COAST GUARD STATION APRIL 9, 1935.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. WARREN, from the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 2015] The Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 2015) for a Coast Guard station at the eastern entrance to Cape Cod Canal, Mass., considered the same and report thereon with the recommendation that the bill do pass with the following amendment: Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the following: That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, authorized to establish a Coast Guard station at the eastern entrance to the Cape Cod Canal, Massachusetts, in lieu of the present Manomet Point Auxiliary Boathouse. No specific appropriation will be required to carry this bill into effect. The pending improvements to the Cape Cod Canal, when completed, will make it one of the principal waterways of its kind in the world, and it is highly essential that the present auxiliary boat and apparatus house be designated a full Coast Guard station and enlarged to meet the demands upon it which will inevitably result from the increase in shipping which will pass through the Cape Cod Canal in the immediate future. The reasons for this bill appear in the letter of the Secretary of the Treasury dated February 15, 1935, which was written to Hon. Sam Rayburn, Chairman of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, which committee had jurisdiction over such legislation when that letter was written. The letter of the Secretary of the Treasury follows: Hon. SAM RAYBURN, FEBRUARY 15, 1935. Chairman Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of January 7, 1935, enclosing a copy of bill H. R. 2015, Seventy-fourth Congress, first session, "For a Coast Guard station at the eastern entrance to Cape Cod Canal, Massachusetts", and requesting a report thereon, together with such comment as I may desire to make. Following the enacting clause the bill reads: "That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, authorized to designate the present Manomet Point Auxiliary Boathouse, at the eastern entrance to the Cape Cod Canal, Massachusetts, as a Coast Guard station." After the opening of the Cape Cod Canal it was found to be of interest to shipping to provide measures of protection at the eastern entrance to the canal. A boathouse", so-called, was built there to serve as an auxiliary, or adjunct, of the Manomet Point Coast Guard Station, the nearest regularly established station to the eastern entrance of the canal. This auxiliary facility has grown to be of so much importance to the Coast Guard in its operations as to justify its_maintenance as an independent unit or station. In order that the bill may carry definitely the authority to establish the station, it is suggested that it be modified to read as follows: "That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, authorized to establish a Coast Guard station at the eastern entrance to the Cape Cod Canal, Massachusetts, in lieu of the present Manomet Point Auxiliary Boathouse. So modified, I recommend the passage of the bill. will be required to carry this bill into effect. Very truly yours, No specific appropriations COAST GUARD STATION, SEA ISLAND BEACH, GA. APRIL 9, 1935.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. WARREN, from the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 3975] The Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 3975) to provide for the establishment of a Coast Guard station on the coast of Georgia, at or near Sea Island Beach, having considered the same, report it back to the House without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. The need for the bill is shown by the facts stated in a letter dated February 19, 1935, written by Acting Secretary of the Treasury T. J. Coolidge to Hon. Sam Rayburn, Chairman of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, that committee having at that time jurisdiction of this legislation. The facts stated in the letter of the Acting Secretary of the Treasury show clearly the need for this legislation. A similar bill passed the Senate in the Seventy-third Congress, but was not reached in the House. The letter from the Acting Secretary of the Treasury follows: TREASURY DEPARTMENT, Hon. SAM RAYBURN, Washington, February 15, 1935. Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of January 22, 1935, transmitting bill H. R. 3975, Seventy-fourth Congress, first session, "To provide for the establishment of a Coast Guard station on the coast of Georgia, at or near Sea Island Beach", and requesting a report thereon, together with such comment as I may desire to make. Following the enacting clause the bill reads: "That the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to establish a Coast Guard station on the coast of Georgia, at or near Sea Island Beach, at such point as the commandant of the Coast Guard may recommend." This matter has been investigated by an officer of the Coast Guard, and in his report thereon, among other things, he says: "Approximately 1,000,000 tons of shipping enter and clear from Brunswick, Ga., annually, and the vessels engaged in this trade pass through the waters adjacent to Sea Island Beach and St. Simons Island (Sea Island Beach forms part of the east shore of St. Simons Island). A fleet of 300 fishing boats operates in this vicinity, and many yachts and small craft use the waterways and thoroughfares adjacent to St. Simons Island. Reports received from different sources connected with shipping activities indicate that there have been recent casualties consisting of vessels stranding, burning, and being otherwise damaged in these waters. During the 12-year period from 1922 to 1934 there has been a property value of approximately $3,000,000 involved. These casualties have occurred at or near St. Simons Bar, St. Simons Channel, and in the sounds and waterways contiguous thereto. The most serious accident involving loss of life during recent years was that of the tug Fortune on January 31, 1920. This vessel stranded on the shoals east of St. Simons Island, and the entire crew of 14 men was drowned. Loss of life in these waters during the past few years has been occasional and has resulted from accidents to small boats and the inexperience of bathers using the waters adjacent to St. Simons Channel. The outlying shoals and strong currents constitute a hazard which is continuously present, and the stranding of a vessel in stormy weather may result in serious loss of life and property unless prompt assistance is provided. The city of Brunswick and neighboring communities have no record of vital statistics concerning loss of life at sea, and for this reason it appeared almost impossible to obtain from the local authorities definite data regarding these matters. After careful consideration of the conditions outlined above, it is believed that the construction of a Coast Guard station at or near Sea Island Beach is fully warranted. Added to this is the fact that the nearest fully manned station is located approximately 140 miles north of this point. A station, if authorized and constructed, should be provided with a motor lifeboat and all other modern life-saving accessories." The records prior to the year 1922 disclose that a considerable number of casualties also occurred in this locality. There is no Coast Guard station on the coast of Georgia. It is estimated that the cost of the station buildings and accessories would amount to $48,000; that the equipment, including boats (among them a large power lifeboat), outfits, etc., would be $37,600; that the maintenance, exclusive of pay, would be $4,320 per annum, and that the pay of the personnel would be $14,464 per annum. The Department wishes it understood that the foregoing represents approximate figures based on costs at this time, and on the assumption that the proposed site will be acquired free of cost which seems now to be a reasonable probability. This proposal is believed to be important and should eventually be enacted into law, but in view of the present financial stiuation, I am constrained to withhold my recommendation for its enactment at this time. Very truly yours, T. J. COOLIDGE, Acting Secretary of the Treasury. O DISPOSAL OF CERTAIN LIGHTHOUSE RESERVATIONS APRIL 9, 1935.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. WARREN, from the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 7131] The Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 7131) to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to dispose of certain lighthouse reservations, and for other purposes, having had the same under consideration, reports it back to the House with the following amendments and, as so amended, recommends that the bill do pass. The proposed amendments are: After section 34 insert the following two sections: SEC. 35. The Secretary of Commerce is hereby authorized in his discretion to dispose of the lighthouse reservation in the village of Fairport, Ohio, in the manner and under the conditions indicated: (1) To convey to the village of Fairport, Ohio, for public purposes all of the lighthouse reservation located at Second and High Streets in the said village and extending from Second Street north to the shore of Lake Erie, except that portion hereinafter described adjacent to Second Street on which the present lighthouse buildings are located: Provided, That as a condition precedent to such transfer the village of Fairport, Ohio, shall first convey to the United States of America, free of all encumbrances, the following-described parcel of land situated in the said village: "Beginning at the southwest corner of lot 53, which point is one hundred and thirty-two feet north eighty-nine degrees forty minutes east from an iron pin at the intersection of the east line of High Street and north line of Second Street; thence due north a distance of approximately one hundred and twentynine feet along the east line of lot 54 to its intersection with the southerly line of Prospect Street; thence north fifty-nine degrees fifty-five minutes east along the south line of Prospect Street, a distance of approximately seventy-six feet, to its intersection with the west line of lot 52; thence southerly along the west line of lot 52, a distance of approximately one hundred and sixty-seven feet to the north line of Second Street; thence sixty-six feet south eighty-nine degrees forty minutes west along the north line of Second Street to the place of beginning, being all of lot 53 of original plat of Grandon, now known as the 'village of Fairport, Ohio'." The portion of the lighthouse reservation to be reserved from the above is rectangular in form and lies adjacent to Second Street with a frontage of two hundred feet, more or less, on the west side of High Street and of such depth along Second Street as shall be fixed by the Secretary of Commerce to adequately |