survey of the marine and fresh-water fishery resources of the United States, its Territories, and possessions. I recommend that the resolution be passed. Section 1 of the resolution outlines the scope of the investigation, which is to extend to all aspects of the marine and fresh-water fisheries and the manifold uses thereof. The Fish and Wildlife Service and the former Bureau of Fisheries have conducted diversified studies of the commercial and recreational fisheries since 1871, under somewhat limited authorization and appropriations. These have not been adequate to encompass all of the fishery problems and phases of fishery activity, nor to permit the formulation and prosecution of a well-integrated program fully commensurate with the magnitude and undeveloped potentialities of the aquatic resources. Only one previous appraisal of the fishery resources of the United States has been made. This consists of the 7-volume work entitled "The Fishery Industries of the United States," by G. Brown Goode and associates, the last volume of which was published in 1887. At that time many of our commercial fisheries were in their infancy, and in some areas fisheries which are important today had not even been developed. The angling resources were then of less importance than at present. An over-all appraisal of the resources, therefore, is now needed not only because of the tremendous changes that have taken place since the publication of the Goode report, but also because the impact of the war upon the fishery industries and the unprecedented demands for fishery products have emphasized the lack of a well-integrated national fishery program and policy. Section 2 of the resolution directs that a report on the survey outlined in section 1, together with detailed recommendations, be submitted to the Congress not later than January 1, 1945. This report would serve many useful purposes. Some of these are as follows: (1) Outline opportunities of a permanent national fishery policy which would provide for coordinated activity of Federal, State, international, or other fishery organizations in a program for the fisheries designed to extend their benefits to the greatest number of our citizens, both as recreational and commercial pursuits. (2) Provide the basis for a program of post-war economics stabilization of the fisheries in order to place them upon a more secure foundation, to improve commercial practices, and to undertake other activities that would make the fisheries occupy a more important position in our national economy. (3) Indicate opportunities for the future development of the fisheries based on unutilized or underutilized species in order to relieve the strain upon heavily fished species and thus to provide for more orderly utilization and perpetuation of the basic resources. (4) Consider the economic and marketing phases of fishery research and services which are in their infancy. The future of the commercial fishing industry appears to require activities in those fields in order to stabilize the fisheries and to place fish on a par with other competitive food industries. (5) Develop a program of increasing fishery resources in interior waters through artificial stocking of streams, impoundments, farm ponds, or other areas capable of supporting substantial fishery populations that may be useful commercially or recreationally. The appropriation of not to exceed $20,000 authorized by the resolution would provide for the additional statistical and clerical assistance required to consolidate information already available in the files of Federal, State, or other agencies dealing with the various topics set forth in the resolution and for the incorporation of certain additional information that might be obtained by the regular staff of the Fish and Wildlife Service. Because of the current shortages of trained manpower it would be impossible to employ additional technical experts especially to conduct a new complete survey and prepare the report. No new biological or technological investigations are understood to be called for by the resolution, but the recommendations to be included in the report would indicate the need for such new studies. Material now available, when brought together into a consolidated report, would undoubtedly provide much of the information desired. The report contemplated by the resolution would be a long step forward in building a comprehensive national fishery program and policy having as their objective the placing of the fisheries of the United States, and the commerc and recreational activities dependent thereon, upon a foundation without parallel elsewhere in the world. I have been advised by the Bureau of the Budget that there is no objection to the submission of this report to your committee. Sincerely yours, HAROLD L. ICKES, O 78TH CONGRESS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session { REPORT No. 1363 VOLUNTARY RETIREMENT OF PANAMA CANAL EMPLOYEES APRIL 20, 1944.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. BLAND, from the Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries; submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 4307] The Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 4307) to amend the Canal Zone Code, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. The amendment is as follows: Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu thereof the following: That paragraph (a) of section 93 of title 2 of the Canal Zone Code, approved June 19, 1934, is hereby amended to read as follows: "(a) Any employee to whom this article applies who shall have attained the age of fifty-five and rendered at least twenty-five years of service, of which not less than fifteen years shall have been rendered on the Isthmus of Panama, may voluntarily retire on an annuity equivalent in value to the present worth of a deferred annuity beginning at the age at which the employee would otherwise have become eligible for retirement, computed as provided in section 96 of this title, the present worth of said deferred annuity to be determined on the basis of the American Experience Table of Mortality and an interest rate of 4 per centum, compounded annually: Provided, That any employee retiring prior to attaining the age of sixty under the provisions of this paragraph with at least thirty years of service shall receive an immediate annuity having a value equal to the present worth of a deferred annuity beginning at the age of sixty years, computed as provided in section 96 of this title." PURPOSE OF THE AMENDMENT The purpose of the amendment is merely to clarify the legislation, and to make it plain as to what was desired. PURPOSE OF THE BILL The purpose of the bill is to bring the Canal Zone retirement provisions in line with the civil-service retirement provisions. Section 1 (d) of the Civil Service Retirement Act provides for voluntary retirement upon attaining the age of 55 years with 30 years of service, on an annuity having a value equal to the present worth of a deferred annuity at the age of 60 years. The present bill adds a provision to the Canal Zone Retirement Act to permit voluntary retirement on an immediate annuity having a value equal to the present worth of a deferred annuity beginning at the age of 60 years providing the employee retiring has attained the age of 55 years and has at least 30 years of service, 15 years of which shall have been spent on the Isthmus of Panama. Under the existing provisions of paragraph (a), section 93 of title 2 of the Canal Zone Code, an employee serving thereunder who shall have attained the age of 55 and rendered at least 25 years of service, of which not less than 15 years shall have been rendered on the Isthmus of Panama, may voluntarily retire on an immediate annuity having a value equal to the present worth of a deferred annuity beginning at the age of 62. The proposed legislation would amend this provision by stipulating that the annuity of an employee retiring thereunder with at least 30 years of service shall have a value equal to the present worth of a deferred annuity beginning at the age of 60 years. Under the existing laws administered by the Civil Service Commission, the present worth of a particular annuity is based upon the age at which the employee could retire on full annuity. In other words, an employee eligible for retirement on full annuity at age of 60 after 30 years' service will, if retiring earlier with this service period, receive the present worth of a 60-age annuity. The Civil Service Commission advises that since optional retirement on full annuity is authorized by the Canal Zone Code in the case of employees who attain age 60 and serve 30 years or more, it would be only equitable that earlier immediate annuities in 30-year cases be computed by using age 60 as a basis. As has been stated, the pending bill merely brings the Canal Zone Code voluntary retirement privileges in line with the existing provisions under the civil service retirement law. Your committee heard the testimony of Mr. Bernard F. Burdick, Chief of Office of the Panama Canal and Mr. J. G. Crunkilton, of the retirement division of the Civil Service Commission, as well as that of Mr. Charles F. Wahl, representing the Panama Canal Central Labor Union. The legislation was referred to the Secretary of War and the Civil Service Commission for their views, and as will be seen from letter dated April 13, 1944, from the Secretary of War and letter dated March 28, 1944, from the President of the Civil Service Commission, these two interested agencies are favorable to it. It will be noted the Bureau of the Budget interposes no objection to the legislation. The letters referred to follow. The Honorable S. O. BLAND, WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, D. C., April 13, 1944. Chairman, Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. BLAND: Reference is made to your letter of March 3, 1944, requesting a report on bill H. R. 4307, to amend the Canal Zone Code. The following is quoted from a statement of the Governor of the Panama Canal, to whom the bill was referred for an expression of his views and comments: "Paragraph (a) of section 93 of title 2 of the Canal Zone Code now provides for voluntary retirement upon attainment of age fifty-five years with twenty-five years of service, of which not less than fifteen years shall have been rendered on the Isthmus, on an annuity equivalent in value to the present worth of a deferred annuity 'beginning at the age at which the employee would otherwise have become eligible for retirement.' "The corresponding paragraph of the Civil Service Retirement Act, section 1 (d), provides for voluntary retirement upon attainment of age fifty-five years with thirty years of service, on an annuity having a value equal to the present worth of a deferred annuity at the age of sixty years. "In the present paragraph (a) of section 93 the 'age at which the employee would otherwise have become eligible for retirement' is understood to be construed in all cases to be sixty-two years, notwithstanding the provision in the third paragraph of section 92 for optional retirement at age sixty years. The bill H. R. 4307 would add to the paragraph an additional provision which would permit voluntary retirement under the paragraph on an immediate annuity having a value equal to the present worth of a deferred annuity beginning at the age of sixty years, provided the employee retiring under the paragraph has at least thirty years' service. This corresponds exactly to the voluntary retirement provided by section 1 (d) of the Civil Service Retirement Act. The practical result would be to increase the immediate annuity under the paragraph in the case of those retiring thereunder with at least thirty years' service; however, the precise amount of increase involves factors not immediately available to this office and which are properly obtainable from the Civil Service Commission, which administers both retirement acts. "The proposed new proviso refers to 'any employee retiring prior to attaining age sixty under the provisions of this paragraph with at least thirty years of service.' The words 'prior to attaining age sixty' appear to be unnecessary since an employee who has attained age sixty and has thirty years' service would retire under the third paragraph of section 92 providing for optional retirement on a full annuity at age sixty with thirty years' service. It is therefore felt that the words 'prior to attaining age sixty' might well be stricken from the proposed amendment. "Inasmuch as the amendment proposed by H. R. 4307 would merely conform the paragraph to the corresponding paragraph in the Civil Service Retirement Act in the respects discussed above, this office favors the enactment of this bill." I concur in the views expressed by the Governor of the Panama Canal. I am advised by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget that there is no objection to the submission of this report. Sincerely yours, HENRY L. STIMSON, Secretary of War. Hon. S. O. BLAND, UNITED STATES CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION, Chairman, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, House of Representatives. DEAR MR. BLAND: Further reference is made to your communication of March 3, 1944, transmitting copy of H. R. 4307, a bill to amend the Canal Zone Code, and requesting the Commission's comments thereon. Paragraph (a), section 93, title 2 of the Canal Zone Code provides that an employee serving thereunder who shall have attained the age of 55 and rendered at least 25 years of service, of which not less than 15 years shall have been rendered on the Isthmus of Panama, may voluntarily retire on an immediate annuity having a value equal to the present worth of a deferred annuity beginning at the age (62) at which the employee would otherwise have become eligible for retirement. |