exceed twenty-five years, and all leases shall be made under such regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior.

SEC. 2. Restricted lands of deceased Indians may be eased under this Act, for the benefit of their heirs or devisees, in the circumstances and by the persons prescribed in the Act of July 8, 1940 (54 Stat. 745, 25 U S. C., 1946 edition, sec. 380). SEC. 3. No rent or other consideration for the use of land leased under this Act shall be paid or collected more than five years in advance. unless so provided in the lease.

SEC. 4. The Act of August 9, 1946 (60 Stat. 962, 25 U. S. C., 1946 edition, secs. 403b and 403c), is hereby repealed, but this repeal shall not be construed to affect the validity of any lease entered into under such Act prior to. or within ninety days after, the approval of this Act.

SEC. 5. Nothing contained in this Act shall be construed to repeal any authority to lease restricted Indian lands conferred by or pursuant to any other provision of law, except as specifically provided in section 4.

Pursuant to the provisions of clause 2a, rule XIII, of the Rules of the House of Representatives, proposed changes in existing law are indicated below with the matter proposed to be omitted in black brackets, and the new matter proposed to be inserted in italic.

The act of August 9, 1946 (60 Stat. 962; 25 U. S. C., 1946 edition, secs. 403b and 403c):

[That notwithstanding any other provisions of law, with the consent in writing of the individual Indian, association of Indians, or Indian tribe concerned, any restricted Indian lands situated within the State of Washington may be leased for religious, educational, recreational, business, or public purposes, including, but not limited to, airports, experimental station, stockyards, warehouses, and grain elevators, for periods not to exceed twenty-five years under such rules and regulations as the Secretary of the Interior may prescribe: Provided, That nothing in this Act shall be deemed to authorize such leases for the exploitation of any

natural resources.

[SEC. 2. Such leases may be made only by the individual Indian owner of the land or by the authorized representatives of the tribe or group of Indians to whom the land belongs, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior or his authorized representative. Restricted allotments of deceased Indians, when the heirs or devisees cannot agree on a lease, may be leased for them in the manner prescribed by the Act of July 8, 1940 (54 Stat. 745, ch. 554). No lease shall be made by or on behalf of any tribe for a longer period than is or may be authorized by the tribal constitution, charter, or ordinances. Nothing contained in this Act shall be construed to repeal any authority to lease restricted lands which any Indian, Indian tribe, or official of the Department of the Interior would have in the absence of this Act.]

No expenditure of Federal funds is required by this legislation. The Committee on Public Lands unanimously recommend that this bill be enacted into law.

O

PROVIDING ADDITIONAL BENEFITS FOR CERTAIN POSTMASTERS, OFFICERS, AND EMPLOYEES IN THE POSTAL FIELD SERVICE, ETC.

AUGUST 5, 1949.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. MURRAY of Tennessee, from the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, submitted the following

REPORT

To accompany H. R. 4495)

The Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 4495) to provide additional benefits for certain postmasters, officers, and employees in the postal field service with respect to annual and sick leave, longevity pay, and promotion, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass.

The amendment is as follows:

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the following:

That section 6 of the Act entitled "An Act to reclassify the salaries of postmasters, officers, and employees of the Postal Service; to establish uniform procedures for computing compensation; and for other purposes", approved July 6, 1945, as amended, is hereby amended to read as follows'

ANNUAL AND SICK LEAVE

'SEC. 6. (a) Postmasters, officers, and employees shall be granted twenty days eave of absence with pay, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, each fiscal year, and sick leave with pay at the rate of ten days a year, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, to be cumulative, except that no postmaster. officer, or employee shall be permitted to accumulate more than sixty days annual leave. Sick leave shall be granted only upon satisfactory evidence of illness in accordance with regulations to be prescribed by the Postmaster General: Provided. That the twenty days' leave shall be credited at the rate of one and two-thirds days for each month of actual service: Provided further. That classified substitute employees, under such regulations as the Postmaster General may prescribe, shall be granted the same rights and benefits with respect to annual and sick leave that accrue to regular employees in proportion to the time employed in a pay status: And provided further That in no event shall a classified substitute em

H. Repts., 81-1, vol. 5- -91

ployee be credited during a twelve-month period with more than twenty days annual and ten days' sick leave.

"(b) The authorized absence of a rural carrier on Saturdays which occur within or at the beginning or end of a period of sick or annual leave of five or more days' duration (or four days' duration if a holiday falls within or at the beginning or end of the period of sick or annual leave) shall be without charge to such leave or loss of compensation: Provided, That Saturdays occurring in a period of annual or sick leave taken in a smaller number of days may at the option of the carrier be charged to his accrued leave and when so charged he shall be paid for such absence."

SEC. 2. (a) In the case of employees (except employees paid on an hourly basis) for whom additional grades for faithful and meritorious service are not provided in such Act of July 6, 1945, as amended, there are hereby established three additional grades grade shall receive an increase in compensation of $100 per annum. Each such employee promoted to each such additions employee shall be promoted (1) to the first such additional grade after three Each suc years of faithful and meritorious service in the highest automatic grade, (2) to the second such additional grade after five years of such service in the first addtional grade, and (3) to the third such additional grade after seven years of such service in the second additional grade.

(b) In the case of employees for whom only two additional grades for taithfu and meritorious service are provided in such Act of July 6, 1945, as amended there is hereby established a third additional grade. moted to such third additional grade shall receive an increase in compensation of Each such employee pro $100 per annum Each such employee who performs faithful and meritorious service for seven years in the higher additional grade provided in such Act of July 6, 1945, as amended, shall be promoted to such third additional grade.

SEC. 3. (a) Each employee in the postal field service on the day before the day on which this Act takes effect. whose original appointment to a regular position was to a grade lower than grade 3 under such Act of July 6, 1945, as amended, and who has not progressed to grade 3 shall, as of the effective date of this Act be placed in grade 3

(b) Each person whose original appointment to a regular position in the posts field service is made on or after the effective date of this Act shall be placed in grade 3 at the time of such appointment

(c) For purposes of promotion with respect to an、 grade in which more than one year of satisfactory service is required for promotion to the next higher grade under such Act of July 6, 1945, as amended, any officer or employee (1) who has attained the highest grade in which not more than one year of satisfactory service is re quired for promotion to the next higher grade, and (2) who had to his credit before July 1, 1945, a period of service which is greater than the total period of service required for placement in the next grade higher than the grade specified under clause (1), shall have credited to him, as faithful and meritorious service performed in grade, such part of such greater period of service as is in excess of such total period of service specified under clause (2)

SEC. 4 (a) All postmasters officers, and employees in the postal service whose rates of compensation are prescribed by such Act of July 6, 1945, as amended shall receive additional compensation at the rate of $150 per annum Provided. That employees paid on an hourly or part-time basis shall receive additions compensation at the rate of 5 cents per hour Provided further. That postmasters at post offices of the fourth class shall receive additional compensation at the rate of a sum per annum equal to 5 per centum of their basic annual compensation (b) Subsection (a) shall not apply to skilled-trades employees of the maiequipment shops, job cleaners in first- and second-class post offices, and employees who are paid on a fee or contract basis

SEC. 5 (a) Section 3867 of the Revised Statutes is hereby amended to read as follows "SEC. 3867. he Postmaster General may prescribe a uniform dress to be worn by city and village delivery letter carriers, special-delivery messengers, motor vehicle employees, custodial guards, elevator operators, and watchmen The Postmaster General shall furnish uniforms to each such employee for whom a uniform dress is so prescribed, at a cost not to exceed $100 per annum with respect to each employee, except that, in any case where in his judgment it is in the interest of the Postal Service, he may authorize such employees, or any of them, to purchase uniforms individually and shall reimburse each such employee purchasing uniforms pursuant to such authorization for the cost thereof, but reimbursement to any such employee shall not exceed $100 per annum."

(b) Section 1730 of title 18 of the United States Code is hereby amended to read as follows:

§1730. Uniforms of Carriers

66

"Whoever, without authorization, wears any uniform or badge prescribed by the Postmaster General to be worn by employees in the postal field service, shall be fined not more than $100 or imprisoned not more than six months, or both." SEC. 6. This Act shall take effect on the first day of the first pay period which begins after the date of its enactment.

PURPOSE OF AMENDMENT

The purpose of the amendment is to strike out the language of the bill as introduced, and insert new language which was agreed to by the committee. In the discussion below under "Statement" reference will be made to the bill as amended by the committee.

STATEMENT

The purpose of the legislation is to provide additional benefits for postmasters, officers, and employees in the field service of the Post Office Department with respect to annual leave, longevity pay. increased compensation, and promotions.

Section 1 increases the annual leave of postmasters, officers, and employees in the field service of the Post Office Department to 20 days, to be cumulative to a maximum of 60 days. At the present time postal employees receive 15 days' annual leave. This increase brings annual leave for postal employees more nearly in line with such leave benefits for Federal employees, who receive 26 days' annual leave. It is estimated that the cost of this provision will be $25.700,000 annually.

Section 2 provides three additional grades for meritorious and faithful service for those postal employees who are not granted such grades under present law. It is estimated that the cost of this provision will be $8,000,000 annually. This section affects 50,000 employees of the postal service, including custodial employees, employees in the Division of Equipment and Supplies. and specialdelivery messengers.

Subsections (a) and (b) of section 3 provide that employees in the postal service when appointed to a regular position will be placed in grade 3 and those who are presently in regular positions in the postal service at a grade lower than grade 3 will be placed in grade 3. The effect of these two subsections is to eliminate the lowest two grades for regular employees in the postal service.

It is estimated that the cost of subsections (a) and (b) of section 3 will be $13,000,000 annually.

Subsection (c) of section 3 provides that employees in the postal service may count all years of service prior to July 1, 1945, toward promotions to "meritorious" grades. These grades, established for faithful and meritorious service, are limited under present law to those employees who have served a required number of years in the grade immediately preceding such grades. This subsection removes such limitation and will enable employees of many years' service to obtain the higher grades.

It is estimated that the cost of subsection (c) of section 3 will be $25,250,000 annually.

ployee be credited during a twelve-month period with more than twenty days' annual and ten days' sick leave.

"(b) The authorized absence of a rural carrier on Saturdays which occur within or at the beginning or end of a period of sick or annual leave of five or more days' duration (or four days' duration if a holiday falls within or at the beginning or end of the period of sick or annual leave) shall be without charge to such leave or loss of compensation: Provided, That Saturdays occurring in a period of annual or sick leave taken in a smaller number of days may at the option of the carrier be charged to his accrued leave and when so charged he shall be paid for such absence."

SEC. 2. (a) In the case of employees (except employees paid on an hourly basis) for whom additional grades for faithful and meritorious service are not provided in such Act of July 6, 1945, as amended, there are hereby established three additional grades Each such employee promoted to each such additional grade shall receive an increase in compensation of $100 per annum. Each such employee shall be promoted (1) to the first such additional grade after three years of faithful and meritorious service in the highest automatic grade, (2) to the second such additional grade after five years of such service in the first additional grade, and (3) to the third such additional grade after seven years of such service in the second additional grade.

(b) In the case of employees for whom only two additional grades for taithful and meritorious service are provided in such Act of July 6, 1945, as amended, there is hereby established a third additional grade. Each such employee promoted to such third additional grade shall receive an increase in compensation of $100 per annum Each such employee who performs faithful and meritorious service for seven years in the higher additional grade provided in such Act of July 6, 1945, as amended, shall be promoted to such third additional grade.

SEC. 3. (a) Each employee in the postal field service on the day before the day on which this Act takes effect whose original appointment to a regular position was to a grade lower than grade 3 under such Act of July 6, 1945, as amended, and who has not progressed to grade 3 shall, as of the effective date of this Act be placed in grade 3

(b) Each person whose original appointment to a regular position in the postal field service is made on or after the effective date of this Act shall be placed in grade 3 at the time of such appointment

(c) For purposes of promotion with respect to any grade in which more than one year of satisfactory service is required for promotion to the next higher grade under such Act of July 6, 1945, as amended, any officer or employee (1) who has attained the highest grade in which not more than one year of satisfactory service is required for promotion to the next higher grade, and (2) who had to his credit before July 1, 1945, a period of service which is greater than the total period of service required for placement in the next grade higher than the grade specified under clause (1), shall have credited to him, as faithful and meritorious service performed in grade, such part of such greater period of service as is in excess of such total period of service specified under clause (2)

SEC. 4 (a) All postmasters officers, and employees in the postal service whose rates of compensation are prescribed by such Act of July 6. 1945, as amended. shall receive additional compensation at the rate of $150 per annum Provided. That employees paid on an hourly or part-time basis shal' receive additional compensation at the rate of 5 cents per hour Provided further. That postmasters at post offices of the fourth class shall receive additional compensation at the rate of a sum per annum equal to 5 per centum of their basic annual compensation

(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply to skilled-trades employees of the mailequipment shops, job cleaners in first- and second-class post offices, and employees who are paid on a fee or contract basis

SEC. 5 (a) Section 3867 of the Revised Statutes is hereby amended to read as follows

"SEC. 3867. The Postmaster General may prescribe a uniform dress to be worn by city and village delivery letter carriers, special-delivery messengers, motorvehicle employees, custodial guards, elevator operators, and watchmen. The Postmaster General shall furnish uniforms to each such employee for whom a uniform dress is so prescribed, at a cost not to exceed $100 per annum with respect to each employee, except that, in any case where in his judgment it is in the interest of the Postal Service, he may authorize such employees, or any of them, to purchase uniforms individually and shall reimburse each such employee purchasing uniforms pursuant to such authorization for the cost thereof, but reimbursement to any such employee shall not exceed $100 per annum.