AID IN PROVIDING THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES WITH ADEQUATE FACILITIES FOR PARK, PARKWAY, AND RECREATIONAL-AREA PURPOSES, ETC. APRIL 4, 1935.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. ROBINSON of Utah, from the Committee on the Public Lands, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 6594] The Committee on the Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 6594) to aid in providing the people of the United States with adequate facilities for park, parkway, and recreational-area purposes, and to provide for the transfer of certain lands chiefly valuable for such purposes to States and political subdivisions thereof, after careful consideration of same, report favorably thereon with the recommendation that the bill do pass the House without amendment. A similar bill (H. R. 9788) was reported out of this committee as per Report No. 1895, Seventy-third Congress, second session. Facts concerning the proposed legislation are set forth in the favorable report of the Secretary of Interior under date of April 3, 1935, which report is herein below set out in full and made a part of this report. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Hon. RENÉ L. DEROUEN, Chairman Committee on the Public Lands, House of Representatives. MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: I have received your letter of March 21, enclosing copy of H. R. 6594, entitled "A bill to aid in providing the people of the United States with adequate facilities for park, parkway, and recreational-area purposes, and to provide for the transfer of certain lands chiefly valuable for such purposes to States and political subdivisions thereof," and requesting a report thereon. This legislation proposes to establish a cooperative and helpful relationship between the Federal Government and the park agencies in the several States comparable with relationships already existing in the field of forestry, education, etc. It is offered and urged for passage primarily because it is believed that it will assist greatly in promoting such park and recreational development in the States as will complement the public service rendered by the national parks and ultimately give this country a system of park and recreation areas genuinely national in scope and usefulness. The bill provides that the Department of the Interior, acting through the National Park Service, shall represent the Federal Government in this proposed new relationship; that the National Park Service shall undertake a comprehensive study of the park, parkway, and recreational-area programs of the United States and of the several States and political subdivisions thereof; that it cooperate with and seek the assistance of Federal officers and employees, private agencies and individuals, State and local officers and employees, in the conduct of such study; and that the services of this Bureau shall be available for cooperation with the States and subdivisions thereof in selection and delimitation of park and recreational areas, and in planning the sound development of such areas. It provides also for transfer to the States, or to political subdivisions of the States, subject to approval by the President, of lands acquired under the Federal land program, including the public lands of the United States, whenever such lands are found to be valuable chiefly for State or local park or recreational purposes. Few present-day undertakings possess such social importance to the Nation as a whole as those designed to provide increased opportunity for healthful and profitable employment of leisure time. The park systems of today-National, State, and local-are making a magnificent contribution to solution of the "leisure-time" problem. It is because of the conviction that their social service can be materially increased by cooperation rendered by the Department through the National Park Service, which is so well equipped for the task, that I earnestly request favorable action on this proposed legislation. The Acting Director of the Bureau of the Budget has advised, in connection with a similar bill (S. 738), that, insofar as the financial program of the President is concerned, there is no objection to this proposed legislation. Therefore, I recommend that H. R. 6594 be given favorable consideration by the Congress. Sincerely yours, HAROLD L. ICKES, О RESEARCH INTO BASIC LAWS AND PRINCIPLES RELATING TO AGRICULTURE; FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION WORK AND LAND-GRANT COLLEGES APRIL 4, 1935.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. JONES, from the Committee on Agriculture, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 7160] The Committee on Agriculture, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 7160) to provide for research into basic laws and principles relating to agriculture and to provide for the further development of cooperative agricultural extension work and the more complete endowment and support of land-grant colleges, having considered the same, report thereon with amendments, and as so amended recommend that the bill do pass. The committee amendments are as follows: On page 1, strike out all after "conduct" in line 5 down through line 9, and, on page 2, strike out line 1 and down through "thereof" in line 2, and insert in lieu thereof the following: research into laws and principles underlying basic problems of agriculture in its broadest aspects; research relating to the improvement of the quality of, and the development of new and improved methods of production of, distribution of, and new and extended uses and markets for agricultural commodities and byproducts and manufactures thereof; and research relating to the conservation, development, and use of land and water resources for agricultural purposes. On page 3, before the period, insert a colon and the following: Provided, That not to exceed 2 per centum of the sums appropriated may be used for the administration of section 5 of this title. GENERAL STATEMENT This bill has as its major purposes the development and extension of the agricultural research programs of the Department of Agriculture and of the agricultural experiment stations in the various States, the development and extension of the agricultural extension system, and the further endowment of the land-grant colleges. The bill is designed to accomplish these results by authorizing the appropriation of further sums for these objects, subject to limitations calculated to spread the benefits of the money as much and as fairly as possible and to assure the devotion of the sums appropriated to proper ends. Research is recognized everywhere as the basis of development and prosperity. Industry recognizes this and provides for it. The search not only for better types and varieties of production but for new uses and new channels for the products of the farm is of prime importance. The waste products of the farm and the neglected channels that may be developed have aggravated the farm problem. The development along these lines will go far toward its solution. The bill is divided into two titles: Title I relates to research and title II relates to the extension service and land-grant colleges. EXPLANATION OF THE BILL TITLE I Section 1 sets out the type of research which is to be conducted. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized and directed to conduct scientific, technical, economic, and other research into basic laws and principles and processes relating to improving the quality of agricultural commodities and byproducts and manufactures of such commodities and byproducts. Similar research is authorized relating to the development of new and improved methods of production and distribution and new and extended uses and markets for such commodities, byproducts, and manufactures. The committee amendment to this section substitutes for the provision defining the research authorized under this title a provision which provides for the conduct of research into laws and principles underlying basic problems of agriculture in its broadest aspects; retains the substance of, but broadens the provisions of, the bill as introduced, which authorizes research relating to the quality, production, distribution, and new and extended markets for agricultural commodities, byproducts, and manufactures; and adds the further object of research into the conservation, development, and use of land and water resources for agricultural purposes. The Secretary is to designate or establish the agencies to conduct the research authorized in the section. This research is to be in addition to research under existing law. Under section 4, 40 percent of the sums appropriated by the title ($1,000,000 the first year and increasing to $5,000,000) are to be available for research under the Secretary in accordance with this section. That 40 percent is to be made a special fund, no part of which is to be used for any research project except upon approval in writing by the Secretary. One-half of the 40-percent fund is to be used by the Secretary for the establishment of laboratories and facilities for research in the major agricultural regions at places selected by the Secretary and the prosecution of research at such laboratories. Section 2 provides for the devotion of a part of the funds appropriated to the agricultural experiment stations for use by them in the prosecution of research similar to that provided for under section 1. By the terms of section 5, 60 percent of the funds appropriated under the title ($1,000,000 for the first year and increasing to $5,000,000) are to be available to the States and Territories for conduct of research by their experiment stations. Each State and Territory is to be allotted an amount which bears the same ratio to the total amount allotted as its rural population bears to the entire rural population of the States and Territories. The States and Territories must match this fund. On failure to match, the amount left over is to be allotted to the other States and Territories which do match, but no original allotment can be increased by more than 20 percent as a result of additional allotments. The money is to be paid out under the terms of existing law relating to the procedure in the case of experimentstation appropriations. Section 3 authorizes an appropriation of $1,000,000 for the purposes of the title for the first fiscal year after the act is enacted. Thereafter an additional $1,000,000 is authorized each year until the total authorized for each year is $5,000,000. Money appropriated is authorized to be used for the purchase or rental of land; construction, equipment, and maintenance of buildings; and for printing and disseminating the results of research. Section 4 is discussed generally in connection with section 1. The committee amendment to this section authorizes the use of not to exceed 2 percent of the 40-percent appropriation for the administration by the Department of the provisions of section 5 granting funds to the States and Territories. Section 5 is discussed in connection with section 2. Section 6 defines the term "Territory" as used in the title to mean Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Section 7 gives the Secretary the authority to prescribe rules and regulations necessary to carry out the act, and section 8 expressly reserves the power to alter, amend, or repeal the act. TITLE II Section 21 authorizes appropriations for the further development of the cooperative agricultural extension system. Eight million dollars is authorized to be appropriated for the first fiscal year following the enactment of the act, and for each fiscal year thereafter an additional $1,000,000 is authorized until $12,000,000 is authorized for each fiscal year. The sums appropriated are to be paid to the several States and Hawaii in the same manner and subject to the same conditions and limitations as the sums given to the States and Hawaii under the SmithLever Act of May 8, 1914. The allotments under this section are to be made on the basis of farm population rather than on the basis of rural population which is the standard under the Smith-Lever Act, and the States and Hawaii are not required to match the appropriations authorized to be made herein. A provision is inserted that the sums herein authorized to be appropriated are not to be available to any State or Hawaii for any year if the State or Hawaii fails to match other appropriations for agricultural extension work. This will also prevent the use of this money to match other Federal money for agricultural extension. Section 22 authorizes additional appropriations for the benefit of the land-grant colleges. For the first fiscal year after the enactment of the act and for each year thereafter $960,000 is authorized to be appropriated. This sum is to be divided equally among the States |