AARDING A NAVY CROSS TO JOHN W. THOMASON (H. R. 3661). MR. VINSON OF GEORGIA

NAVY DEPARTMENT, Washington, January 19, 1937.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

Washington, D. C.

DEAR MR. SPEAKER: There is transmitted herewith a draft of posed bill "Awarding a Navy Cross to John W. Thomason." purpose of the proposed legislation is to authorize the award of Navy Cross to Maj. John W. Thomason, United States Marine for extraordinary heroism in the Battle of Soissons on July 18, in destroying a machine-gun nest and capturing two machine Legislative authority for this award is necessary because of the sons of section 7 of the act of February 4, 1919 (40 Stat. 1057; C., title 34, sec. 360).

ment of the proposed legislation would not result in any cost Government.

e Navy Department recommends the enactment of the proposed

xation.

proposed legislation is in accord with the program of the

TO AMEND SECTION 5 OF THE ACT ENTITLED "AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE CONSTRUCTION, REPAIR, AND PRESERVATION OF CERTAIN PUBLIC WORKS ON RIVERS AND HARBORS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES”, APPROVED MARCH 3, 1925, TO AUTHORIZE THE PAYMENT OF A PER DIEM IN CONNECTION WITH NAVAL AERIAL SURVEYS AND FLIGHT CHECKING OF AVIATION CHARTS (H. R. 3604). MR. VINSON OF GEORGIA

NAVY DEPARTMENT, Washington, January 19, 1937.

The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

Washington, D. C.

MY DEAR MR. SPEAKER: There is transmitted herewith a draft of proposed bill "To amend section 5 of the act entitled 'An act thorizing the construction, repair, and preservation of certain ir works on rivers and harbors, and for other purposes', approved March 3, 1925, to authorize the payment of a per diem in connection h naval aerial surveys and flight checking of aviation charts." The purpose of the proposed legislation is to enable naval personnel receive the same per diem allowances when engaged in making al serial surveys and flight checking of Hydrographic Office aviacharts as are now authorized by law in connection with aerial rveys of projects other than those pertaining to the naval or military rvice proper.

The act of March 3, 1925 (43 Stat. 1190) authorizes per-diem alances, in lieu of other travel allowances, for officers, warrant rs, and enlisted men of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps ed in the aerial surveys of rivers and harbors, or other governal projects. The Comptroller General of the United States has at in a letter to the Secretary of the Navy, dated April 15, 1925 4 Comp. Gen. 854), that one of the conditions necessary to the pt of per-diem allowances under the act of March 3, 1925, is the aerial survey duty must be upon projects other than those ining to the naval or military services proper. Val aerial surveys and the flight checking of Hydrographic Office on charts are necessary for the safe operation of naval aircraft, Jarly outside the continental limits of the United States, no aerial surveys are made by the Department of Commerce. is akewise essential that accurate aviation charts be available in where the fleet operates if naval aircraft are to be of the utmost ry value to the fleet. It has been necessary, for example, to an aerial survey of the Republic of Panama and also of the 'e from Seattle, Wash., to Dutch Harbor, Aleutian Islands.

Naval personnel ordered to perform aerial survey duty are required in many cases to be absent from their permanent duty stations and consequently they are subjected to additional abnormal expenses. Under existing law, those extra expenses must be borne by the personnel concerned, unless the survey is in connection with a nonnaval or nonmilitary Government project. Specifically, the personnel of the naval aviation detachment who made the aerial survey of the route from Seattle, Wash., to Dutch Harbor, Aleutian Islands, did did not receive reimbursement for their necessary expenses incident to that survey, nor did they receive the per-diem allowances authorized by the act of March 3, 1925, because the survey was a naval On the other hand, naval aviators who were engaged in conducting an aerial survey in Alaska for the Department of the Interior were compensated for their necessary expenses by receiving the per-diem allowance. In each case the personnel were subjected to additional expense.

It is estimated that the additional cost to the Government of the legislation submitted will be approximately $1,500 per annum. The Navy Department recommends the enactment of the proposed legislation.

The proposed legislation is in accord with the program of the President.

Sincerely yours,

CLAUDE A. SWANSON.

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