An Act relating to the manner of appointment of the Recorder of Deeds of the District of Columbia, the deputy recorders, and the employees of the Office of Recorder, and for other purposes
PL 82-379 (S.2871), enacted 06/09/1952

66 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 379-JUNE 9, 1952 
129 
by the Territory, whereupon title to said property shall vest in the 
United States: Provided, however, That the United States shall make 
just compensation for the acquisition of title to any personal property 
acquired by the Territory without Federal aid and for any new facili-
ties provided by the Territory without Federal aid which are not in 
the nature of improvements to or replacements of existing structures. 
Approved June 5, 1952. 
Public Law 378 
CHAPTER 372 
AN ACT 
To amend section 32 (a) (2) of the Trading Witli tlie Enemy Act. 
June 6, 1952 
[S. 302] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assenwled, That the third pro-
viso in subdivision (D) of paragraph (2) of section 32 (a) of the 
Trading With the Enemy Act, as amended, is amended to read as 
follows: ''''And provided further, That the aggregate book value of 
returns made pursuant to the foregoing proviso shall not exceed 
$9,000,000; and any return under such proviso may be made if the 
book value of any such return, taken together with the aggregate book 
value of returns already made under such proviso does not exceed 
$9,000,000; and for the purposes of this proviso the term 'book value' 
means the value, as of the time of vesting, entered on the books of the 
Alien Property Custodian for the purpose of accounting for the 
property or interest involved;". 
Approved June 6, 1952. 
P r o perty valua-
tion. 
6 0 Stat. 51; 64 
Stat. 1080. 
50 u s e app. ,32. 
Public Law 379 
CHAPTER 373 
AN ACT 
Relating to the manner of appointment of the Recorder of Deeds of the District 
of Columl)ia, the deputy recorders, and the employees of the Office of Recorder, 
and for other purposes. 
June 9, 1952 
[S. 2871] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 548 
of the Code of Laws for the District of Columbia (D. C. Code, sec. 
45-701) is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"SEC. 548. APPOINTMENT AND DUTIES.—There shall be a Recorder 
of Deeds of the District, appointed by the Commissioners of the Dis-
trict of Columbia, who shall record all deeds, contracts, and other 
instruments in writing affecting the title or ownership of any real 
estate or personal property in the District which shall have been duly 
acknowledged and certified, and who shall perform all requisite serv-
ices connected therewith, and shall have charge and custody of all the 
records, papers, and property appertaining to his office. No person 
shall be appointed Recorder of Deeds unless he has been a resident 
of the District of Columbia for at least five years next preceding his 
appointment." 
SEC. 2. Section 549 of the Code of Laws for the District of Columbia 
(D. C. Code, sec. 45-702) is amended by inserting after "deputy 
recorder" the following: "in accordance with the civil-service laws 
and regulations and to fix his compensation in accordance with the 
Classification Act of 1949". 
SEC. 3. The Act of March 3, 1925 (D. C. Code, sec. 45-703), is 
amended to read as follows: "That the Recorder of Deeds is author-
R e c o r d e r oi' 
Deeds, D.C. 
31 Stat. 1275. 
Deputy. 
63 Stat. 954. 
5 u s e 1071note. 
Second deputy. 
130 
PUBLIC LAW 380-JUNE 9, 1952 
[66 ST A T . 
Civ 
status 
ees. 
il-s 
of erv ice 
employ-
ized to appoint a second deputy recorder in accordance with the civil-
service laws and re<;ulations and to fix his compensation in accord-
ance with the Classification Act of 1949. The second deputy recorder 
may do and perform any and all acts which the Recorder is authorized 
to do, and all such acts by the second deputy recorder shall have the 
same legality, force, and effect as if performed by the Recorder. The 
Recorder of Deeds shall appoint all other employees of his office in 
accordance with the civil-service laws and regulations and fix their 
compensation in accordance with the Classification Act of 1949, The 
number of such employees shall not be in excess of the number actually 
necessary for the proper conduct of his office." 
SEC. 4. The Civil Service Commission shall confer a competitive 
civil-service status upon those employees of the office of the Recorder 
of Deeds of the District of Columbia performing service in such 
office on the date of enactment of this Act who are citzens of the 
United States, and who, within six months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, are certified by the Commissioners of the District of 
Columbia, upon recommendation of the Recorder of Deeds, (1) as 
having been appointed from among the highest available eligibles 
from an appropriate register of the Civil Service Commission or (2) 
as having rendered active service in the office of the Recorder of Deeds 
prior to the date of enactment of this Act, and who qualify in such 
appropriate noncompetitive examinations as the Civil Service Com-
mission may prescribe. Any employee in the office of Recorder of 
Deeds who fails to meet the requirements prescribed by this section, or 
who is not certified by the Commissioners of the District of Columbia, 
or who fails to take or pass the noncompetitive examination prescribed 
by the Civil Service Commission, may continue to serve for a period 
of not more than thirty days after the end of such six-month period 
or after the establishment of appropriate registers, whichever is the 
earlier. 
Approved June 9, 1952. 
June 9, 1952 
[H,R.4801] 
Public Law 380 
CHAPTER 374 
AN ACT 
To enable the Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii to authorize the Board of 
Supervisors of the City and County of Honolulu to issue certain bonds for 
flood-control purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
Fi o°<J'd-"'o^'tVoi United States of America in Congress assembled^ That the Legislature 
bonds. 
of the Territory of Hawaii, notwithstanding any provision of the 
statl^io^s! ^^^' ^^ Hawaiian Organic Act to the contrary, may authorize the Board of 
48 use 678. 
Supervisors of the City and County of Honolulu to issue general 
obligation bonds in the sum of $1,000,000 for flood control and related 
purposes. 
SEC. 2. The bonds issued under authority of this Act may be either 
term or serial bonds, maturing, in the case of term bonds, not later 
than thirty years from the date of issue thereof, and, in the case of 
serial bonds, payable in substantially equal annual installments, the 
' " * first installment to mature not later than five years and the last install-
ment to mature not less than thirty years from the date of such issue. 
Such bonds may be issued without the approval of the President of 
the United States. 
SEC. 3. Act 204 of the Session Laws of Hawaii, 1951, pertaining to 
the issuance of public improvement bonds, as authorized by this Act, 
is hereby ratified and confirmed. 
Approved June 9, 1952.