Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 49 Part 1.djvu/789

 744 74TH CONGRESS. SESS. I. CHS. 638, 639. AUGUST 24,1935 . [CHAPTER 638 .] August 24, 1935. AN ACT [H. R. 5159.] To authorize the Postmaster General to contract for air-mail service in Alaska. [Public, No. 317 .] Postal service. Vol.43,p.960;U.S. C ., p. 1744. Ala ska. Emergency mail service. Air mail, for all classes, authorized. Appropriation avail- able. [CHAPTER 639 .] Aug ust 24, 1935. [A .R. 5711.] To provi de aid for nee dy b lind perso ns of the Dist rict of C olumb ia and [Public, No . 318.] authorizing appropriations therefor. Be it enacted by the Senate and House o f Representatives o f t h e United States o f America in Congress assembled, That the Board of Com missio ners of the Dist rict o f Col umbia (here inafte r cal led th e " Board ") is hereb y authoriz ed and dir ected to e nforce the provision s of this Act for the purpose of maintaining, supporting, and caring for needy blind persons who are residents of the said District of Columbia, citizens of the United States, and not inmates of any institution supported in whole or in part by the Federal or District Governments, and said Board shall have the power to make and enf orce all p roper rule s and regul ations the refor, inc luding the defi- nitions of " blindness " and of " needy individuals " and the power to make and require any reports required by the Federal Social Security Board or otherwise authorized or required by law. The said Board may entrust the carrying out of the provisions of this Act, or any of them, to any agency of the Government of the District of Colu mbia w hich said B oard may de signa te. SEc. 2. As used in this Act, the term " needy blind person " shall be construed to mean any person who by reason of the loss or impair- ment of eyesight is of such condition that he cannot be rehabilitated fo r sel f-supp ort t hrough the facili ties offere d by the Vo catio nal Rehabil itation Service for the District of Columbia, United States Office of Education, and who is unable to provide himself with the necessities of life and who has not sufficient means of his own to main- tain himself and who is otherwise qualified as further set forth in this Act, and nothing in this Act shall prevent any blind person in sound mental and physical condition who is an inmate of an institu- t ion for th e care of the indige nt from ap plying for the benef its under this Act on the condition that they leave such institution upon the granting of such relief. SEC. 3. In order that any person who shall have become blind while a resident of the District of Columbia may be entitled to aid under the provisions of this Act such person must be at least sixteen years of age and a resident of the District of Columbia for one year next preceding his application for aid hereunder : Provided, That in order t hat any pe rson whose blindness originate d while he was not a resident District of Colu mbia. Car e of ne edy blind, authorized. Qualifications . Powers of Commis - sioners. Ante, p. 620. "Needy blind per- son" defined. Age and residen ce re- quirements. Provisos. when blindness originating while not a residen t. Be it enacted by the Senate and House o f Representatives o f the United States o f America in Congress assembled, That the Act of February 21, 1925 (43 Stat. 960 ; 39 U. S. C. 488), is amended to read as follows " The Postmaster General may provide difficult or emergency mail service in Alaska, at a total annual cost of not exceeding $25,000, including the establishment and equipment of relay stations, in such manner as he may think advisab le, without advertising there- for ; and he is authorized, in his discretion, to contract, after advertisement in accordance with law, for the carriage of all classes of mail within the Territory of Alaska, by airplane, payment there- for to be made from the appropriation for star-route service in Alaska ." Approved, August 24, 1935. AN ACT