Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-05
GROUP APPROVES
PUBL|CLAND STUDY
Senate Committee Orders
Favorable Report on Bill
for Commission.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

| The House bill authorizing the Presi-
dent to appoint commission to study
and report on the conservation and adj
ministration of public domain was
ordered favorably reported to the SEN
ate. today by the public lands commit
tee of the Senate.
Senator Nye Of North Dakota, chair
man of the committee, said he would
seek to have the measure considered
and passed by the Senate at an early
! date. The bill calls for report by the
commission which shall be sent to Con-
| greSs by the President not later than
the first Monday in December Of this
year.
Because the problem is one OF great
Importance, those supporting the pro-
posal are anxious to have the commits
| sion get to work as soon as possible.
The commission is to have IS members
and selections for the commission have
already been made.
In the Senate itself the bill may meet
| some opposition. The Upper House has
undertaken to criticize President Hoo
yer because of his plan Of having pub
lie problems studied by commissions.
| This commission idea is not popular In
the Senate Only recently the Senate
struck from the House resolution au-
thorizing the appointment of a commits
sion to study conditions in Haiti a.
W a COUlIlllSSlOn. merely RlN@
| ing TO the President 5000 to make q
study of conditions in Haiti in any way
he saw Mt. The action of the Senate
public lands committee today was q
victory for the President.
Refused Commission.
The foreign relations committee
headed by Senator Borah brought in a
| report on the Haiti resolution authoriz-
ing the President to make study of
Haitian conditions through a commits
sion or any other agency he desired
The committee declined to 60 on recore.
as being in favor Of the appointment
OF a commission. In the Senate itself
an amendment offered by Senator Nc
Kellar OF Tennessee, a Democrat, was
adopted striking out all reference to
q commission, in order to signalize
the Senate's opposition to commits
sionS. The upshot of the matter has
been, however, that the President Is
authorized to spend $4,000 with no
strings tied to 1t, and he Is going to
appoint a commission to investigate
conditions in Haiti, just as the Senate
knew he would do.
What will happen when the House
bill for the public lands commission is
called up in the Senate remains to be
seen. Prediction was made today that
the bill would be passed since it has
strong support of many of the Senators
representing public lands States. It
has become a practice Of the Senate,
! however, to attack presidential COM
missions since Mr.. Hoover has been in
office. The law enforcement commits
| sion, which was authorized without q
great deal of difficulty, has been at
tackled in the Senate because It has
not held open hearings and because 1t
seemed to be taking longer TO do its
work than some of the Senators be-
lieved 1t should take.
There was no division in the public
lands committee today over the bill
creating the public lands commission.
No proposals to amend the bill were
made. Senator Walsh of Montana, q
member Of the committee, has declared
himself in favor of the appointment of
the commission, believing that such
study will be of value to Congress. SEN
ator Pittman of Nevada is the ranking
Democratic member Of the public lands
committee.
$4,000 Authorized.
The House bill authorizes an appro-
priation of $4,000 for the use Of the
commission in making q study of the
public domain problem. The public
domain of the United States embraces
an area In excess of 10000, 900 acres of
land. With few exceptions, it was said,
no supervision or control is exercised
OF this vast area. The overgrazing of
these lands has greatly deprecated
their value. The necessity for a def
mite policy regarding the public domain
has been recognized for many years.
President Hoover some months ago am
nounced his plan for having the prob
lem OF the public domain studied by a
commission, composed of men familiar
with the public lands. His purpose has
been to obtain information upon which
Congress could base legislation dealing
with the public lands. Some of the op-
ponents OF the commission idea contend
that the committees of Congress are
well able to deal with the problems
themselves. But this is not the view
taken by the committees on public
lands OF the House and Senate. Ger
tainly nothing so far has been done by
Congress, although the public lands
time.