An Act to amend the Code of Law of the District of Columbia in respect to the recording, in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds, of bills of sale, mortgages, deeds of trust, and conditional sales of personal property, and for other purposes
PL 82-376 (S.2736), enacted 06/05/1952

[66 
S T A T . 
PUBLIC LAW 376-JUNE 5, 1952 
POST O F F I C E 
DEPARTMENT 
^ 
(Out of the postal revenues) 
"General Administration", $16,750; 
"Postal operations", $2,414,790; 
DEPARTMENT OF STATE 
"Salaries and expenses", $250,000; 
"International information and educational activities", $175,000; 
"Government in occupied areas", $70,000; 
TREASURY DEPARTMENT 
Bureau of the Public Debt: "Administering the public debt", 
(transfer) ($75,000); 
Bureau of Narcotics: "Salaries and expenses", (transfer) ($13,000) ; 
Secret Service Division: "Salaries and expenses. White House 
Police", (transfer) ($5,000). 
^«^bnc^ity or 
SEC. 1304. No part of any appropriation contained in this Act shall 
be used for publicity or propaganda purposes not heretofore author-
ized by the Congress. 
Short title. 
This Act may be cited as the "Third Supplemental Appropriation 
Act, 1952". 
Approved June 5, 1952. 
Public Law 376 
CHAPTER 370 
June 5, 1952 
[S. 2736] 
R e c o r dation of 
instruments, D.C. 
Index. 
V o i d i n s t r u -
ments. 
AN ACT 
To amend the Code of Law of the District of Columbia in respect to the recording, 
in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds, of bills of sale, mortgages, deeds of 
trust, and conditional sales of personal property, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That (a) the first 
paragraph of section 546, subchapter 3 of chapter 16 of the Act entitled 
"An Act to establish a Code of Law for the District of Columbia", 
approved March 3, 1901, as amended, revised, and reenacted by the 
Act approved March 3, 1925 (43 Stat. 1103, ch. 417; title 42, sec. 101, 
D. C. Code, 1940), is hereby renumbered as section 546-A; and (b) 
section 547 of such subchapter (title 42, sec. 103, D. C. Code, 1940) 
is hereby amended by striking therefrom the last two sentences and 
by renumbering such section as section 546-B. 
SEC. 2. The second paragraph of section 546 of such subchapter 
(title 42, sec. 102, D. C. Code, 1940) is hereby renumbered and amended 
to read as follows: 
"SEC. 546-C. It shall not be necessary for the Recorder of Deeds 
to spread upon the records of his office the instruments filed pursuant 
to section 546-A or section 546-B of this subchapter, but the same 
shall be indexed and, except as hereinafter provided, shall be kept 
on file and shall be open to inspection by the public, and shall have 
the same force and legal effect as if they were actually recorded in 
the books of said office." 
SEC. 3. Subchapter 3 of chapter 16 of such Act is further amended 
by adding thereto the following new sections: 
"SEC. 5 4 6 - D . Every instrument filed with the Recorder of Deeds 
pursuant to section 546-A or section 546-B of this subchapter, and 
instruments filed with said Recorder or presented for recording pur-
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S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 376-JUNE 5, 1952 
127 
suant to the Act entitled 'An Act for the recording and releasing of 
liens by entries on certificates of title for motor vehicles and trailers, 
and for other purposes', approved July 2, 1940 (54 Stat, 736; title 
40, ch. 7, D, C. Code, 1940), shall be void as against the creditors of 
the party indebted thereon and subsequent purchasers or mortgagees 
in good faith after the expiration of seven years from the filing thereof, 
unless, within ninety days next preceding the expiration of the term 
of seven years from such filing and each seven-year period thereafter, 
the vendor, mortgagee, trustee, conditional vendor, or donor shall 
make and file an affidavit setting forth the amount then due and un-
paid: Provided^ That no such instrument filed prior to the effective 
date of this amendatory Act shall be void as against such creditors, 
subsequent purchasers or mortgagees, if such affidavit be made and 
filed within ninety days before the expiration of seven years from the 
filing of such instrument or one year from the effective date of this 
amendatory Act, whichever is later, and each seven-year period there-
after. 
The Recorder of Deeds shall attach such affidavit after the 
filing thereof to the instrument to which it relates. The Recorder of 
Deeds may destroy any such instrument which has become void under 
the provisions of this subchapter, together with any afiidavit, release 
and assignment relating thereto: Provided^ That such destruction shall 
not be effected until the expiration of one year from the effective date 
of this amendatory Act. 
"SEC. 5 4 6 - E . When the debt secured by any instrument filed pur-
suant to section 546-A or section 546-B of this subchapter has been 
paid in full, the vendor, mortgagee, trustee or conditional vendor or 
his assignee shall, within twenty days thereafter, (a) execute or cause 
to be executed a release thereof, acknowledged before a notary public, 
and (b) deliver or cause to be delivered such release to the Recorder 
of Deeds. The Recorder (a) shall file the instrument of release by 
attaching the same to the instrument to which it relates; and (b) shall 
enter on the released instrument and on the index record thereof the 
word 'released', the date of filing of the instrument of release and a 
facsimile of his signature. 
"SEC. 5 4 6 - F . When any instrument filed pursuant to section 546-A 
or section 546-B of this subchapter has not become void but has, sub-
sequent to the effective date of this amendatory Act, been released as 
provided in section 546-E of this subchapter, the Recorder may, after 
the expiration of three years from the date of the filing of such release, 
destroy such instrument, the release, and assignments relating thereto. 
"SEC. 546-G. Any person intentionally making a false statement with 
respect to an instrument filed with the Recorder of Deeds pursuant to 
section 546-A or section 546-B of this subchapter, or who, after receipt 
of payment in full of the debt secured by any such instrument, shall, 
for a period of more than twenty days after written demand by the 
person indebted, neglect or refuse to execute and file with the Recorder 
of Deeds a release as provided in section 546-E of this subchapter, 
shall upon conviction be punished by a fine of not more than $500 or 
be imprisoned for not more than one year, or both. Prosecutions for 
violations of this subchapter shall be by the Corporation Counsel of 
the District of Columbia or any of his assistants, in the name of the 
District of Columbia." 
SEC. 4. Section 11 of the Act entitled "An Act to provide for the 
recording and releasing of liens by entries on certificates of title for 
motor veliicles and trailers, and for other purposes", approved July 2, 
1940 (54 Stat. 736; title 40, ch. 7, D. C. Code, 1940), is amended by 
adding at the end thereof a new sentence to read as follows: "Whenever 
any lien has been released as provided in this section for a period of 
Disposal. 
Instrument of re-
lease. 
Violations. 
Motor vehicles. 
Liens. 
D . C . C o d e 
711. 
4 0-
128 
PUBLIC LAW 377-JUNE 5, 1952 
[66 S T A T . 
Fees. 
Effective date. 
more than three years, the Recorder of Deeds may destroy the instru-
ment which created such lien and the index cards upon which the lien 
information was entered: Provided^ That no other unsatisfied lien is 
shown on any such index card." 
SEC. 5. Section 552 of subchapter 4 of chapter 16 of the Act, approved 
March 3, 1901, as amended by the Acts of February 4, 1905 (33 Stat. 
689, ch. 299) and June 17,1935 (49 Stat. 384, ch. 265; title 45, sec. 708, 
D. C. Code, 1940), is amended by striking therefrom so much as reads: 
"For filing and indexing a bill of sale of chattels, or a mortgage or 
deed of trust thereof, or a conditional bill of sale of chattels or any 
release or satisfaction of any such, $1.50.", and substituting in lieu 
thereof the following: "For filing and indexing a bill of sale of chattels, 
or a mortgage or deed of trust thereof, or a conditional bill of sale of 
chattels, including a release of any such instrument, $2: Provided^ 
That for the filing of a release of any such instrument filed prior to 
the effective date of this amendatory Act, the Recorder of Deeds shall 
collect a fee of 50 cents. 
"For filing an affidavit pursuant to section 546-D of this subchapter, 
$2." 
SEC. 6. This Act shall take effect ninety days after its enactment. 
Approved June 5, 1952. 
June 5, 1952 
[H.R.4511] 
Public Law 377 
CHAPTER 371 
AN ACT 
To authorize the Secretary of the Navy to convey to the Territory of Hawaii 
certain real property at Kahului, Wailuku, Maui, Territory of Hawaii. 
Hawaii. 
Conveyance. 
• 
liitiXiu:.;-
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That the Secretary 
of the Navy is authorized to convey, without reimbursement, to the 
Territory of Hawaii, subject to the reservations set forth in section 2 
hereof and to such other terms, conditions, reservations, and restric-
tions as he may deem to be in the public interest, all of the right, 
title, and interest of the United States in and to the former Naval 
Air Station, Kahului, Wailuku, Maui, Territory of Hawaii, compris-
ing one thousand three hundred and forty-one acres, more or less, 
together with all improvements thereon and such personal property 
r-elating thereto as the Secretary of the Navy may select. 
SEC. 2. The conveyance to the Territory of Hawaii herein authorized 
shall be made subject to the following terms and conditions: (a) That 
the Territory shall not alienate its title to the property conveyed nor 
shall it lease the same or any part thereof except for public-airport 
purposes: Provided^ That particular structures or parcels not suitable 
for airport purposes may be leased for other purposes with the consent 
of the Secretary of the Navy; (b) that the Territory shall maintain 
or cause to be maintained in a condition which the Secretary of the 
Navy may deem to be suitable for public-airport purposes, the improve-
ments now existing on the land as well as those which may hereafter 
be constructed thereon which the Territory and the Secretary of the 
Navy may mutually agree are suitable for such purposes, and (c) 
that in time of war or national emergency the United States shall 
have the right of free and unlimited use, exclusive or nonexclusive, of 
the land conveyed, together with any improvements thereon and per-
sonal property relating thereto, and may after thirty days' notice in 
writing to the Territory, enter upon, repossess, and reassert ownership 
of and title to said property, including within the discretion of the 
Secretary of the Navy all or any part of the improvements erected