An Act to require periodic survey by the Secretary of Commerce of national shipbuildiug capability
PL 84-805 (S.3705), enacted 07/26/1956

70 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 806-JULY 26, 1956 
667 
SEC. 2. Any national forest lands which are transferred to a mili-
tary department in accordance with this Act shall be thereafter sub-
ject only to the laws applicable to other lands within the military 
installation or other public works project for which such lands are 
required and any lands which are transferred to the Department of 
Agriculture in accordance with this Act shall become subject to the 
laws applicable to lands acquired under the Act of March 1,1911 (36 
Stat. 961), as amended. 
Approved July 26, 1956. 
Laws applicable. 
16 u s e 552. 
Public Law 805 
CHAPTER 737 
^ 
^^^ 
July 2^ 1956 
To require periodic survey by the Secretary of Commerce of national sblpbuildiug 
[S. 3705] 
capability. 
Be it enacted l)y the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That section 502 
(f) of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended, is hereby amended vev, 
by striking out the first sentence thereof and inserting in lieu thereof 
the following two new sentences: "The Secretary of Commerce, with 
the advice of and in coordination with the Secretary of the Navy, shall 
periodically, as required for purposes of this Act, survey the existing 
privately owned shipyards capable of merchant ship construction, or 
review available data on such shipyards if deemed adequate, to deter-
mine whether their capabilities for merchant ship construction, includ-
ing facilities and skilled personnel, provide an adequate mobilization 
base at strategic points for purposes of national defense and national 
emergency. The Secretary of Commerce, in connection with ship 
construction, reconstruction, reconditioning, or remodeling under 
title VII and section 509, and the Federal Maritime Board, in connec-
tion with ship construction, reconstruction, or reconditioning under 
title V (except section 509), upon a basis of a finding that the award of 
the proposed construction, reconstruction, reconditioning, or remodel-
ing work will remedy an existing inadequacy in such mobilization 
base as to the capabilities and capacities of a shipyard or shipyards 
at a strategic point, and after taking into consideration the benefits 
accruing from standardized construction, the conditions of unemploy-
ment, and the needs and reasonable requirements of all shipyards, 
may, with the approval of the President, allocate such construction, 
reconstruction, reconditioning, or remodeling to such yard or yards 
in such manner as it may be determined to be fair, just, and reasonable 
to all sections of the country, subject to the provisions of this sub-
section." 
Approved July 26, 1956. 
Shipbuilding, 
Capability s u r -
2 Stat. 957. 
46 u s e 1152. 
46 use 
1204. 1159, 
1161. 
119 1-
115U 
Public Law 806 
CHAPTER 738 
^^ ^ ^ ^ 
July 26, 1956 
To provide for the disposal of the Government-owned synthetic rubber research 
[S. 3832] 
laboratories at Akron, Ohio. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Govern- ia^borl'to*ri"'* 
ment laboratories at Akron, Ohio, now under control of the National Akron, ohior 
"' 
Science Foundation are hereby transferred to the General Services '^^*^°*^' 
69225 O - 57 - 46 ( V o l . 70) 
658 
PUBLIC LAW 807-JULY 26, 1956 
[70 S T A T , 
63 Stat. 377. 
4 0 u s e 471 note. 
Administration for disposal in accordance with the Federal Property 
and Administrative Services Act of 1949, except that the Administra-
tor of General Services shall first offer the laboratories for public sale 
before seeking to dispose of them by transfer or assignment to any 
Federal agency. 
The Administrator of General Services, before he 
offers the laboratories to the public for sale, shall ascertain what the 
value of the laboratories would be to Government agencies which 
would make substantial use thereof, and the Administrator shall not 
sell the laboratories to the public unless he finds, after consultation 
with the Director of the Budget Bureau, that such sale to the public 
would be in the best interests of the United States, taking into consid-
eration among other relevant factors the value of the laboratories to 
any interested agency and the amounts offered by public bidders. 
The National Science Foundation is authorized to reimburse the Gen-
eral Services Administration in advance for expenses necessary for 
the protection and maintenance of the laboratories up to June 30, 
1957. 
Approved July 26, 1956. 
July 26, 1956 
[H. R. 7723] 
Public Law 807 
CHAPTER 739 
AN ACT 
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain lands in Phelps 
County, Missouri, to the Chamber of Commerce of Rolla, Missouri. 
Phelps 
County, 
Mo. 
Conveyance. 
Reversion. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary 
of Agriculture is authorized and directed to convey to the Chamber 
of Commerce of Rolla, Missouri, all right, title, and interest of the 
United States in and to the following described lands, comprising 
a portion of a tract of land previously donated to the United States 
by such Chamber of Commerce in connection with the program of 
the Civilian Conservation Corps: Parcel of land in Phelps County, 
Missouri, described as the south half of lot 118 of the railroad addi-
tion to the town of Rolla, Missouri, being the same as the south half 
of the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of the northeast 
quarter of section 10, township 37 north, range 8 west. 
SEC. 2. The conveyance authorized by this Act shall provide that 
in the event that the lands cease to be used for public purposes all 
right, title, and interest therein shall immediately revert to and 
revest in the United States. 
Approved July 26, 1956. 
July 26, 1956 
[H. R. 9038] 
Public Law 808 
CHAPTER 740 
AN ACT 
To amend title 28 of the United States Code to provide that the Commonwealth 
of Puerto Rico shall be treated as a State for purposes of district court jurisdic-
tion based on diversity of citizenship. 
Puerto Rico. 
62 Stat. 930. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in (Congress assembled^ That section 1332 
(b) of title 28 of the United States Code is amended to read as follows: 
"(b) The word 'States', as used in this section, includes the Terri-
tories, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto 
Rico." 
Approved July 26, 1956.