An Act to revise certain laws relating to the mail-messenger service.
PL 82-443 (H.R.7758), enacted 07/03/1952

32i 
PUBLIC LAW 441-JULY 3, 1952 
[66 S T A T . 
Public Law 441 
[uly 3, 1952 
[H. R. 5599] 
Centre Hill Man-
sion, 
Petersburg, 
Va. 
Conveyance. 
AN ACT 
CHAPTER 550 
To provide for the convej'ance of the Centre Hill Mansion, Petersburg, Virginia, 
to the Petersburg Battlefield Museum Corporation, and for other purposes. 
Be it enojcted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That the Secretary 
of the Interior is authorized to convey, without cost, to the Petersburg 
Battlefield Museum Corporation, Petersburg, Virginia, the property 
situated in Petersburg, Virginia, known as the Centre Hill Mansion, 
and the land on which such property is situated, which is the prop-
erty as conveyed to the United States of America by Edgar S. Bowling 
by deed dated May 29, 1937, and recorded in deed book numbered 
137, page 159, in the clerk's office of the Hustings Court of the city 
of Petersburg, Virginia: Provided^ That such conveyance shall be 
made on condition that the mansion property shall be administered 
and maintained in the public interest as a public museum and that 
such revenues as may be obtained from the administration or opera-
tion of the said museum shall be used to continue its administration 
and preservation in the public interest. 
The transfer may be effected 
subject to any additional terms and conditions which the Secretary 
of the Interior may consider to be advisable in carrying out the pur-
pose of this Act. 
Approved July 3, 1952. 
Public Law 442 
CHAPTER 551 
Jiily 3, 1952 
[H. R. 6754] 
Postal service. 
59 Stat. 455. 
39 u s e 867. 
AN ACT 
To provide that salaries of rural carriers serving heavily patronized routes 
shall not be reduced by reason of increases in the length of such routes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 17 (d) 
of the Act of July 6, 1945 (Public Law 134, Seventy-ninth Congress), 
as amended, is amended by adding at the end thereof the following: 
"In case any such heavily patronized route is extended in length, the 
regular or temporary rural carrier assigned to such route at the lime 
of such extension shall not be reduced in pay." 
Approved July 3, 1952. 
July 3, 1952 
[ H . R ; 7758] 
Postal service. 
M a i l messenger 
service. 
Public Law 443 
CHAPTER 552 
AN ACT 
To revise certain laws relating to the mail-messenger service. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That the part of the 
Act of July 28, 1916, entitled "An Act making appropriations for the 
service of the Post Office Department for the fiscal year ending June 
thirtieth, nineteen hundred and seventeen, and for other purposes'' 
(ch. 261, 39 Stat. 418), and the part of the Act of June 3,1924, entitled 
"An Act authorizing the Postmaster General to contract for mail-
messenger service" (ch, 237, 43 Stat. 356), as codified in section 579^ 
title 39, United States Code, is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"In the discretion of the Postmaster General, postmasters, assistant 
postmasters, clerks, and rural carriers at post offices of the third and 
66 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 445-JULY 3, 1952 
325 
fourth class may enter into contracts for the performance of mail-
messenger service, and allowance may be made therefor from the 
appropriations for mail-messenger service: Provided, That the Post-
master General shall determine that the performance of such contracts 
will not interfere with the regular duties of such employees or with 
the operations of the postal service. The total amount payable under 
such contract to any postmaster, assistant postmaster, clerk, or rural 
carrier shall not exceed $900 in any one year. Special-delivery mes-
sengers at post offices of all classes may enter into contracts for mail-
messenger service." 
Approved July 3, 1952. 
Public Law 444 
CHAPTER 553 
AN ACT 
Julys. 1952 
To amend section 1699 of title 18 of the United States Code, relating to the 
[H. R. 7877] 
unloading of mail from vessels. 
Be it en-acted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 1699 
of title 18 of the United States Code is amended (a) by inserting 
after "post office," in the first paragraph "except where waybilled for 
discharge at other ports in the United States at which the vessel is 
scheduled to call and the Postmaster General does not determine that 
unreasonable delay in the mails will occur,"; (b) by inserting before 
the period at the end of the first paragaph a comma and the following: 
"except where waybilled for discharge at other ports in the United 
States at which the said vessel is scheduled to call and which the 
Postmaster General has not determined will be unreasonably delayed 
by remaining on board the said vessel for delivery at such ports"; and 
(c) by striking out in the last paragraph "before he has delivered 
such letters", and inserting in lieu thereof "before he has arranged 
for such delivery or onward carriage". 
Approved July 3, 1952. 
Postal service. 
62 S t a t . 
7 7 7 . 
Public Law 445 
CHAPTER 565 
AN ACT 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to construct, operate, and maintain 
the Collbran reclamation project, Colorado. 
July 3, 1952 
[H. R. 2813] 
Be it enucted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assefmoled, That, for the purpose ^f tVo^^olll*" 
of supplying water for the irrigation of approximately twenty-one Coio. 
thousand acres of land and for municipal, domestic, industrial, and 
stockwater uses and of producing and disposing of hydroelectric power 
and, as incidental to said purposes, for the further purpose of providing 
for the preservation and propagation of fish and wildlife, the Secretary 
of the Interior is authorized to construct the Collbran reclamation 
project, Colorado, substantially in accord with the plans set forth in the 
report of the Bureau of Reclamation approved by him. May 9, 1950, 
tlie estimated construction cost of w^hich project is approximately 
$16,086,000, and to operate and maintain the same. 
SEC. 2. In constructing, operating, and maintaining the Collbran 
project, the Secretary shall be governed by the Federal reclamation 
laws (Act of June 17, 1902, 32 Stat. 388, and Acts amendatory thereof 
43 u s c 391. 
or supplementary thereto) except so far as these laws are inconsistent