An Act to amend section 7 of ""An Act making appropriations to provide for the government of the District of Columbia for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1903, and for other purposes,"" approved July 1, 1902, as amended
PL 84-653 (H.R.6782), enacted 07/03/1956

70 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 653-JULY 3, 1956 
491 
Public Law 653 
CHAPTER 511 
AN ACT 
To amend section 7 of "An Act making appropriations to provide for the govern-
ment of tlie District of Columbia for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1903, and 
for other purposes", approved July 1,1902, as amended. 
July 3, 1956 
[H. R. 6782] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress o^semhled^ That paragraph 
numbered 39 of section 7 of the Act entitled "An Act making appro-
priations to provide for the government of the District of Columbia 
for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1903, and for other purposes", 
approved July 1, 1902, as amended (sec. 47-2339, D. C. Code, 1951 
edition), is amended to read as follows: 
"PAR. 39. (a) The Commissioners of the District of Columbia are 
authorized and empowered to classify dealers in secondhand personal 
property (referred to in this paragraph 39 as 'dealers') and to fix and 
collect a license fee for each such class of dealer, which fee, in the 
judgment of the Commissioners, will be commensurate with the cost 
to the District of Columbia of inspection, supervision, and regulation 
of such class of dealer, 
"(b) In classifying dealers the Commissioners may take into con-
sideration the kind of property dealt in, whether the property is 
retained by the dealer for sale at retail, whether the property is dis-
posed of by the dealer out of the District of Columbia, whether the 
property is disposed of by the dealer as junk or otherwise, and such 
other criteria as the Commissioners may deem appropriate. 
"(c) Any person engaging in the business of buying, selling, trading, 
exchanging, or dealing in secondhand personal property of any de-
scription, including the return of unused portion of any ticket, order, 
or token purporting to evidence the right of the holder or possessor 
thereof to be transported by any railroad or other common carrier, 
however operated, from one State or Territory of the United States, 
or from the District of Columbia, to any other State or Territory 
of the United States or to the District of Columbia, shall be regarded 
as a dealer, and shall obtain the appropriate license and pay the fee 
therefor fixed by the Commissioners. 
For the purposes of this para-
graph 39, the term 'secondhand personal property' shall not include 
any item of personal property (1) which the possessor thereof has 
acquired as part payment or allowance on the sale by such possessor of 
a new or rebuilt item of personal property, (2) which the possessor 
thereof has acquired by reason of its return to him for credit, refund, 
or exchange by a person having purchased such item from such pos-
sessor, or (3) which is offered for sale, trade, or exchange by the 
person who repossesses the same. 
"(d) When any property has been stolen and sold in the District 
of Columbia to a dealer under such circumstances that the Commis-
sioners of the District of Columbia, after such dealer has been afforded 
a hearing, are satisfied that such dealer had cause to believe, or could 
have ascertained by reasonable inquiry or investigation that the 
property was stolen, and that the dealer did not make reasonable 
inquiry or investigation as to the title of the seller before making the 
purchase, the Commissioners are authorized an4 directed to revoke 
the license of such dealer; and this action shall not be a bar to crimi-
nal prosecution for receiving stolen goods: Provided^ That nothing 
in this subparagraph shall be construed as prohibiting the Commis-
sioners from suspending or revoking the license of such dealer under 
the authority contained in paragraph numbered 46 of this section." 
SEC. 2. Paragraph 46 of section 7 of such Act is amended (a) by 
inserting the designation " ( a ) " immediately before the first sentence 
D. C. s e c o n d -
hand dealersa 
47 Stat. 558. 
A u t h o r i t y 
of 
Commissioners. 
Classification. 
License and fee. 
Stolen property. 
47 Stat. 563. 
D. C. C o d e 47-
2345. 
492 
PUBLIC LAW 654-JULY 3, 1956 
[70 S T A T . 
Su sp e n sion of 
license* 
Effective diate« 
of said paragraph 46; and (b) by adding thereto a subparagraph 
"(b)" reading as follows: 
"(b) Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this section requir-
ing an inspection as a prerequisite to the issuance of a license, the 
Commissioners are authorized to provide by regulation that any such 
inspection shall be made either prior or subsequent to the issuance of 
a license, but any such license, whether issued prior or subsequent to 
a required inspection, may be suspended or revoked for failure of the 
licensee to comply with the laws or regulations applicable to the 
licensed business, trade, profession, or calling." 
SEC. 3. The first section of this Act shall take effect on November 
1 next after the approval of this Act. 
Approved July 3, 1956. 
Public Law 654 
CHAPTER 512 
July 3, 1956 
[H. R. 7641] 
Waterfowi 
c r o p 
d a m a g e , preven-
tion. 
AN ACT 
Appropriation. 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to cooperate with Federal and non-
Federal agencies in the prevention of waterfowl depredations, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of Amsrica in Congress assembled^ That, for the pur-
pose of preventing crop damage by migratory waterfowl, the Com-
modity Credit Corporation shall make available to the Secretary of 
the Interior such wheat, corn, or other grains, acquired through price 
support operations and certified by the Commodity Credit Corpora-
tion to be available for j)urposes of this Act or in such condition 
through spoilage or deterioration as not to be desirable for human 
consumption, as the Secretary of the Interior shall requisition 
pursuant to section 2 hereof. With respect to any grain thus made 
available, the Commodity Credit Corporation may pay packaging, 
transporting, handling, and other charges up to the time of delivery 
to one or more designated locations in each State. 
SEC. 2. Upon a finding by the Secretary of the Interior that any 
area in the United States is threatened with damage to farmers' crops 
by migratory waterfowl, whether or not during the open season for 
such migratory waterfowl, the Secretary of the Interior is hereby 
authorized and directed to requisition from the Commodity Credit 
Corporation and to make available to Federal, State, or local govern-
mental bodies or officials, or to private organizations or persons, such 
grain acquired by the Commodity Credit Corporation through price-
support operations in such quantities and subject to such regulations 
as the Secretary determines will most effectively lure migratory water-
fowl away from crop depredations and at the same time not expose 
such migratory waterfowl to shooting over areas to which the water-
fowl have been lured by such feeding programs. 
SEC. 3. With respect to all grain made available pursuant to sec-
tion 2, the Commodity Credit Corporation shall be reimbursed by the 
Secretary of the Interior for its expenses in packaging and transport-
ing such grain for purposes of this Act. 
SEC. 4. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated such sums as 
may be necessary to reimburse the Commodity Credit Corporation for 
its investment in the grain transferred pursuant to this Act. 
SEC. 5. No grain shall be made available by the Commodity Credit 
Corporation under this Act after the expiration of three years follow-
ing its enactment. 
Approved July 3, 1956.