"House bill providing for an experimental station for the study of fish diseases and fish propagation is strongly indorsed, the needs for such a station being fully set forth in the report of the Commissioner of Fisheries to the Secretary of Commerce for the fiscal year 1913 (p. 77), as follows: "Fish culture has reached a high degree of perfection in the United States, and the magnitude of the operations as a whole leaves little to be desired. There is, however, much room for effective work in fish culture similar to that conducted in animal and plant industry at agricultural experiment stations, and one of the great and growing needs of the service is an experiment station for study of fish diseases and of problems in fish breeding. "The matter of improving the food and game qualities of fishes by selective breed. ing is a subject to which practically no attention has as yet been given in this country, but the possibilities are alluring, and the project is well worthy of support from Congress in view of the great improvements that have been produced in domestic animals and plants by the application of scientific methods. The serious aspect of disease among cultivated fishes has frequently been set forth in the bureau's reports and brought directly to the attention of Congress. An experiment station would, no doubt, pay for itself every year in the actual money value of fish saved that are now lost at the hatching stations all over the country because of lack of knowledge of the proper means for preventing and curing the various destructive maladies to which domesticated or semidomesticated fish are liable." " The Commissioner of Fisheries appeared before the committee and strongly urged the establishment of such a hatchery in Maryland or Virginia. South Atlantic coast, in Georgia, North Carolina, or South Carolina.-The Commissioner of Fisheries appeared before the committee and urged the establishment of a migratory fish station along the South Atlantic coast. Columbia River in Oregon or Washington.--A fish hatchery on the Columbia River was included in the omnibus bill reported from the Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries in the Sixty-third Congress, on the following recommendation from the Commissioner of Fisheries of date March 19, 1914: "The field for the propagation of salmon in the Columbia River Basin is practically unlimited, and an industry of vast extent is dependent on the maintenance of the fish supply. Two stations and several auxiliaries are now being operated by the bureau on the Columbia, but their output, while large and increasing, is not sufficient to offset the activity of the fishing operations. It is therefore highly desirable that additional stations, preferably of an auxiliary character, as provided for in this bill, be established at the earliest practicable date." The commissioner appeared before the committee and stated that the department was still in favor of a hatchery being established on the Columbia River. Washington, Quiniault River.—A fish hatchery station for the State of Washington along the Quiniault River was included in the omnibus bill reported from the Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries in the Sixty-third Congress, on the following recommendation from the Commissioner of Fisheries of date March 19, 1914: "Quiniault River and Lake, located in an Indian reservation, are noteworthy in having a larger run of sockeye salmon than any other stream in Washington, with possibly a single exception. Spawning grounds of this species are very much restricted in the United States outside of Alaska, and, as this is the species which supports the enormous fish-canning industry of Puget Sound, every effort should be made to maintain and increase its abundance. This reservation is regarded as a particularly desirable site for Federal operations, and its use for this purpose meets with the approval of the Office of Indian Affairs of the Interior Department. The passage of this bill is therefore strongly urged.' The commissioner appeared before the committee and stated that the department was still in favor of a hatchery being established along the Quiniault River. Louisiana. A fish-hatchery bill for the State of Louisiana was reported from this committee in the Sixty-third Congress. A fish hatchery for the State of Louisiana is recommended in the following letter from Dr. Hugh M. Smith, Commissioner of Fisheries, in a letter addressed to Hon. Ladislas Lazaro on March 17, 1916: DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Hon. LADISLAS LAZARO, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR SIR: I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 15th instant, transmitting a copy of a bill (H. R. 359) to establish a fish-cultural station in he State of Louisiana. The passage of this bill is strongly recommended, and in support of the recommendation I can not do better than quote the following from a letter written by the Secretary of Commerce to the chairman of the Senate Committee on Fisheries in advocacy of a Senate bill (S. 4811) having the identical purport as the House bill: "For many years the Bureau of Fisheries of this department has recommended the establishment of a fresh-water hatchery in Louisiana. The local conditions there are known to be superior to those found elsewhere for certain kinds of fish-cultural work for which there is a great and growing need. All of the indigenous food fishes could be handled at such a station, chief among them being the catfishes, which already support a large industry and can there be cultivated in large numbers and in a more economical way than at any of the existing hatcheries. The catfishes are highly desirable as food fishes, both for the market and for domestic consumption after having been raised in private ponds and lakes. The early passage of this bill will enable the Bureau of Fisheries to supply the demand that can not be met with existing facilities." Very truly, yours, H. M. SMITH, Commissioner. Minnesota.-A fish-hatchery bill for the State of Minnesota was reported from the Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries in the Sixty-third Congress. The bill had the approval of the Bureau of Fisheries of the Department of Commerce. In a letter to the chairman of the Committee on Fisheries of the Senate the Commissioner of Fisheries stated: "Additional fish-cultural work of a highly desirable and useful character could be done by the bureau if it had a station located in the interior of either Minnesota or Wisconsin, where, owing to the enormous number of lakes and streams, there is a field for most effective operation. At the two stations already maintained by the bureau in Minnesota the commercial fishes of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi Valley, respectively, are handled." A bill to establish a station along the Gulf coast of Texas for the propagation of sea fish was reported from the committee in the Sixty-second Congress and had the approval of the Bureau of Fisheries. A similar provision was in the omnibus bill reported by the committee in the Sixtythird Congress. Northwestern Texas. -A fish-hatchery station in the northwestern part of Texas was included in the omnibus bill reported from the Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries in the Sixty-third Congress on the following recommendation from the Commissioner of Fisheries of date March 19, 1914: "The bureau is now operating a pond station at San Marcos, Tex. Owing, however, to the great area of this State and to the diversified physical conditions prevailing, an additional station in northern or western Texas would be advantageous and is needed to meet the growing demands for fish for public waters and private ponds in that region.' The commissioner appeared before the committee and stated that the department was still in favor of a hatchery being established in northwestern Texas. о BOUNDARY LINE, SALMON BAY, WASH. JANUARY 10, 1917.—Ordered to be printed. Mr. CHAMBERLAIN, from the Committee on Military Affairs, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany S. 6807.] The Committee on Military Affairs has had under consideration S. 6807, fixing and establishing a boundary line between the property of the United States of America, on Salmon Bay, State of Washington, and the property of Betterton-Morgan Co. (Inc.), a corporation, giving authority and providing for the conveyance of property in connection therewith, and for other purposes. The bill is now reported to the Senate with various amendments, and as thus amended the committee recommends its passage. The Betterton-Morgan Co. (Inc.) owns property along a Government military reservation in connection with Fort Lawton, Wash. The boundary line is irregular. By the construction of the Government lock in connection with the Lake Washington Canal some of their land would be overflowed without the construction of a bulkhead. The company desired to establish a straight line as the boundary between their property and the Government property, and to construct along this line a bulkhead so as to protect their land from overflow. A revokable permit has been issued by the Government to the company for this purpose, and the company has constructed a bulkhead. The purpose of this bill is to confirm this permit and through a mutual exchange establish a straight boundary line between the property of this company and the Government's. According to the surveys the lands to be exchanged are substantially equal in area and in value, and the department sees no objection to it. An amendment has been made to the bill to protect the Government from any possible loss arising from damages done in the past or that might arise in the future on account of overflow conditions on this property in the Seattle tidelands. 2 BOUNDARY LINE, SALMON BAY, WASH. The report of the War Department on this measure is as follows: CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AFFAIRS, United States Senate. SIR: The War Department has received, by reference from your committee under date of August 9, 1916, S. 6807, Sixty-fourth Congress, first session, a bill fixing and establishing a boundary line between the property of the United States of America on Salmon Bay, State of Washington, and the property of Betterton-Morgan Co. (Inc.), a corporation, giving authority and providing for the conveyance of property in connection therewith, and for other purposes. It is believed, however, that as part of the boundary is the shore line, thus giving an approximate area only, the words as used in lines 17 and 18, on page 4 of the bill, viz," said parcel of land containing an area of two thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven square feet, more or less," be also used in lines 16 and 17, on page 3; and also an amendment should be added to the bill which will provide that all expenses connected with the proposed exchange, including the recordation of the necessary instruments, shall be defrayed by the Betterton-Morgan Co. Subject to the amendments suggested above, the War Department has no objection О |