FOR THE RELIEF OF CERTAIN RESIDENTS OF THE VILLAGE OF WARRINGTON, STATE OF FLORIDA (H. R. 4295). MR. CALDWELL

NAVY DEPARTMENT, Washington, March 13, 1937.

The CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS,

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The bill (H. R. 4295) for the relief of certain residents of the village of Warrington, State of Florida, was referred to the Navy Department by your committee with a request for report and recommendation.

The purpose of the bill is to authorize and direct the Secretary of the Navy to pay all claims for damages on account of the vacation and removal pursuant to orders from the Navy Department of residences and improvements in the village of Warrington, formerly situated on that part of the naval reservation, Pensacola, Fla., that is now occupied by the Naval Air Station.

When permission was originally given to the various private individuals to erect buildings and improvements on the naval reservation near Pensacola, Fla., the permit itself contained a clause to the effect that the buildings, etc., would have to be removed on receipt of 30 days' notice from the Government. The permittee understood and accepted this condition or requirement. When the time came that the Government needed the area for its own purposes it simply required the owners of the buildings and other property to comply with that clause of the permit. While the citizens of the village of Warrington were living on the Government reservation they were free from taxes with the exception of a nominal fee used for the sanitation of the village. It is perfectly apparent that compliance with the clause requiring the removal of the buildings constitutes no claim whatever against the United States. Their reimbursement in accordance with the proposed bill would be a purely gratuitous act on the part of the Government.

Aside from the foregoing which is, in itself, sufficient to condemn the bill, it is not believed that the bill as it stands is capable of being executed. The amount to be paid is specified to be the value of each house or other building as appraised at the time. It is not believed that all buildings were actually appraised. At least there is no record to that effect. Several private holdings included wells, fences, sidewalks, and other improvements besides buildings. In more than one instance a building was burned to the ground after the order to vacate had been given. Insurance was collected by the owners and yet this bill would direct a further reimbursement. The expense of removal and relocation could possibly be much less than the appraised value of the building and yet if an appraisal had been made the appraised value would have to be paid.

The Navy Department therefore recommends against the passage of H. R. 4295 on the ground that it provides for purely gratuitous payments and that its provisions are not equitable or just or capable of being carried out.

The bill H. R. 4295 is not in accord with the program of the President.

Sincerely yours,

CLAUDE A. SWANSON.

FOR THE RELIEF OF CLYDE F. CHAMBERS (H. R. 4393). MR. SHAFER OF MICHIGAN

NAVY DEPARTMENT, Washington, March 12, 1937.

The CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS,

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.

MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The bill (H. R. 4393) for the relief of Clyde F. Chambers was referred to the Navy Department by your committee with a request for report and recommendation.

This bill provides

That the Secretary of the Navy is authorized and directed to (1) correct the service record of Clyde F. Chambers, formerly private, United States Marine Corps, so that such record will show that the said Clyde F. Chambers was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps on October 6, 1918, and (2) grant to the said Clyde F. Chambers an honorable discharge certificate showing that he was honorably discharged on such date. The said Clyde F. Chambers shall not be entitled to any pension, pay, bounty, or other benefit by reason of the enactment of this act, or by reason of receiving an honorable discharge certificate pursuant to the provisions of this act.

The records of the Navy Department show that Clyde F. Chambers was born September 9, 1897, and enlisted in the Marine Corps as a private for 4 years on July 24, 1916. He served in the Dominican Republic from January 25, 1917, to October 16, 1917, with the Thirty-fourth Company of Marines, and ashore in France with the American Expeditionary Forces from December 31, 1917, to June 27, 1918. On June 1, 1918, Private Chambers was tried by general court martial and found guilty of the theft of a watch on May 24, 1918. He was sentenced to 6 months' confinement and to be dishonorably discharged. He was returned to the United States and was discharged in accordance with the terms of his sentence on October 6, 1918.

This bill is particularly objectionable because it directs the alteration of the records of the Navy Department which should remain inviolate.

The Navy Department recommends against the enactment of the bill H. R. 4393.

Sincerely yours,

CLAUDE A. SWANSON.

91216-37-No. 210

(435)

AUTHORIZING CONSTRUCTION OF A 300-TON AIRSHIP FULLY EQUIPPED FOR NAVAL SERVICE, SUBJECT TO THE ACCEPTANCE BY THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT (H. R. 2253). MR. O'CONNELL OF RHODE ISLAND

NAVY DEPARTMENT, Washington, March 4, 1937.

The CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS,

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.

MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The bill (H. R. 2253) authorizing construction of a 300-ton airship fully equipped for naval service subject to the acceptance by the United States Government, was referred to the Navy Department by your committee with a request for report and recommendation.

The purpose of this bill is to authorize a loan of $6,000,000 to the Respess Aeronautical Engineering Corporation for the purpose of constructing an airship and for demonstrating the military value of such; for the Secretary of the Navy to inspect, accept or reject the completed airship; for the Navy Department to provide free use of the airship dock at Lakehurst, N. J., or at Sunnydale (sic), California, for construction purposes; and for repayment of the loan over a period of 10 years in case of nonacceptance by the Navy.

As to the provision requiring the Navy Department to permit use of a dock (shed) at Sunnyvale or Lakehurst for constructing the airship, it is pointed out that Sunnyvale is now under War Department jurisdiction and the airship shed at Lakehurst is so occupied with naval activities that it would not be available for this purpose. Furthermore, the dimensions of an airship with the lift stated would probably be so large that the airship could not be accommodated in the Lakehurst shed.

The description of the proposed airship is too vague to permit any considered opinion as to the type of airship. Comment is made, however, that the stated size and the performance of the airship greatly exceed those for any airship yet built, and, in the opinion of the Navy Department, the stated performance cannot be realized in the present state of the art with the type of construction that is indicated. This "suspension-bridge-type" of airship construction, as it is known to the Navy Department, should be classed as highly experimental. The size of the airship described is larger than appears desirable as a conservative step in the development of so experimental a type of construction.

It appears that the provisionsof the bill, H. R. 2253, amount essentially to an appropriation for an airship whose construction is removed from supervision by the Government.