EXTENDING FOR 5 YEARS THE AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF A DOMESTIC TIN-SMELTING INDUSTRY JUNE 8 (legislative day, JUNE 1), 1948.-Ordered to be printed Mr. MORSE, from the Committee on Armed Services, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 2830] The Committee on Armed Services, having had under consideration the maintenance of tin reserves, report the following bill (S. 2830) to extend for 5 years the authority to provide for the maintenance of a domestic tin-smelting industry, and recommend that it do pass. PURPOSE OF THE BILL The purpose of this bill is to amend the act of June 28, 1947 (Public Law 125, 80th Cong.), to extend from June 30, 1949, until June 30, 1954, or until such earlier time as the Congress shall otherwise provide, the powers, functions, duties, and authority of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (1) to buy, sell and transport tin, tin ore and tin concentrates; (2) to improve, develop, maintain and operate by lease or otherwise the Government-owned tin smelter at Texas City, Tex.; (3) to finance research in tin smelting and processing; and (4) to do all other things necessary to accomplish the foregoing. GENERAL STATEMENT Tin continues in short supply in the United States, and in view of the tin requirements of national defense and domestic industry, it will likely remain so for an indeterminate future time. Since there are but insignificant deposits of tin within the United States, this country's defense and industrial requirements can be met only by imports of tin metal and tin ores and concentrates. During the calendar year 1947 we imported nearly 25,000 long tons of tin metal, chiefly from Malaya, the Belgian Congo, Siam and China, in order of importance, while during the same year our supplies of 39,500 long tons of tin contained in ores and concentrates came chiefly from Bolivia, the Netherlands East Indies, Siam and the Belgian Congo, also in order of importance. In order that these materials may be imported into the United States in volume sufficient for our requirements and at the most favorable prices and on the most favorable terms, it is of the greatest importance to plan a tin procurement program over a period of years forward and to contract for the material accordingly. Only in this way and on the basis of firm purchase contracts can the foreign producers plan their production schedules to meet our needs. For example, because its present authority to operate the Texas City smelter will terminate on June 30, 1949, pursuant to the time limitation contained in Public Law 125, Reconstruction Finance Corporation has felt that it should not enter into firm contracts for deliveries of concentrates even through the calendar year 1949 and has therefore reserved to itself cancellation rights in its present procurement contracts. The Reconstruction Finance Corporation is thus placed at a serious disadvantage in its procurement of these materials in the world market and in competition with foreign purchasers. Tin is one of the most important of strategic and critical materials, not only in our domestic economy but also in the fabrication of military and naval munitions and equipment. Early in the late war it was recognized that the flow of tin metal from the Far East, Africa, and Europe might well be interrupted by the enemy and that since there was then no tin smelter in the Western Hemisphere, the supplies of tin ore and concentrates which were available in Bolivia would be useless to us. The event proved that we should have found ourselves in that unhappy situation had not the Government constructed at Texas City a tin smelter at very substantial cost and thereafter operated it through Reconstruction Finance Corporation. The Texas City smelter is one of the largest in the world and has a rated capacity adequate to meet the foreseeable tin requirements of the United States, given ores and concentrates in sufficient quantity and of suitable quality. It is equipped to treat tin concentrates from low-grade material of 18 percent tin content to the highest grade alluvial concentrates containing 70 percent tin and upward. From the date of its first operation in the spring of 1942 and throughout the war, our Government was very heavily dependent upon its production. There was unanimity among the witnesses at the public hearings, both of those who appeared on behalf of the Government and those representing private business interests, that the continued operation of the Government tin smelter is essential to this Nation's defense and its economy. The only undetermined point was as to the period during which its continued operation should be authorized by the Congress at this time. Your committee has recommended an extension of 5 years beyond the present authorization because this will allow the Reconstruction Finance Corporation a reasonable period within which to enter into firm contracts for future deliveries of tin metal and tin ores and concentrates, and because it will also afford the Congress an opportunity to give further study to the matter. It is the view of the committee that the Congress should determine at an early date the time when the national interest will permit the transfer of this Government plant into private hands for permanent operation. The Committee on Armed Services unanimously reports this bill favorably and urges its immediate passage. JUNE 8 (legislative day, JUNE 1), 1948.-Ordered to be printed Mr. ROBERTSON of Wyoming, from the Committee on Armed Services, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 2064] The Committee on Armed Services, to whom was referred the bill (S. 2064) to authorize the attendance of the United States Marine Corps Band at the national assembly of the Marine Corps League to be held at Milwaukee, Wis., September 22 to 25, inclusive, 1948, having considered the same, report favorably thereon and recommend that the bill do pass. PURPOSE OF THE BILL The purpose of the bill is to authorize the attendance of the United States Marine Band at the national assembly of the Marine Corps League which will be held in Milwaukee, Wis., September 22 to 25. Since previous authorization has been extended to the Marine Band to perform at the encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic at Grand Rapids, Mich., there will be required only a small additional fund to transport the band from the Grand Rapids meeting to the assembly of the Marine Corps League in Milwaukee. The committee, however, does not intend to establish a precedent for approving the attendance of service bands at all such conventions or assemblies. This particular trip is being approved because of the fact that it can be made in conjunction with a previously authorized schedule that takes the Marine Band to the same vicinity. A letter, dated April 15, 1948, from the Judge Advocate General's Department in the Navy, explaining the costs involved is appended hereto and made a part of this report. Hon. CHAN GURNEY, NAVY DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL, Chairman, Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate. MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The bill (S. 2064) to authorize the attendance of the United States Marine Corps Band at the national assembly of the Marine Corps League to be held at Milwaukee, Wis., September 22 to 25, inclusive, 1948, was referred by your committee to the Navy Department with request for report thereon. The purpose of the proposed bill is to authorize the President to permit the Marine Band to attend and give concerts at the national assembly of the Marine Corps League to be held in Milwaukee, Wis., from September 22 to 25, 1948, both dates inclusive. It is estimated that the cost of sending the Marine Band to Milwaukee, Wis., for the Marine Corps League Assembly from September 22 to 25, 1948, would be $8,901. However, it is noted that H. R. 5035, a bill to authorize the attendance of the Marine Band at the national encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic, to be held in Grand Rapids, Mich., September 26 to 30, 1948, was reported favorably in the House of Representatives on February 5, 1948. The estimated cost for this trip would be $7,668.30. If both bills are enacted and the Marine Band attends the Marine Corps League assembly in Milwaukee, Wis., and the Grand Army of the Republic encampment in Grand Rapids, Mich., it is estimated that the cost to the Government of the entire trip, including an allowance not to exceed $6 per day for additional traveling and living expenses for members of the band, would be $11,428.85. The Navy Department would have no objection to the enactment of S. 2064. The Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force interpose no objection to the submission of this report. The Navy Department has been advised by the Bureau of the Budget that while there would be no objection to the submission of the proposed report to the committee for its consideration, the attendance of the Marine Band at national conventions or assemblies has not been favored by the administration for such organizations as the Marine Corps League, the national assembly of which is to be held in Milwaukee, Wis., September 22 to 25, 1948. Respectfully yours, O. S. COLCLOUGH, Rear Admiral, United States Navy, Judge Advocate General of the Navy. (For the Secretary of the Navy). 80TH CONGRESS 2d Session } SENATE {No. 1542 REPORT PROVIDING FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF MILITARY JUSTICE WITHIN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE JUNE 8 (legislative day, JUNE 1), 1948.-Ordered to be printed Mr. ROBERTSON of Wyoming, from the Committee on Armed Services, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 24011 The Committee on Armed Services, to whom was referred the bill (S. 2401) to provide for the administration of military justice within the United States Air Force, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. AMENDMENTS TO THE BILL Page 3, line 7, after the word "served", insert "not less than four years". Page 3, line 8, after the phrase "shall, upon retirement," delete the phrase "or if recalled to active duty from the retired list upon release from active duty,". PURPOSE OF THE BILL The purpose of the bill is to grant authority to the United States Air Force similar to that of the United States Army and United States Navy for the administration of military justice. EXPLANATION OF THE BILL Subsequent to the creation of the United States Air Force as a separate department, doubt arose as to the applicability of the Articles of War to persons who might have been subsequently enlisted in the United States Air Force. To insure that the Articles of War do apply to those persons who enlisted in the United States Air Force subsequent to the unification of the armed services, it was decided to introduce legislation which would specifically create the Judge Advocate General's Department of the Air Force and transfer to it, and to the 8. Repts., 80–2, vol. 4- -25 |