Mr. SMITH of Maryland, from the Committee on the District of Columbia, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany S. 6750.] The Committee on the District of Columbia, to whom was referred the bill (S. 6750) to provide for the appointment of the register of wills of the District of Columbia by the justices of the Supreme Court of the said District, having considered the same, report thereon with a recommendation that it pass. Section 120 of the Code of the District of Columbia provides: The register of wills of the District of Columbia shall be, and hereby is, authorized, empowered, and directed to act as clerk of the said probate term, to keep and certify its records generally, with respect to said term, to exercise all the powers and perform all the duties which might otherwise be properly exercised or performed by the clerk of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. Inasmuch as the register of wills is declared by the provisions of the code referred to to be clerk of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, probate term, the said register should be appointed by the judges of said court in like manner as are appointed its other officers. The President now appoints the register of wills under a statute approved in 1801, under a general authority to appoint all officers whose appointment is not otherwise provided for. О Mr. FLETCHER, from the Committee on Commerce, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 13831.] The Committee on Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 13831) to amend section 4464 of Revised Statutes of the United States, having considered the same, report thereon with a recommendation that it pass without amendment. The bill has the approval of the Department of Commerce, as will appear by the following letter, which is made a part of this report: DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, MY DEAR JUDGE ALEXANDER: I am in receipt of yours of the 7th instant asking me to give the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries the benefit of my opinion in regard to H. R. 4781, to amend sections 4464 and 4465 of the Revised Statutes, and as to the wisdom of enacting the same into law. The object of these amendments is to make the sections apply to all classes of passenger vessels, including passenger steam vessels, passenger motor vessels, passenger sail vessels, and passenger barges of the kinds required to be inspected. In other words, it has the effect of covering the carrying capacity of all vessels carrying passengers, instead of limiting it to steamers only, as is done in the present sections. As vessels other than steamers are now also engaged in the business of carrying passengers, I see no reason why the laws should not be made applicable to them. In the copy of the bill which you sent me, and as introduced, I noticed the words "other than ferryboats" are incorporated. These words may have been in the bill as originally sent you by the department, but if so it was an error. It appears that there is, under this exemption in the law, no limit to the number of persons a ferry steamer may carry. There is nothing to prevent such ferry from carrying passengers in excess of a safe limit, and it is to cure this dangerous condition that such words were intended by the department to be omitted from the new act. The bill, with the exception of the above, in which I am sure you will agree with me, has my approval in every way, and I hope it will be enacted into law. Yours, very truly, Hon. J. W. ALEXANDER, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. WILLIAM C. REDFIELD, Secretary. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, MY DEAR JUDGE ALEXANDER: I am in receipt of yours of the 17th instant, asking me to give to the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries the benefit of my opinion with reference to the merits of H. R. 4785, and as to the wisdom of enacting the same into law. The provisions as contained in the proposed bill grew directly out of the investigation of the Eastland disaster. Section 4464 of the Revised Statutes places the carrying capacity of steamers other than ferryboats wholly within the power of the various local boards of inspectors. It appeared in the Eastland disaster, and also has appeared in other ways, that in a number of cases the various boards of local inspectors have increased the carrying capacity of steamers over that allowed by local boards granting the original certificate of inspection. You may possibly recall that at the Eastland investigation, in addition to the regular board of locals conducting the examination, an advisory board, consisting of Messrs. Marvin B. Poole, Harry Wheeler, and Lieut. Gov. O'Hara, all of Chicago, Ill., were requested by me to sit at the hearing as an advisory board, and that they actually did so. In addition to these gentlemen, Naval Constructor Ackerson and Naval Constructor Gillette, of the Lighthouse Service, also assisted. It was the opinion of these gentlemen, and in such opinion the department, through me, concurred, that this unlimited power as to carrying capacity should not rest wholly within the various boards of local inspectors, but should be subject to some check on the part of the supervising inspectors, and in a report this advisory committee so recommended. H. R. 4785 complies with the recommendation of the committee and seems to me to meet the situation. It has my utmost approval, and I earnestly hope that it will be enacted into law. Yours, very truly, Hon. J. W. ALEXANDER, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. о WILLIAM C. REDFIELD, Secretary. Mr. CLAPP, from the Committee on Indian Affairs, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany S. 7833.] The Committee on Indian Affairs, to which was referred the bill (S. 7833) authorizing the Chippewa Indians in the State of Minnesota to submit claims to the Court of Claims, report the same favorably with the recommendation that it do pass. The Chippewa Indians in the State of Minnesota have a number of claims which are constantly being pressed for settlement. It is quite impossible for the committee to deal with these claims, and it seems only just that acting as the guardian of the Indians, we ought to allow the ward the right to go to a court of our own creation to determine such claims as the ward insists upon having against the guardian. о |