An Act to provide for transfer of title to movable property to irrigation districts or water users organizations under the Federal reclamation laws
PL 83-551 (H.R.8026), enacted 07/22/1954

580 
PUBLIC LAW 551-JULY29, 1&54 
[ 68 STAT'. 
Administration hospital reservation, Fort Douglas Station, Salt Lake 
City, Utah, the exact legal description of which shall be determined 
by the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs. 
Conditions. 
gg^ 2. The deed of conveyance authorized under the provisions of 
this Act shall— 
(a) provide that such tract shall not be alienated in the whole 
or in part by the Armory Board and shall be used only for 
training, civic, and related purposes; 
(b) provide that, if such tract is so used in any manner that, 
in the judgment of the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs or his 
designate, interferes with the care and treatment of patients in 
the Veterans' Administration hospital located on land contiguous 
to such tract, such interference shall cease immediately upon 
notice thereof to the Armory Board by the Administrator or his 
designate ; 
(c) provide that, if either of the conditions prescribed in 
clauses (a) and (b) of this section are violated, title to such tract 
shall revert to the United States; and 
(d) shall reserve all mineral rights, including gas and oil, to 
the United States, and contain such additional terms, conditions, 
reservations, and restrictions as may be determined by the 
Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to be necessary to protect the 
interests of the United States. 
Approved July 29, 1954. 
&.•,.« 
J..-
July 29, 1954 
[H. R. 80' " 
Public Law 551 
CHAPTER 616 
AN ACT 
^°^^J 
To provide for transfer of title to movable property to irrigation districts or water 
users' organizations under the Federal declamation laws. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
M'^v^Ib'fJ^'pro^ United States of America in Congress assembled, That whenever an 
erty title. 
irrigation district or water users' organization assumes operation and 
"° *• maintenance of irrigation works pursuant to a contract entered into 
with the United States in accordance with the Federal reclamation 
laws (Act of June 17, 1902, 32 Stat. 388, and Acts amendatory thereof 
or supplementary thereto), the Secretary of the Interior may transfer 
to said district or organization title to movable property which has 
been purchased with funds advanced by the district or organization 
or which, in the case of property purchased with appropriated funds, 
is necessary to the operation and maintenance of such works and the 
value of which is to be repaid under a contract with the district or 
organization. 
Approved July 29, 1954. 
^ ^ 
,ju,, ., .au^ 
Public Law 552 
.v i.. wi.. .nU; CHAPTER 617 
July 29, 1954 
''^N 
^^^ 
[H.R. 130] 
To amend the Act approved June 27, 1947 (61 Stat. 189). 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
R ^ sVr V a^'u! n" ^^^ited States of America in Congress asseinhled, That section 1 of 
N. Mex. 
' the Act approved June 27, 1947 (61 Stat. 189), entitled "An Act 
land'rightT?'*"^"^ autlioriziug certain agreements with respect to rights in helium-
bearing gas lands in the Navajo Indian Reservation, New Mexico, and 
for other purposes", be and the same is hereby amended to read as 
follows: 
68 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 552-JULY 29, 1954 
tm 
"That the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of 
Mines, and the Navajo Tribe of Indians are authorized to enter into 
an agreement dated December 1,1945, entitled 'An agreement severing 
certain formations from oil and gas leases and substituting new 
leases as to those formations' and an 'Amending agreement', affecting 
lands in the Navajo Indian Reservation, New Mexico, copies of which 
are published in House of Represenatives Document Numbered 212, 
Eightieth Congress, first session; and said agreements are ratified and 
approved. If said Navajo Tribe of Indians shall, after investigation, 
deem the total consideration payable to it by the United States pursu-
ant to such agreement dated December 1, 1945, as amended, to be in 
any respect less than reasonable, fair, just, and equitable, said tribe 
shall be entitled within three years after the date of enactment of this 
Act to institute suit against the United States in the Court of Claims 
for the recovery of such additional sum, if any, as may be necessary to 
compensate said tribe for the reasonable, fair, just, and equitable value 
of all right, interest, and property passing from said tribe to the 
United States under such agreement, as amended. 
Jurisdiction is 
hereby conferred upon the Court of Claims to hear and determine any 
suit so instituted and to enter final judgment against the United States 
therein for such sum, if any, in excess of the total consideration pay-
able pursuant to such agreement, as amended, as such court may deter-
mine to be necessary to provide consideration in all respects reason-
able, fair, just, and equitable: Provided, That interest shall be allowed 
on such sum at the rate of 4 per centum per annum from October 20, 
1947, to the date of payment and no offsets shall be deducted by the 
court from any sum determined by the court to be a reasonable, fair, 
just, and equitable consideration for the right, interest, and property 
passing to the United States under and pursuant to said agreement of 
December 1,1945, as amended, and the interest thereon: Provided 
fur-
ther, That the foregoing provision relating to interest and offsets shall 
not extend to any other claim or claims asserted in any such suit, 
whether or not the same arise out of the subject matter of said agree-
ment, but such other claim or claims, if any, shall be governed by the 
law relating to actions brought pursuant to title 28, United States 
Code, section 1505. Appellate review of any judgment so entered 
shall be in the same manner, and subject to the same limitations, as in 
the case of claims over which the Court of Claims has jurisdiction 
under section 1491 of title 28, United States Code. 
Notwithstanding 
any contract to the contrary, not more than 10 per centum of the 
amount received or recovered by said tribe in satisfaction of any claim 
asserted under this section shall be paid to or received by any agent 
or attorney on account of services rendered in connection with such 
claim." 
SEC. 2. Said Act approved June 27, 1947 (61 Stat. 189), is hereby 
further amended by adding at the end thereof a new section to be 
designated section 3 and to read as follows: 
"SEC. 3. Jurisdiction is hereby conferred on the Court of Claims 
to' determine, notwithstanding any statute of limitations or laches, 
in any suit instituted pursuant to section 1 of this Act, (1) whether 
the assignment dated December 1, 1942, accepted and approved 
December 17, 1942, of oil and gas lease 149-ind-5337, covering the 
lands denominated '1942 lands' in section 4 of said agreement dated 
December 1, 1945, as amended, should in law or in equity, taking into 
consideration such fiduciary relationship as may exist between the 
United States and the Navajo Tribe, have been accepted by the United 
States for the account of the Navajo Tribe instead of for its own 
account, and, if such assignment should have been so accepted, whether 
the property interest or any part thereof covered by such assignment 
Agreement. 
Suit for recovery 
of additional sum. 
Jurisdiction. 
Interest. 
63 Stat. 102. 
62 Stat. 940. 
Court of Claims. 
Jurisdiction. 
682 
PUBLIC LAW 553-JULY 29, 1954 
[68 S T A T . 
was taken by the United States from the said tribe at any time prior 
to the effective date of said agreement; (2) whether, and in what 
amount, if any, the Navajo Tribe is entitled on the basis of such deter-
mination to compensation for the acquisition or taking, by the United 
States, of the property interest or any part thereof covered by such 
assignment; and (3) whether, and in what amount, if any, the United 
States is entitled to credit against such compensation for rentals on 
such lease or for other expenditures, borne by the United States, for 
the benefit of such lease prior to any such acquisition or taking by the 
United States; and to enter judgment in accordance with such deter-
minations. No offsets shall be deducted by the court from any net 
sum, and the interest thereon, if any, that the court awards under 
this section. 
The provisions of the last two sentences of section 1 of 
this Act shall be applicable to any judgment entered pursuant to this 
section." 
Approved July 29, 1954. 
Public Law 553 
CHAPTER 642 
July 29, 1954 
JOINT RESOLUTION 
[H. J. Res. 534] rp^ authorize the Secretary of Coiumerce to sell certain war-built passenger-cargo 
vessels, and for other purposes. 
War built veS' 
sels, etc. 
Resolved hy the Senate mid House of Representatives 
of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled^ That (a) the Secretary of 
saie'to'American Commerce is hereby authorized, during a period of six months after 
President Lines, ^j^^ enactment of tliis Act, to sell to American President Lines, Limited, 
the war-built passenger-cargo vessels, the steamship President Cleve-
land and the steamship President Wilson, on an as-is where-is basis, 
at the sales price of $6,500,000 per vessel and from such price there 
shall be subtracted, as depreciation, $1,225 per day per vessel for the 
period beginning April 1, 1954, and ending with date of execution of 
the contract of sale of the respective vessel. Each such sale shall be 
on the basis of the payment of not less than 25 per centum of the 
respective vessel sales price at the time of the execution of such vessel 
sales contract, with balance payable in approximately equal annual 
installments over the remainder of the twenty-year economic life of 
the vessel with interest on the portion of the vessel sales price 
.;. 
remaining unpaid at the rate of 3^^ per centum per annum. The obli-
gation of the purchaser with respect to payment of such unpaid bal-
ance, with interest, shall be secured by a preferred mortgage on the 
vessel sold, which mortgage may provide that the sole recourse against 
the purchaser of the vessel under such mortgage, and any of the notes 
secured thereby, shall be limited to repossession of the vessel bv the 
United States and the assignment of insurance claims, if the purchaser 
shall have complied with all provisions of the mortgage other than 
those relating to the payment of principal and interest when due, and 
the obligation of the purchaser shall be satisfied and discharged by 
the surrender of the vessel, and all right, title, and interest therein to 
the United States. Such vessel upon surrender shall be (1) free and 
clear of all liens and encumbrances whatsoever, except the lien of the 
jjreferred mortgage, (2) in class, and (3) in as good order and con-
dition, ordinary wear and tear excepted, as when acquired by the 
purchaser, except that any deficiencies with respect to freedom from 
encumbrances, condition, and class, may, to the extent covered by valid 
policies of insurance, be satisfied by the assignment to the United 
States of claims of the purchaser under such policies of insurance.