THE WEEKS BILL 4. 



navigable purposes: Provided, That the SEC. 8. That the Secretary of Agri- 

 provisions of this section shall expire culture is hereby authorized to pur- 

 by limitation on the 3Oth day of June, chase, in the name of the United States. 

 1915. such lands as have been approved for 



SEC. 5. That a commission, to be purchase by the National Forest Reser- 

 known as the National Forest Reserva- vation Commission at the price or prices 

 tion Commission, consisting of the Sec- fixed by said commission : Provided, That 

 retary of War, the Secretary of the In- no deed or other instrument of convey- 

 terior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and ance shall be accepted or approved by the 

 two members of the Senate, to be se- Secretary of Agriculture under this act 

 lected by the President of the Senate, until the legislature of the state in which 

 and two members of the House of Rep- the land lies shall have consented to the 

 resentatives, to be selected by the acquisition of such land by the United 

 Speaker, is hereby created and author- States for the purpose of preserving 

 ized to consider and pass upon such the navigability of navigable streams, 

 lands as may be recommended for pur- SEC. 9. That the Secretary of Agri- 

 chase as provided in section six of this culture may do all things necessary to 

 act, and to fix the price or prices at secure the safe title in the United 

 which such lands may be purchased, and States to the lands to be acquired under 

 no purchases shall be made of any lands this act, but no payment shall be made 

 until such lands have been duly ap- for any such lands until the title shall 

 proved for purchase by said commis- be satisfactory to the Attorney-General 

 sion : Provided, That the members of and shall be vested in the United States, 

 the. commission herein created shall SEC. 10. That such acquisition may 

 serve as such only during their incum- in any case be conditioned upon the ex- 

 bency in their respective official posi- ception and reservation to the owner 

 tions, and any vacancy on the commis- from whom title passes to the United 

 sion shall be filled in the manner as the States of the minerals and of the mer- 

 original appointment. chantable timber, or either or any part 



SEC. 6. That the commission hereby of them, within or upon such lands at 

 appointed shall, through its president, the date of the conveyance, but in every 

 annually report to Congress, not later case such exception and reservation and 

 than the first Monday in December, the the time within which such timber shall 

 operations and expenditures of the com- be removed and the rules and regula- 

 mission, in detail, during the preceding lations under which the cutting and re- 

 fiscal year. moval of such timber and the mining 



SEC. 7. That the Secretary of Agri- and removal of such minerals shall be 

 culture is hereby authorized and di- done shall be expressed in the written 

 rected to examine, locate, and recom- instrument of conveyance, and there- 

 mend for purchase such lands as in his after the mining, cutting, and removal 

 judgment may be necessary to the regu- of the minerals and timber so excepted 

 lation of the flow of navigable streams, and reserved shall be done only under 

 and to report to the National Forest and in obedience to the rules and regu- 

 Reservation Commission the results of lations so expressed, 

 such examination: Provided, That be- SEC. n. That inasmuch as small 

 fore any lands are purchased by the areas of land chiefly valuable for agri- 

 National Forest Reservation Commis- culture may of necessity or by inadvert- 

 sion said lands shall be examined by ence be included in tracts acquired 

 the Geological Survey and a report under this act, the Secretary of Agri- 

 made to the Secretary of Agriculture, culture may, in his discretion, and In- 

 showing that the control of such lands is hereby authorized, upon application 

 will promote or protect the navigation or otherwise, to examine and ascertain 

 of streams on whose watersheds they the location and extent of such areas 

 lie. as in his opinion may be occupied for 



