Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 63 Part 1.djvu/474

 PUBLIC LAWS-CH. 338 -JULY 15, 1949 Reports to President and Congress. "Veteran." "Deceased service- men." (b) The Secretary of Agriculture shall prepare and submit to the President and to the Congress estimates of national farm housing needs and reports with respect to the progress being made toward meeting such needs, and correlate and recommend proposals for such executive action or legislation necessary or desirable for the furtherance of the national housing objective and policy established by this Act with respect to farm housing, together with such other reports or informa- tion as may be required of the Secretary by the President or the Congress. PREFERENCES FOR VETERANS AND FAMILIES OF DECEASED SERVICEMEN SEC. 507. As between eligible applicants seeking assistance under this title, the Secretary shall give preference to veterans and the families of deceased servicemen. As used herein, a "veteran" shall be a person who served in the land or naval forces of the United States during any war between the United States and any other nation and who shall have been discharged or released therefrom on conditions other than dishonorable. "Deceased servicemen" shall mean men or women who served in the land or naval forces of the United States during any war between the United States and any other nation and who died in service before the termination of such war. LOCAL COMMITTEES TO ASSIST SECRETARY SEC. 508. (a) For the purposes of this subsection and subsection (b) of this section, the Secretary may use the services of any existing committee of farmers operating (pursuant to laws or regulations carried out by the Department of Agriculture) in any county or parish in which activities are carried on under this title. In any county or parish in which activities are carried on under this title and in which no existing satisfactory committee is available, the Secretary is author- ized to appoint a committee composed of three persons residing in the Compensation. county or parish. Each member of such existing or newly appointed committee shall be allowed compensation at the rate of $5 per day while engaged in the performance of duties under this title and, in addition, shall be allowed such amounts as the Secretary may prescribe for necessary traveling and subsistence expenses. One member of the com- mittee shall be designated by the Secretary as chairman. The Secretary shall prescribe rules governing the procedures of the committees, fur- nish forms and equipment necessary for the performance of their duties, and authorize and provide for the compensation of such clerical assist- ance as he deems may be required by any committee. Duties. (b) The committees utilized or appointed pursuant to this section shall examine applications of persons desiring to obtain the benefits of this title and shall submit recommendations to the Secretary with respect to each applicant as to whether the applicant is eligible to receive the benefits of this title, whether by reason of his character, ability, and experience, he is likely successfully to carry out undertak- ings required of him under a loan or grant under this title, and whether the farm with respect to which the application is made is of such character that there is a reasonable likelihood that the making of the loan or grant requested will carry out the purposes of this title. The committees shall also certify to the Secretary their opinions of the reasonable values of the farms. The committees shall, in addi- tion, perform such other duties under this title as the Secretary may require. Determination of housing, etc., stand- ards. GENERAL POWERS OF SECRETARY SEC. 509. (a) The Secretary, for the purposes of this title, shall have the power to determine and prescribe the standards of adequate 436 [63 STAT.

�