Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 49 Part 1.djvu/1008

 74T H CONGRESS. SESS. I. CH. 808 . AUGUST 29, 1935. 963 [ CHAPTE R 808 .1 AN ACT To authorize cooperation with the several States for the purpose of stimulating August 6914 .] 5	the acquisition, development, and proper administration and management of [Public, No. 395 .] State forests and coordinating Federal and State activities in carrying out a national program of forest-land management, and for other purp oses. Be it enacted by the Senate and House o f Representatives o f the United States o f America in Congress assembled, That for the me t est land manage- purpose of stimulating the acquisition, development, and proper cooperative agree- administration and management of State forests and of insuring ments wi th State o>rz- oiais - coordinated effort by Federal and State agencies in carrying out a comprehe nsive national program of forest-land manag ement, the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized to enter into coopera- tive agreements with appropriate officials of any State or States for acquiring in the name of the United States, by purchase or otherwise, Purpose. such forest lands within the cooperating State as in his judgment the State is adequately prepared to administer, develop, and manage as State forests in accordance with the provisions of this Act and with such other terms not inconsistent therewith as he shall prescribe, such acquisition to include the mapping, examination, appraisal, and surveying of such lands and the doing of all things necessary to perfect title thereto in the United States : Provided, That, since it Ownership and m an- is the declared policy of Congress to maintain and, where it is in the agement of existing na tio nal f ore sts and na tiona l in teres t to exte nd t he na tion al-fo rest syst em, nothi ng h erein related facilities. shall be construed to modify, limit, or change in any manner what- soever the future ownership and administration by the United States of existing national forests and related facilities, or hereafter to restrict or prevent their extension through the acquisition by pur- chase or otherwise of additional lands for any national-forest purpose : Provided further, That this Act shall not be construed to through exchanges. lim it or re peal an y legis lation a uthoriz ing land exchan ges by t he Fed eral Gov ernment, and p rivate l ands ac quired b y excha nge with in the limits of any area subject to a cooperative agreement of the character herein authorized shall hereafter be subject to the pro- visions of this Act. SEC. 2. No cooperative agreement shall be entered into or con- Conditions and re- tinned in force under the authority of this Act or any land acquired me nu. of agree hereunder turned over to the cooperating State for administration, dev elopment, and m anageme nt unles s the S tate con cerned, as a co n- sideration for the benefits extended to it thereunder, complies in a manner satisfactory to the Secretary of Agriculture with the follow- ing conditions and requirements which shall constitute a part of every such agreement a In order to reduce the need for public expenditures in the Restricti on on acq ui- t sition of add iti ona l acquisition of lands which may be brought into public ownership lan asaft erJun e 3o, 194z. t hrough t he enfo rcement of appr opriate tax del inquency laws, and, an d, by bringing about the handling of such lands upon a sound social and economic basis, to terminate a system of indeterminate and unsound ownership injurious to the private and public interest alike, no additional lands shall be acquired within any State by the United States under this Act after June 30, 1942, unless the State concerned Requirement of Sta te has prior thereto provided by law for the reversion of title to the legislation. Sta te or a politic al unit thereof of tax -delinqu ent lan ds and f or blocking into State or other public forests the areas which are more suitable for public than private ownership, and which in the public interest should be devoted primarily to the production of timber c rops and /or the mainten ance of forests for wa tershed protect ion, and for the enforcement of such law : Provided, That in the admin- Prov iso n istration of this Act prior to June 30, 1942, preference will be given Preference.