BRIDGE ACROSS THE SULPHUR RIVER, TEX. DECEMBER 20, 1920.-Ordered to be printed. Mr. SHEPPARD, from the Committee on Commerce, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany S. 4588.] The Committee on Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (S. 4588) granting the consent of Congress to the counties of Bowie and Cass, State of Texas, for construction of a bridge across Sulphur River, at or near Pettis Bridge, on State highway numbered eight, in said counties and State, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with the recommendation that the bill do pass with amend ments. The bill has the approval of the War Department, as will appear from the following communication: [Second indorsement.] WAR DEPARTMENT, December 14, 1920. Respectfully returned to the chairman, Committee on Commerce, United States Senate. So far as the interests committed to this department are concerned, I do not know of any objection to the favorable consideration by Congress of the accompanying bill, S. 4588, Sixth-sixth Congress, third session, to authorize the construction of a bridge across Sulphur River, Tex. W. R. WILLIAMS, Assistant Secretary of War. 66TH CONGRESS, 3d Session. SENATE. { REPORT No. 672. BRIDGE ACROSS THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER AT HARRISBURG, PA. DECEMBER 20, 1920.-Ordered to be printed. Mr. SHEPPARD, from the Committee on Commerce, submitted the The Committee on Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (S. 4541) to extend the time for the construction of a bridge across the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, Pa., having considered the same, report favorably thereon with the recommendation that the bill do pass with an amendment. The bill has the approval of the War Department, as will appear from the following communication: [Second indorsement.] WAR DEPARTMENT, December 14, 1920. Respectfully returned to the chairman Committee on Commerce, United States Senate. So far as the interests committed to this department are concerned, I do not know of any objection to the favorable consideration by Congress of the accompanying bill, S. 4541, Sixty-sixth Congress, third session, to extend the time for the construction of a bridge across the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, Pa., if the bill be amended as indicated in red thereon. О W. R. WILLIAMS, Assistant Secretary of War. BRIDGE ACROSS NEWARK BAY, N. J. DECEMBER 23, 1920.-Ordered to be printed. Mr. CALDER, from the Committee on Commerce, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany S. 4515.] The Committee on Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (S. 4515) reviving, confirming, and renewing the authority of the Central Railroad Co. of New Jersey to construct a bridge across the navigable waters of the Newark Bay, in the State of New Jersey, having considered the same, report favorably thereon, with the recommendation that the bill do pass, with amendments. Strike out all of line 3, page 1, and lines 1 to 6, inclusive, page 2, and insert in lieu the following: That the times for commencing and completing the construction of a bridge authorized by act of Congress approved August 8, 1919, to be built by the Central Railroad Company of New Jersey across the Newark Bay, between the city of Elizabeth and the city of Bayonne, New Jersey, are hereby extended two and five years, respectively, from the date of approval of this act. Amend by striking out all of the title and other matter preceding the enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof the following: A bill to extend the time for the construction of a bridge across the navigable waters of the Newark Bay, in the State of New Jersey. The bill thus amended has the approval of the War Department, as will appear by the annexed communication, the amendments referred to therein having been incorporated in the bill as reported. [Second indorsement.] WAR DEPARTMENT, Respectfully returned to the chairman Committee on Commerce, United States Senate. The accompanying bill, S. 4515, current session, proposes, to revive the authority granted by act of Congress approved August 8, 1919, for the construction of a bridge across Newark Bay between the cities of Elizabeth and Bayonne, N. J., by the Central Railroad Co. of New Jersey. This authority was granted subject to the terms of the general bridge law of March 23, 1906, section 6 of which limits the times for commencing construction to one year and for completion of the work to three years from the date of approval of the special act. The plans of the bridge were approved by the War Department under date of April 27, 1920, and under the law construction should have been commenced before August 8, 1920, the date of expiration of the time limit. Work has not yet been commenced, however, and the purpose of the bill is, in effect, to extend the times for commencing and completing construction two and five years, respectively, from the date of approval of the amendatory act. The extension of time proposed is unobjectionable, but it is suggested that the act be drafted in accordance with the form adopted by Congress in previous similar cases. I have amended the bill accordingly, and, as thus amended, I do not know of any objection to its favorable consideration by Congress so far as the interests committed to this department are concerned. W. R. WILLIAMS, Assistant Secretary of War. Mr. POINDEXTER, from the Committee on Pacific Islands, Porto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 11769.] The Committee on Pacific Islands, Porto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 11769) to amend the act entitled "An act to provide a civil government for Porto Rico, and for other purposes," approved March 2, 1917, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with the recommendation that the bill do pass without amendment. The report of the House Committee on Insular Affairs on this bill is attached hereto and made a part of this report. The Committee on Insular Affairs, to which was referred H. R. 11769, entitled "An act to provide a civil government for Porto Rico, and for other purposes," herewith reports the said bill to the House with a favorable recommendation and recom-. mends its passage without amendment. On December 9, 1919, Mr. Davila, Commissioner from Porto Rico, introduced a bill (H.R. 11018), which provided for four amendments to the organic act, one repealing the requirement that Members of the House must be residents of the district they represent, and another providing for two Commissioners in Congress from the island instead of one, as at present provided. The committee decided they could not report favorably on these two propositions, at least at present, and instructed their chairman to introduce the present bill (H. R. 11769) in lieu of the bill introduced by Mr. Davila (H. R. 11018), and to report the same with a favorable recommendation. The present bill (H. R. 11769) contains two sections and provisions amending the present organic act, approved March 2, 1917. The first amendment proposed is to paragraph 19 of section 2 of said act. It will be remembered that this act was prepared by and first passed by the House. The paragraph referred to is part of the bill of rights, and as it passed the House was as follows: "That no public money or property shall ever be appropriated, applied, donated, used, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, sectarian institution or association, or system of religion, or for the use, benefit, or support of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher or dignitary as such. Contracting of polygamous or plural marriages hereafter is prohibited," S R-66-3-vol 1- -3 |