Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 50 Part 1.djvu/911

 886 Refusal to execute sale agreement. Reservation of known helium-bear- ing land not covered by leases. 41 Stat. 437. P rov iso . E xtracti on provi- sions. M aintena nce and operation of plants. E xperime ntation and research. Requisition of he- lium by Army and Navy, etc. Production and sale. Inflation of airships. Provisos. Restrictions. Price determination. Sale for medicinal purposes. Repurchase. 75TH CONG RESS, 1 ST SES SION- CH. 895-SEPTEMBER 1, 1937 approval of this amendatory Act, or (2) the owner of any such properties having so appointed an appraiser shall refuse or neglect to execute an agreement or agreements for the sale thereof, at the price recommended by at least two members of the board of appr aiser s, wit hin t hirty days after said a pprai sers s hall have r ecom- mended such price. "An y know n heli um-gas- bearin g land on th e publ ic dom ain not covered at the time by leases or permits under the Act of February 25, 1920, entitled An Act to promote the mining of coal, phosphate, oil, oil shale, gas, and sodium on the public domain', as amended, may be reserved for the purposes of this Act, and the United States reserves the ownership and the right to extract, under such rules and regulations as shall be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior, helium f rom all gas produced from lands so per mitted, leas ed, or otherwise granted for development : Provided, That in the extraction of helium from gas produced from such lands, it shall be so extracted as to cause no substantial delay in the delivery of gas produced from the well to the purc haser there of . "SEC. 2 . That the Bureau of Mines, acting under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior, is authorized to maintain and operate helium production and repurification plants together with facilities and accessories thereto ; to store and care for helium, to conduct exploration for and production of helium on and from the lands acquired, leased, or reserved ; and to conduct experimentation and research for the purpose of discovering helium supplies and improv- ing processes and methods of helium production, repurification, stor- age, and utilization. "SEC . 3 . (a) That the Army and Navy and other agencies of the Federal Government may requisition helium from the Bureau of Mines and make payments therefor from any applicable appropria- tions by advancing o r repaying to and for the use of said Bureau proportionate shares of the expenses incident to the administration, operatio n, and maint enance of the Government's helium plan ts and properties . "(b ) That helium not needed fo r Government use may be p roduced and sold upon paymen t in advance in quantities and under r egula- tions approved by the President, for medical, scientific, and commer- cial use, except that helium may be sold for the inflation of only such airships as operate in or between the United States and its Terri- tori es and poss ession s, or betwe en the Unit ed Sta tes o r its territ ories and possessions and foreign countries : Provided, That no helium shall be sold for the inflation of any airship operating between two foreign c ountries notw ithstanding such airship may also t ouc h a t some point in the United States : Provided further, That such sales of helium shall be at reasonable prices (established by said regula- tions) based upon the cost of acquiring, developing, maintaining, and operating the Government properties and the payment of interest at a rate of not less than 31/2 per centum per annum on capital hereafter expe nded ( excep t from the s pecia l fund esta blishe d in subsec tion ( c) of section 3 of this Act) for properties, facilities, and helium-bearing gas lands, as are used for such helium production : Provided further, That notwithstanding the foregoing provision helium shall be sold for medicinal purposes at prices which will permit its general use therefor ; and such sales of helium shall be upon condition that the Federal Government shall have a. right to repurchase helium so sold that has not been lost or dissipated, when needed for Government use, under terms and at prices established by said regulations.