75TH CONGRESS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 3d Session REPORT No. 2140 RELIEF OF CERTAIN PERSONS CONDUCTING FARMING OPERATIONS WHOSE CROPS WERE DESTROYED BY HAILSTORMS APRIL 14, 1938.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. FULMER, from the Committee on Agriculture, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. J. Res. 201] The Committee on Agriculture, to whom was referred the joint resolution (S. J. Res. 201) for the relief of certain persons conducting farming operations whose crops were destroyed by hailstorms, having considered the same, report thereon with a recommendation that it do pass with the following amendments: Page 1, in the first line of the preamble, strike out the expression "on June 30, 1937, and on July 4, 1937", and insert in lieu thereof the wording: "During the summer of 1937". Page 2, line 10, strike out the expression "on June 30, 1937, and July 4, 1937", and insert in lieu thereof the wording: "During the summer of 1937". STATEMENT The purpose of this joint resolution is to provide for the relief of certain farmers in the State of South Carolina who suffered ruinous losses of their crops on account of the recent hailstorms. These hailstorms occurred during the summer of 1937, and embraced large portions of 11 counties in the State of South Carolina. The result of these hailstorms was the absolute destruction of practically all the crops growing on approximately 50,000 acres of land in said counties. More than 2,000 families comprising a population of around 11,000 people were made destitute by these storms. Unless some immediate assistance in the form of grants and credit extension is rendered to these hail-stricken areas it is unquestionable that the victims of this great disaster will be forced to cease independent farmng operations. This joint resolution authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants aggregating not in excess of $200,000, through the Resettlement Administration, to those farmers in the State of South Carolina whose crops were destroyed by the bailstorms. These funds are to be taken from the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1937. Under the terms of the joint resolution no grants are to be made to farmers until the county in which he conducts his farming operations agrees to abate during the calendar year 1937 all taxes on any real or personal property used by such person in conducting his farming operation. The subsistence grants contemplated under this resolution shall be made to persons eligible therefor upon the basis of the average annual crop yield over the period 1932 to 1936, both inclusive, of that number of acres upon which crops were destroyed for which no benefit payments are payable during 1937 by the Secretary under the provisions of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act. They shall also be computed upon the same basis as the benefits payable under such act for the withdrawal of land from production. A provision in the resolution also states that the grants shall be divided between the landowners and the tenants working on the land, as is now done under the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act. Quotation from letter from C. A. Cobb, Southern Division, Agricultural Adjustment Administration, Washington, D. C.: If cotton or any other soil-depleting row crop is destroyed by flood, hail, drought, or insects after reaching the stage indicated (a date too late for the replanting of these crops) the date at which the land is considered as devoted to such crop, a certification by the producer approved by a community committeeman designating the area and the approximate date on which the crop was destroyed together with a statement as to the age and stage of growth of the crop destroyed shall be made to the county committee as soon after the destruction of such crop as possible. A special committee with C. C. Hutto, chairman of the agriculture committee, South Carolina Bankers' Association, with a local committee in each county representing hail sufferers, submitted the following statement: Number of farms suffering serious hail damage.. 1,927 25, 811 Number of acres food and food crops seriously damaged or destroyed. 815 23, 384 11, 426 APRIL 14, 1938.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. EDMISTON, from the Committee on Military Affairs, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 3618] The Committee on Military Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 3618) to reestablish the longevity pay of warrant officers, having considered the same, submit the following report thereon' with the recommendation that it do pass. This legislation is intended to reestablish the percentages of increase for longevity pay which were in effect prior to 1922 as provided by section 4 (a) of the act approved June 4, 1920 (41 Stat. L. 759), and chapter IX of the act approved July 9, 1918 (40 Stat. L. 881-882). The first-mentioned law applied to warrant officers other than warrant officers of the Army Mine Planter Service; the latter law applied to warrant officers of the Army Mine Planter Service. Both laws granted longevity pay on the basis then provided for commissioned officers, namely, an addition of 10 percent of their base pay for each 5 years of service, not to exceed 40 percent. Under existing law (Pay Readjustment Act, approved June 10, 1922) all warrant officers receive longevity pay on the basis provided for enlisted men, namely an addition of 5 percent of base pay for each 4 years of service not to exceed 25 percent. The Pay Readjustment Act of 1922, while providing increases in base pay and allowances for warrant officers, changed the longevity-pay system to that of the enlisted man who receives a maximum increase of 25 percent of base pay for over 20 years' service, as against the 40 percent which warrant officers received under prior laws. There are at present on the active list 40 warrant officers of the Army Mine Planter Service and 747 other warrant officers. The majority of these have over 20 years' service for pay purposes and are now receiving the maximum pay allowable. Following is a table showing the present monthly maximum rate of pay and the increase in the maximum rate which would result should the bill be enacted into law. It is estimated by the War Department that the additional annual costs of the bill for warrant officers of the active list would be $209,078. Section 2 of the bill confers the benefits of the proposed legislation upon retired warrant officers of the Army. There are at present 610 retired warrant officers of the Regular Army plus 2,125 retired enlisted men who receive pay of retired warrant officers under authority of section 8 of the act of June 6, 1924. Under existing laws retired warrant officers receive retired pay at the rate of 75 percent of the active-duty pay, including increases for longevity, which they were in receipt of at the time of retirement. The maximum increase in warrant officer retired pay which would result from enactment of the bill is indicated in the following table: It is estimated by the War Department that the additional annual cost of section 2 of the bill would be $539,300. While the War Department has reported adversely upon this bill, the committee is of the opinion that the pay increases which will result through restoration of the former system of computing longevity pay will serve to meet the need for increase in pay of this category of Army personnel. The report of the War Department on H. R. 3618 follows: Hon. ANDREW J. MAY, Chairman, Committee on Military Affairs, WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, March 18, 1938. House of Representatives. DEAR MR. MAY: Careful consideration has been given to the bill H. R. 3618, to reestablish the longevity pay of warrant officers, which you transmitted to the War Department under date of January 8, 1938, with the request that the Committee on Military Affairs of the House be furnished a report in triplicate on the measure. |