making appropriations for the support of the army for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1910:

The funds appropriated in the act approved March third, nineteen hundred and nine, for the purchase and development of wireless telephone apparatus, are hereby made available, for the purposes heretofore appropriated, during the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and eleven.

The necessary wireless telephone apparatus and equipment has now been installed and experiments are progressing favorably, but owing to unexpected delays in the manufacture and delivery of the special apparatus required to carry out the work contemplated in the act of March 3, 1909, it will not be possible to complete the work during the current fiscal year.

For these reasons authority is asked to continue the appropriation during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1911. Such action will not require the appropriation of additional money, but merely extend the availability of the appropriation for this purpose during the fiscal year 1911.

Very respectfully,

J. ALLEN, Brigadier-General, Chief Signal Officer of the Army.

618T CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. J DOCUMENT 2d Session. No. 955.

MELCHOR BATISTA.

LETTER

FROM

THE SECRETARY OF STATE,

TRANSMITTING

A COPY OF A JOINT RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE SECRETARY OF WAR TO RECEIVE FOR INSTRUCTION AT THE MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT MR. MELCHOR BATISTA, OF CUBA.

JUNE 9, 1910.-Referred to the Committee on Military Affairs and ordered to be printed.

JUNE 8, 1910.

SIR: In compliance with the request of the Government of Cuba, made through its minister at Washington, and with the assent of the Secretary of War, I have the honor to inclose herewith for reference to and consideration by the appropriate committee of the House of Representatives a draft of a resolution authorizing the Secretary of War to permit Mr. Melchor Batista, of Cuba, to receive instruction at the United States Military Academy at West Point, at the expense of the Government of Cuba.

The draft follows the language of previous resolutions in like cases. The granting of the request would be an act of courtesy, without expense to this Government, and in accordance with the established precedents.

A similar letter has been addressed to the Vice-President.
I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
P. C. KNOX.

Hon. JOSEPH G. CANNON,

Speaker of the House of Representatives,

Washington, D. C.

[Joint resolution authorizing the Secretary of War to receive for instruction at the Military Academy at West Point Mr. Melchor Batista, of Cuba.]

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of War be, and he hereby is, authorized to permit Mr. Melchor Batista, of Cuba, to receive instruction at the Military Academy at West Point: Provided, That no expense shall be caused to the United States thereby and that the said Melchor Batista shall agree to comply with all regulations for the police and discipline of the academy, to be studious, and to give his utmost efforts to accomplish the courses in the various departments of instruction: And provided further, That in the case of the said Melchor Batista the provisions of sections thirteen hundred and twenty and thirteen hundred and twenty-one of the Revised Statutes shall be suspended."

61ST CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. ( DOCUMENT 2d Session. No. 958.

PROPOSED INTERNATIONAL OPIUM CONFERENCE.

LETTER

FROM

THE ACTING SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY,

TRANSMITTING

A COMMUNICATION FROM THE SECRETARY OF STATE SUBMITTING ESTIMATE OF APPROPRIATION OF $25,000 TO ENABLE THE GOVERNMENT TO STAMP OUT THE OPIUM EVIL.

JUNE 10, 1910.-Referred to the Committee on Appropriations and ordered to be

printed.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT,

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY,
Washington, June 10, 1910.

SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith, for the consideration of Congress, copy of a communication from the Secretary of State, of this date, submitting an estimate of appropriation in the sum of $25,000 in connection with the prospective international opium conference to be held at The Hague in the near future, as follows:

To enable the Government to continue its efforts to mitigate if not entirely stamp out the opium evil, through a proposed international conference and otherwise, by further investigation and proceedings, twenty-five thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to be expended under the direction of the Secretary of State.

Respectfully,

A. PIATT ANDREW,
Acting Secretary.

The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
Washington, June 10, 1910.

SIR: In transmitting to the President the report of the American Opium Commission (S. Doc. 377, 61st Cong., 2d sess.) on the International Opium Commission, which met at Shanghai in February, 1909,

and on the prospective international opium conference to be held at The Hague in the near future, to give to the main salutary propositions of the International Opium Commission and the essential corollaries derived therefrom the force of law and international agreement, I had the honor to recommend that Congress be asked to appropriate $25,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to enable this Government to take part in the prospective international opium conference, and otherwise, by further investigations and proceedings, to mitigate if not entirely stamp out the opium evil.

In transmitting the opium report to Congress the President approved this recommendation, and requested that action be taken accordingly. may add that all the powers but one represented in the International Opium Commission that met at Shanghai have made provision for representation in the international opium conference which, on the initiative of this Government, will be held at The Hague this summer. It is therefore essential that this appropriation should be made at the present session to enable this Government to be properly represented in the conference.

I am strongly in favor of this appropriation, not only because of the important action the conference may be called upon to take in reference to other matters in which this Government is greatly interested, but because also this Government is sponsor for the conference by reason of the initiative which it took in the creation of the International Opium Commission and the invitation it has extended to the governments represented in the commission to take part in the conference.

It would be extremely embarrassing if, after the acceptance of the invitation by such governments, the Government of the United States was unable to participate in the conference through lack of means. I shall therefore be glad if you would submit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, with a view to its inclusion in the general deficiency bill, the following item of appropriation:

To enable the Government to continue its efforts to mitigate, if not entirely stamp out, the opium evil through a proposed international conference, and otherwise by further investigation and proceedings, twenty-five thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to be expended under the direction of the Secretary of State.

I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,

The SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.

P. C. KNOX.