An Act to provide for the maintenance of production of tungsten, asbestos, fluorspar, and columbium-tantalum in the United States, its Territories, and possessions, and for other purposes
PL 84-733 (S.3982), enacted 07/19/1956

70 STAT.] 
PUBLIC LAW 73^JULY 19, 1956 
579 
Public Law 733 
CHAPTER 638 
AN ACT 
To provide for the maintenance of production of tungsten, asbestos, fluorspar, 
and columbium-tantalum in the United States, its Territories, and possessions, 
and for other purposes. 
July 19, 1956 
[S. 3982] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That this Act may 
be cited as the "Domestic Tungsten, Asbestos, Fluorspar, and Colum-
bium-Tantalum Production and Purchase Act of 1956". 
SEC. 2. The Department of the Interior is hereby authorized and 
directed to establish and maintain— 
(a) a program to purchase, f. o. b. carriers conveyance, milling 
point, no more than one million two hundred and fifty thousand 
short ton units of tungsten trioxide (WO3) contained in tung-
sten concentrates produced from ores mined in the United States, 
its Territories, and possessions, meeting the same specifications 
and under the regulations in effect on January 1, 1956, for pur-
chases of this material by the General Services Administration 
under the authority of the Domestic Minerals Program Extension 
Act of 1953 (Public Law 206, Eighty-third Congress), at a base 
price of $55 per short ton unit: Provided^ That the Department of 
the Interior shall not accept offers for delivery in any one calendar 
month, from any one producer, in excess of five thousand short 
ton units originating in any one mining district from properties 
controlled by such producer. For the purposes of the foregoing 
proviso, tungsten concentrates produced from ores sold to a mill 
or processing plant in accordance with regulations issued by the 
Department of the Interior shall not be considered as the pro-
duction of the owner(s) of the mill or processing plant but shall 
be considered as the production of the producer of the ores. 
(b) a program to purchase nonferrous chrysotile asbestos pro-
duced from ores mined in the United States, its Territories, and 
possessions, meeting the same specifications and under the same 
regulations and at prices in effect on January 1, 1956, for pur-
chases of this material by the General Services Administration 
under the authority of the Domestic Minerals Program Extension 
Act of 1953 (Public Law 206, Eighty-third Congress) in the 
amount of not to exceed two thousand tons of Crude No. 1 and 
Crude No. 2 combined, and not to exceed two thousand tons of 
Crude No. 3, excepting that Crude No. 3 may be purchased only 
when offered with Crude No. 1 or Crude No. 2, or both, at a ratio 
of not in excess of one ton of Crude No. 3 to one ton of Crude No. 
1 or Crude No. 2, or both. 
(c) a program to purchase no more than two hundred and fifty 
thousand short tons of newly mined acid grade fluorspar produced 
from ores mined in the United States, its Territories, and posses-
sions. 
Fluorspar purchased pursuant to this Act shall meet 
chemical and physical requirements which are not less favorable 
to producers than those set forth in the National Stockpile Mate-
rial Purchase Specifications P-69a dated February 13,1952. Pur-
chases shall be made under the program at a base price of $53 per 
short dry ton f. o. b. carriers conveyance at producers milling 
point for base quality fluorspar containing 97% calcium fluoride 
and }.% silica on a dry weight basis. The base price shall be 
adjusted by premiums and/or penalties on quality which are not 
less favorable to producers than the following: 
1. The price shall be increased 1.1% for each 1% calcium 
fluoride above 97%, fractions pro rata, and/or 
Domestic Tung-
sten, A s b e s t o s , 
F l u o r s p a r , 
and 
Col utnblum - Tant a-
lum Production and 
P u r c h a s e Act of 
1956. 
Tungsten. 
67 Stat. 417. 
50 U S C app. 
2181-2183. 
Asbestos. 
67 Stat. 417. 
50 U S C app. 
2181-2183. 
Fluor 9 ar. 
580 
PUBLIC LAW 734-JULY 19, 1956 
[70 
S T A T . 
"Short dry ton". 
Colutnbiutn -t an-
talum. 
67 Stat. 417. 
50 U S C app. 
2181-2183. 
A v a i l a b i l i t y to 
strategic 
s t o c k -
pile. 
7 u s e 1691 note. 
Regulations. 
Termination. 
Approprl ati on. 
2. The price shall be increased 4.2% for each 1% silica 
below 1%, fractions pro rata, and/or 
3. The price shall be decreased 1.1% for each 1% calcium 
fluoride below 97%, fractions pro rata, and/or 
4. The price shall be decreased 4.2% for each 1% silica 
above 1%, fractions pro rata. 
As used in this section the term "short dry ton" shall mean a 
short ton of 2000 pounds with 1% allowablemoisture. All mois-
ture in excess of 1% shall be deducted from the delivery weig:ht 
(out-turn U. S. Railroad Scale Weights) of the material accepted 
to determine the weight on which payment will be based. 
Ad-
justment of weight for moisture shall be accomplished by first 
deducting all moisture, as specified in Government analysis cer-
tificates, and then increasing the dry weight by one percentum. 
(d) a program to purchase columbium-tantalum-bearing ores 
or concentrates produced from ores mined in the United States, 
its Territories, and possessions, meeting the same specifications 
and under the regulations, and at prices in effect on December 1, 
1955, for purchases of this material by the General Services 
Administration under the authority of the Domestic Minerals 
Program Extension Act of 1953 (Public Law 206, Eighty-third 
Congress) in the amount of not to exceed two hundred and fifty 
thousand pounds of contained combined pentoxide (Cb^Os plus 
TaA). 
SEC. 3. All materials purchased pursuant to the authority of this 
Act shall be held by the Department of the Interior to be made avail-
able to the strategic stockpile or to be turned over to the supplemental 
stockpile created for strategic and critical materials in accordance 
with the provisions of the Act of July 10, 1954 (Public Law 480, 
Eighty-third Congress (68 Stat. 454)), as amended, as determined 
by the Director of the Office of Defense Mobilization. 
SEC. 4. The Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorized to estab-
lish and promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to carry 
out the purposes of this Act, and may delegate any of the functions 
authorized by this Act to the Administrator of General Services. 
SEC. 5. The programs established pursuant to the authority of this 
Act shall terminate on December 31, 1958. 
SEC. 6. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated to the De-
partment of the Interior out of any moneys in the Treasury not other-
wise appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the 
provisions of this Act. 
Approved July 19, 1956. 
July 19, 1956 
[H. R. 1 
Public Law 734 
CHAPTER 639 
AN ACT 
*^ ^ 
To amend the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act so as to eliminate 
delay in the start of projects. 
Poat. p. 1089. 
68 Stat. 667. 
16 u s e 1005. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
TJrdted States of America in Congress asserribled^ That section 5 of 
the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act is amended by 
striking out of the third proviso of said section the words "forty-five" 
and inserting "fifteen". 
Approved July 19, 1956.