AUTHORIZING THE VIRGIN ISLANDS CO. TO SETTLE VALID CLAIMS OF ITS CREDITORS MAY 4, 1935.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed Mr. KOCIALKOWSKI, from the Committee on Insular Affairs, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 7380] The Committee on Insular Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 7380) authorizing the Virgin Islands Co. to settle valid claims of its creditors, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report thereon with the recommendation that it do pass with the following amendment: That the words, beginning on page 1, line 11, "and to pay and settle such other claims against the corporation as are or may be approved for payment by its board of directors as valid obligations duly incurred by the corporation in the course of business", be stricken. The letter of transmittal of the Department of the Interior is hereto appended. Hon. LEO. KOCIALKOWSKI, Chairman Committee on Insular Affairs, House of Representatives. MARCH 19, 1935. MY DEAR MR. KOCIALKOWSKI: Enclosed herewith is a draft of a bill designed to authorize The Virgin Islands Co. to pay certain claims out of the funds of the corporation. The Virgin Islands Co. was chartered by act of the Colonial Council of St. Thomas and St. John, Virgin Islands of the United States, approved by the Governor of the Virgin Islands on April 16, 1934. The corporation is authorized to operate solely as a quasi-public body through which projects for the rehabilitation of the Virgin Islands of the United States can be accomplished. The charter of the corporation precludes private profit from its operations and permits expenditures of any earned surplus only for the public benefit of the people of the Virgin Islands. By license of the Public Works Administration, the corporation is now operating certain properties in the Virgin Islands which have been rehabilitated during the course of a Federal program of public works. It has also borrowed money from the Government. In these circumstances, the corporation has agreed that expenditures of its earnings and other funds shall be made only with the approval of the Comptroller General or pursuant to some authorization of Congress. The Comptroller General has considered that he is without authority to authorize expenditures by the corporation which could not be made by executive agencies of the Government under the laws controlling their expenditures. As a result the corporation is unable to make needful and, from a business standpoint, proper disbursements. Typical of such items is a proposed expenditure of $1,735.81, payable to Phagan, Tillison & Tremble, an accounting firm, for establishing a general accounting and cost system for the corporation. It may be mentioned that the accounting system, which has been devised for the corporation by this firm, has been considered by the Comptroller General and approved with certain modification of detail. It is to be emphasized that the proposed bill does not authorize any expenditure out of the general fund of the Treasury. Only the funds of the corporation now on hand, or to be earned by its future operations, are made available for the authorized expenditures. If the proposed bill, as herein explained, meets with your approval, may I request that you cause the measure to be introduced in the House of Representatives and that you urge its favorable consideration. Sincerely yours, T. A. WALTERS, Acting Secretary of the Interior. O TRAVELING EXPENSES OF EMPLOYEES TO AND FROM THE VIRGIN ISLANDS MAY 4, 1935.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. KOCIALKOWSKI, from the Committee on Insular Affairs, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 7025] The Committee on Insular Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 7025) authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to furnish transportation to persons in the service of the United States in the Virgin Islands, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report thereon with the recommendation that it do pass with the following amendment: At the end of the bill add: The Secretary of the Interior is further authorized to provide free transportation of the bodies of deceased persons formerly appointed from the continental United States for employment in the service of the United States in the Virgin Islands, from the post of duty previously held in the Virgin Islands to such destination in the continental United States as may be requested by the deceased person's nearest relatives and/or friends. Appended hereto is a letter from the Department of the Interior stating the facts. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Washington, January 28, 1935. House of Representatives, CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE ON INSULAR AFFAIRS, MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Enclosed is a draft of a proposed bill to authorize payment of traveling expenses of employees to and from the Virgin Islands on authorized leave of absence, or after their separation from the service without prejudice. When the administration of the Government of the Virgin Islands was placed under the supervision of the Secretary of the Interior by Executive order of February 27, 1931, the President authorized the Secretary of the Interior to employ and fix salaries on the administrative force and to furnish to new appointees where necessary free transportation from port of departure in the United States. No return transportation however, was authorized. Under the administration in the Navy Department it was possible to return employees on termination of service or for vacation purposes on their own ships. This means, of course, is not available to the Department of the Interior, and I feel that some liberalization of the present authority is advisable to restore to these employees privileges previously enjoyed and to place them on a more equitable basis with employees of other Government departments serving outside the continental limits. In order to accomplish this purpose, it is requested that the proposed bill be placed before the House of Representatives for appropriate action. Sincerely yours, О HAROLD L. ICKES, PROVIDING PUNISHMENT FOR KILLING OR ASSAULTING FEDERAL OFFICERS May 4, 1935.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed Mr. MILLER, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 7680] The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 7680) to amend the act of May 18, 1934, providing punishment for killing or assaulting Federal officers, after consideration, reports the same favorably to the House with the recommendation that the bill do pass. Public, No. 230 of the Seventy-third Congress of which H. R. 7680 is amendatory, makes it a Federal offense to assault or kill certain Federal officers whose duties include the apprehension of law violators. These officers, designated in the act are: United States marshals and their deputies, special agents of the Bureau of Investigation, post-office inspectors, secret-service operatives, officers and enlisted men of the Coast Guard, employees of United States penal and correctional institutions, officers of the Customs Service, the Internal Revenue service, immigrant inspectors, and immigration patrol inspectors. It now seems desirable to add the following to this list, which is the purpose and effect of the reported bill: Any officer or employee of the Department of Agriculture designated by the Secretary of Agriculture to enforce any act of Congress for the protection, preservation, or restoration of game and other wild birds and animals, any officer or employee of the National Park Service, any officer or employee of or assigned to duty in, the Field Service of the Division of Grazing of the Department of the Interior, or any officer or employee of the Indian Field Service of the United States. The Attorney General concurs in this proposal as will be observed from the following letter addressed by him to the Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary. The draft to which the Attorney General refers in his letter was introduced in the House as H. R. 7680, which is the bill here reported. |