contact was introduced by Congressman Scherle and Congressman John Kyl to provide a means for accomplishing this objective. Its favorable consideration is encouraged.

The 410 acre tract near Lineville is estimated to have a current market value of approximately $150 per acre for an aggregate worth of $61,500. The tract near Albia of 545 acres is currently evaluated at $200 per acre for an aggregate value of $109,000. Much of the present value of these tracts is due to the contributions in resources by Iowa State University during the past 30 years. Therefore, much of the aggregate value represents an accumulation of the contributions in money, personnel, and technology by Iowa State University.

Mr. JONES. We will now hear from the Department, from Mr. M. M. Nelson, Deputy Chief, Forest Service. Mr. Nelson is accompanied by Mr. Reynolds Florance, Director, Legislative Liaison and Reporting, and Mr. F. W. Grover, Director, Division of Land Classification, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

We will be glad to hear from you now, Mr. Nelson.

STATEMENT OF M. M. NELSON, DEPUTY CHIEF, FOREST SERVICE, ACCOMPANIED BY REYNOLDS FLORANCE, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF LEGISLATIVE LIAISON AND REPORTING; AND F. W. GROVER, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF LAND CLASSIFICATION, FOREST SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Mr. NELSON. Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to appear before this subcommittee today and present the Department of Agriculture's position on H.R. 16065.

H.R. 16065 would authorize and direct the Secretary of Agriculture to release, on behalf of the United States, certain conditions in two 1955 deeds conveying certain lands to the State of Iowa for the use and benefit of Iowa State College of Agriculture & Mechanical Arts, now Iowa State University. The release of the conditions would permit the State, subject to other conditions, to sell, lease, exchange, or otherwise dispose of such lands.

H.R. 16065 concerns 955.81 acres of land acquired by the United States in the 1930's and administered under title III of the BankheadJones Farm Tenant Act. Title III of that act authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to convey lands to public agencies under the terms and conditions he deemed would best accomplish title III purposes and on the condition that the property conveyed would continue to be used for public purposes. If not so used, such conveyed lands would revert to the United States.

The lands with which this bill is concerned are in two tracts of 410 acres and 545.81 acres, respectively. They have been used by the university for beef cattle research and other experimental purposes. We understand that due to changes in farm size and operation and in the university's research and other related programs, the individual tracts do not provide a unit large enough to efficiently meet the university's needs. The university would like to sell or exchange one or both of the tracts and use the proceeds to establish a larger unit.

H.R. 16065 is similar to H.R. 11527 just recently enacted by the Congress and Public Law 84-237. Those acts covered lands conveyed to the University of Maine and to Clemson University in South Carolina under the same provisions and subject to the same conditions as

those conveyed to the State of Iowa. Those universities faced generally the same problems as Iowa State in trying to adjust the management and use of the lands conveyed to them under the conditions imposed in the original conveyances so as best to meet the changing needs of the universities.

Approximately 836,000 acres have been conveyed to various States and State agencies in 54 transactions under title III of the BankheadJones Farm Tenant Act. All are subject to the same public use conditions as the lands in the three cases already brought before the Congress. We currently have requests in three other cases-Ohio, New York, and South Carolina-for release of the same conditions and for the same general reasons. Here I might interject that in our report we mention two additional cases. Actually, we have before us at the present time three new cases. We expect other requests in the years to come as resource management programs and practices and land uses for public purposes change to meet contemporary needs and demands. Under existing law, each such case would require special legislation authorizing the Secretary to release the conditions of the deed conveying the lands to the respective owning authority or agency.

For the foregoing reasons, we believe consideration should be given to a bill giving the Secretary of Agriculture general authority to release the conditions referred to when he determines disposal of a part or all of the conveyed lands by an owning authority or agency would be for purposes consistent with the public use requirement in the original conveyance. We believe that the sale or exchange of such lands, with the proceeds to be used for corresponding purposes of the owning authority or agency, as in the cases already considered and the one here under H.R. 16065, would be consistent with the basic purposes and the public use requirements of the original conveyances.

The original conveyances of those title III lands also reserved to the United States certain mineral interests. H.R. 16065 would give the Secretary of the Interior authority to convey, upon application, and for the fair market value thereof, the reserved mineral rights to the State of Iowa.

The Department of Agriculture supports enactment of H.R. 16065. Mr. JONES. Thank you, Mr. Nelson.

Are there any questions?

Mr. KLEPPE. In one part of the statement, you do not deal with the specific bill we have before us today. It deals with general authority given to the Secretary of Agriculture who consummates similar transactions to the one that we have before us today. I just want to make a statement that so far as my own personal feelings are concerned, regarding that procedure, I take a dim view of that, and I think that is the purpose of this committee. I do not think that we are so overworked that we cannot afford to spend the time to come down here and have others present their individual views on any individual situation that may be involved, no matter how many there are. This is just another situation of keeping control in Congress rather than delegating it. It is easy enough for us to delegate this to the Secretary. My view is that I do not think it is necessary to do so.

I want to say, again, although it is not apropos to this specific bill that we have before us today, that that is my feeling. I just wanted to make these comments.

Mr. NELSON. The reason, of course, that we brought that up is that we already have three other States that will undoubtedly come before the committee.

Mr. KLEPPE. I think they should come here. That is the reason I wanted to make that observation.

Mr. JONES. Are there any other questions, Mr. Price?

Mr. PRICE. No questions.

Mr. JONES. We also have a report from the Department of Agriculture, and without objection this report will be made a part of the record at this point.

(The report dated May 15, 1968, from the Department of Agriculture follows:)

Hon. W. R. POAGE,

Chairman, Committee on Agriculture,

House of Representatives.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
Washington, D.C., May 15, 1968.

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: As you asked, here is our report on H.R. 16065, "To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to release on behalf of the United States conditions in deeds conveying certain lands to the State of Iowa, and for other purposes.

We recommend enactment of H.R. 16065.

H.R. 16065 would authorize and direct the Secretary of Agriculture to release on behalf of the United States certain conditions contained in two 1955 deeds conveying certain described lands to the State of Iowa for the use and benefit of the Agriculture Experiment Station of the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, now the Iowa State University. The conditions required that the lands conveyed to the State be used for public purposes and provide for a reversion to the United States if the lands cease to be so used.

This bill provides that the Secretary shall release the conditions only with respect to lands covered by an agreement between the Secretary and the University which would set forth certain conditions.

H.R. 16065 would also authorize the Secretary of the Interior, under certain conditions, to convey to the State of Iowa for the use and benefit of Iowa State University or successors in title all the undivided mineral interests which were reserved to the United States in lands conveyed to the State.

The lands involved in H.R. 16065 were originally acquired by the United States under the provisions of Title III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act (50 Stat. 525). This Title authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a program for the rehabilitation of submarginal lands. Title III also authorizes the Secretary to dispose of lands to public authorities and agencies under terms and conditions he deems will best accomplish Title III purposes, but only on condition that the property conveyed is used for public purposes.

The 955.81 acres of land in question were conveyed to the State of Iowa on July 29, 1955, subject to the condition that they be used for public purposes. If not so used, ownership would revert to the United States.

We understand that the State of Iowa is seeking a release of the "public use" condition so that it may sell one or both of the two tracts conveyed to it. These two tracts, consisting of 410 and 545.81 acres respectively, have been used for beef cattle research and other experimental purposes. Due to changes in direction and emphasis in the work on these areas and size of farms and related facilities, the individual areas are no longer adequate to meet the University's needs. Therefore, the University wishes to sell or exchange one or both of the tracts and use the proceeds to establish a single larger, more efficient unit to meet the University's needs. The use of the proceeds to acquire lands to be held permanently for University purposes would not be inconsistent with the basic purposes of the public use requirement in the original conveyance to the University.

H.R. 16065 is similar to H.R. 11527 recently enacted by the Congress and to P.L. 84-237 involving lands conveyed to the University of Maine and to Clemson Agricultural College, now Clemson University, of South Carolina.

Some 836,000 acres of such lands have been conveyed by the United States to various States and State agencies and organizations in a number of separate transactions. All of these conveyances are subject to the same reversionary

clause if the lands are not used for public purposes. The conveyances also included the same mineral rights reservations.

During the intervening years, changes in land use patterns and resource management programs, administrative requirements, and other factors have resulted in the need for others of the respective owning public authorities or agencies to sell, exchange, or otherwise dispose of a part of the Title III lands conveyed to them so as to further the purposes and activities of those public bodies. Two other such cases are before us now. Others may come up in the future.

The Bureau of the Budget advises that there is no objection to the presentation of this report from the standpoint of the Administration's program.

Sincerely yours,

ORVILLE L. FREEMAN, Secretary.

Mr. JONES. Unless there are other questions or unless there are other witnesses who would like to testify, we will close the hearings.

Mr. Murray, are there any questions that you want to ask or any information that you feel should be put into the record at this point? Mr. MURRAY. No, sir; I have no questions.

Mr. JONES. Thank you.

The subcommittee will go into executive session.

(Whereupon, at 11 a.m., the subcommittee retired into executive session.)

ERADICATION OF FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE IN

CENTRAL AMERICA

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 1968

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE,
Washington, D.C.

The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., in room 1301, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. W. R. Poage (chairman) presiding.

Present: Representatives Poage, Abbitt, Jones of Missouri, Purcell, O'Neal, de la Garza, Teague of California, Goodling, Burke, Mayne, Zwach, Kleppe, and Myers.

Also present: Christine S. Gallagher, clerk; William C. Black, general counsel; and L. T. Easley, staff consultant.

The CHAIRMAN. The committee will please come to order.

We are met this morning to consider H.R. 16451, a bill suggested by the Department of Agriculture to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to cooperate with the governments of Central America in the prevention, control, and eradication of foot-and-mouth disease or rinderpest.

I believe that Dr. Anderson will speak for the Department this morning and present the problem. In the meantime, we have a wire from B. Kleberg Johnson, and a statement by Dr. M. R. Clarkson, executive secretary of the American Veterinary Medical Association, which will be made a part of the record at this point.

We also have a statement from Mr. C. W. McMillan—rather, a letter of the American National Cattlemen's Association. Do you desire to have that inserted into the record?

Mr. MCMILLAN. I would appreciate that being done.

The CHAIRMAN. This letter, together with the others already mentioned, will be made a part of the record following Dr. Anderson's statement.

(H.R. 16451, together with a letter dated March 28, 1968, from the Secretary of Agriculture, follow :)

[H.R. 16451, 90th Cong., second sess.]

A BILL To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to cooperate with the several governments of Central America in the prevention, control, and eradication of foot-andmouth disease or rinderpest

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to cooperate with the several governments of Central America in carrying out operations or measures to prevent or retard, suppress, or control, or to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease or rinderpest in Central America where he deems such action necessary to protect the livestock and related industries of the

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