteen, and for other purposes," approved March 4, 1917, and in the section entitled "Emergency shipping fund" of an act of Congress entitled "An act making appropriations to supply urgent deficiencies in appropriations for the Military and Naval Establishments on account of war expenses for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and seventeen, and for other purposes," approved June 15, 1917, I hereby direct that the Secretary of the Navy shall have and exercise all power and authority vested in me in said sections of said acts, in so far as applicable to and in furtherance of the construction of vessels for the use of the Navy and of contracts for the construction of such vessels, and the completion thereof, and all power and authority applicable to and in furtherance of the production, purchase, and requisitioning of materials for construction of vessels for the Navy and of war materials, equipment, and munitions required for the use of the Navy, and the more economical and expeditious delivery thereof. The powers herein delegated to the Secretary of the Navy may, in his discretion, be exercised directly by him, or through any other |