10 OCEANOGRAPHY 



essential. The Weather Bureau reports it is no longer practicable in many 

 localities to obtain the services required for only $5 a day. An increase in the 

 rate to $8 a day is now required. 



"Enactment of the bill would make it possible to simplify the appropriation 

 act for the two appropriations concerned, provide much-needed flexibility in the 

 periodic adjustment of the rates, and eliminate the necessity for asking the 

 Congress to legislate on what are essentially minor details of administration." 



CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW 



In compliance with subsection 4 of rule XXIX of the Standing Rules of the 

 Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill are shown as follows (existing 

 law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets ; new matter is printed 

 in italic; and existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman) : 



(33 U.S.C. 873) 



"[The Coast and Geodetic Survey is authorized to pay extra compensation 

 to members of crews of vesisels when assigned duties as bombers or fathometer 

 readers, and to employees of other Federal agencies while observing tides or 

 currents or tending seismographs, at such rates as may be specified from time 

 to time in the appropriation concerned.] 



''The Secretary of Commerce is hereby authorized to pay extra compensation 

 to memhers of crews of vessels tvhen assigned duties as instrument observer or 

 recorder, and to employees of other Federal agencies while observing tides or 

 Gurrents, or tending seismographs or magnetographs, at such rates as may be 

 specified from time to time by him.'" 



(15 U.S.C. 327) 



"[The Weather Bureau is authorized to (a) grant extra compensation to em- 

 ployees of other Government agencies for taking and transmitting meteor- 

 ological observations, and (b) appoint employees for the conduct of meteor- 

 ological investigations in the Arctic region without regard to the civil-service 

 and classification laws and sections 911-913, 921 and 922 of Title 5, both at base 

 rates which shall not exceed such maximum rates as may be specified from 

 time to time in the appropriation concerned.] 



"The Secretary of Commerce is hereby authorized to {a) appoint employees 

 for the conduct of meteorological investigations in the Arctic region tvithout 

 regard to the civil service laics and fix their compensation without regard to 

 the Classification Act of 1949, as amended (5 U.S.C. 1071 and the folJoiring), 

 and titles II and III of the Federal Employees Pay Act of 1945, as amended (5 

 U.S.C. 911 and the following), at base rates not to exceed the maximum sched- 

 uled rate for GS-12, and {b) grant extra compensation to employees of other 

 Government agencies for taking and transmitting meteorological observations." 



Mr. MiLLEK. Both of these bills have identical countei-parts in the 

 House. The bills passed the Senate in the closing weeks of the session, 

 but our committee did not have opportunity to act upon them last 

 year. 



In the case of S. 2482, however, we did order the bill reported, but 

 withheld actual reporting- when some questions arose concerning the 

 intent of the legislation. I think it would be worthwhile if I were to 

 read into the record a letter from Chairman Bonner to Dr. Harrison 

 Brown, Chairman of the National Academy of Sciences Conunittee on 

 Oceanography, in reply to a letter from him endorsing the proposed 

 broadened jurisdiction for the Coast and Geodetic Survey. 



I am going to ask the counsel of the committee to read that cor- 

 respondence now. 



]Mr. Dhkwhy. The letter of December 2;^, 1959, fnmi Chairman 



