HEARINGS BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE SITTING IN CONJUNCTION WITH A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON SIXTY-NINTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON H. R. 10820 A BILL TO PROVIDE FOR THE PAYMENT OF THE PREFACE Pursuant to agreement between the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, public notice was given and hearings announced on March 31, 1926. These hearings were held by joint subcommittees, as indicated on the first page, on April 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 14. Unrevised copies of the proceedings were published daily for the immediate use of the committee and distributed to the committee and the interested witnesses. These daily prints were revised and have been compiled into this volume. Owing to the desire of the committee to have these hearings published for general distribution as soon as possible, it has been necessary to omit certain lists now in the course of compilation, which will be published later as a supplement to these hearings. This compilation attempts to arrange the hearings as follows: 1. Statements by Government officials. 2. Statements from the general public. 3. Miscellaneous letters, briefs, and memorandums. 4. Appendix containing (1) List of mixed claims awards; (2) List of payments made to attorneys by the Alien Property Custodian; and (3) List of trusts in excess of $20,000 held by the Alien Property Custodian. 5. Index. Wherever it has been possible to do so, repetition and irrelevant discussion have been omitted from this volume. All communications suggesting amendments received up to this date have been included herein. APRIL 23, 1926. CLAYTON F. MOORE, Clerk Committee on Ways and Means. III RETURN OF ALIEN PROPERTY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS, Monday, April 5, 1926. The subcommittees met at 10.30 o'clock a. m., Hon. Willis C. Hawley (chairman) presiding. Mr. HAWLEY. The committee will come to order. On March 29, 1926, Mr. Mills, a Member of the House, introduced H. R. 10820, a bill to provide for the payment of the awards of the Mixed Claims Commission, the payment of certain claims of German nationals against the United States, and the return to German nationals of property held by the Alien Property Custodiaa. This bill contains matters not subject solely to the jurisdiction of any committee of the House, but since it contains matters relating to taxation and the issuance of securities, the Speaker, after consideration, referred the bill to the Committee on Ways and Means and an arrangement was made between the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce to consider the bill together, because both the committees have jurisdiction over various parts of the bill. Therefore, there were two subcommittees appointed; from the Committee on Ways and Means, Messrs. Hawley, Hadley, Mills, Garner, and Oldfield; and from the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, Messrs. Mapes, Newton, Wyant, Rayburn, and Lea, the first named in each case being the chairman of the subcommittee. The two subcommittees have arranged for a meeting, which is now in session. Before I call for the first witness, I offer for the record a letter from the Alien Property Custodian, a letter from the Mixed Claims Commission, and a letter from the Department of State. Mr. GARNER. Had we not better have those letters read? Mr. HAWLEY. The first letter is from the Department of State. Mr. MILLS. Have they representatives here? Mr. HAWLEY. The letter states why they have no representatives here. If there is no objection, the clerk will read the letters. (The clerk read the letters referred to as follows:) DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, April 3, 1926. MY DEAR MR. GREEN: I have received the letter of March 30, 1926, from your committee, transmitting a copy of H. R. 10820, a bill introduced by Mr. Mills, "To provide for the payment of awards of the Mixed Claims Commission, the payment of certain claims of German nationals against the United States, and the return to German nationals of property held by the Alien Property Custodian." I note that hearings on this bill are to be held next week and that the committee would be glad to hear a representative of this department on the subject and to receive an expression of the department's views. 1 |