AMENDING THE ACT TO PROVIDE BOOKS FOR THE ADULT BLIND MAY 29, 1944.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. O'TOOLE, from the Committee on the Library, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 4729] The Committee on the Library, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 4729) to amend the act entitled "An act to provide books for the adult blind," after careful consideration, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. The purpose of this legislation is to provide $500,000 annually instead of the present $370,000 to be expended under the direction of the Librarian of Congress for books published either in raised characters, on sound-reproduction records, or in any other form, for the use of the adult blind residents of the United States. At the present time the appropriation of $370,000 per annum for books for the blind is allotted as follows: $100,000 for books in raised characters; $250,000 for books on sound-reproduction records; and $20,000 for the maintenance and replacement of the Government-owned reproducers upon which the adult blind play the sound-reproduction records, known familiarly as "talking books." The Federal Government owns 23,000 of these reproducers which are lent to blind people who cannot afford to buy them, through the facilities of 27 distributing libraries in the United States. It has been brought to the attention of the committee through personal visits and correspondence from many organizations all over the country interested in assisting the adult blind that the appropriation of $20,000 per annum takes care of less than half of the machines needing repairs and that the balance is stored until funds become available. The adult blind, therefore, are denied the full benefits of the "talking books." It is the desire of the Committee on the Library through H. R. 4729 to increase the annual appropriation to $500,000 and to make the act more flexible by providing that $100,000 shall be expended for books in raised characters and the remaining $400,000 be used for soundreproduction records of "talking books," and the maintenance and replacement of the Government-owned reproducers for the soundreproduction records. AUTHORIZING THE ATTENDANCE OF THE MARINE BAND AT THE NATIONAL ENCAMPMENT OF THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC TO BE HELD AT DES MOINES, IOWA, SEPTEMBER 10 TO 14, INCLUSIVE, 1944 MAY 29, 1944.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. BLACKNEY, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 4825] The Committee on Naval Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 4825) to authorize the attendance of the Marine Band at the national encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic to be held at Des Moines, Iowa, September 10 to 14, inclusive, 1944, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. The purpose of the bill is to authorize the Marine Band to attend the national encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic to be held at Des Moines, Iowa, September 10 to 14, inclusive, 1944. It is the policy of the committee, and it has been of past Congresses, to authorize either the Marine Band or the Navy Band to attend the reunions of the Grand Army of the Republic and of the Confederate Veterans. Due to the rapid depletion in the ranks of these two organizations and to the age of those remaining, there cannot be many more reunions. The committee, therefore, considers that this practice should be continued. If the band should attend this reunion without the legislation proposed in this bill, it would have to be done at the individual expense of the members. The committee feels that the members of the band should not be requested to attend affairs of this or any other kind at a personal sacrifice and therefore reports this bill favorably, with the unanimous recommendation that it do pass. INDEPENDENT OFFICES APPROPRIATION BILL, 1945 MAY 29, 1944.-Ordered to be printed Mr. WOODRUM of Virginia, from the committee of conference, submitted the following CONFERENCE REPORT [To accompany H. R. 4070] The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the amendments of the Senate to the bill (H. R. 4070) making appropriations for the Executive Office and sundry independent executive bureaus, boards, commissions, and offices, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1945, and for other purposes, having met, after full and free conference, have agreed to recommend and do recommend to their respective Houses as follows: That the Senate recede from its amendments numbered 23, 40, 45, 48, and 62. That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendments of the Senate numbered 5, 7, 10, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27, 28, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 49, 50, 51, 59, and 61 and agree to the same. Amendment numbered 9: That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the Senate numbered 9, and agree to the same with an amendment as follows: In lieu of the sum proposed insert $3,750; and the Senate agree to the same. Amendment numbered 11: That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the Senate numbered 11, and agree to the same with an amendment as follows: In lieu of the sum proposed insert $5,821,900; and the Senate agree to the same. Amendment numbered 13: That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the Senate numbered 13, and agree to the same with an amendment as follows: In lieu of the sum proposed insert $10,000,000; and the Senate agree to the same. |