An important recent statute within this category is the Civil Rights Act of 1957.[533] This Act created a Commission on Civil Rights, empowered only to investigate, to study, to appraise and make findings and recommendations. It was not to be a Commission for the enforcement of civil rights. Specifically, the Civil Rights Act of 1957 directed the Commission to:
“(1) investigate allegations in writing under oath or affirmation that certain citizens of the United States are being deprived of their right to vote and have that vote counted by reason of their color, race, religion, or national origin, which writing, under oath or affirmation, shall set forth the facts upon which such belief or beliefs are based;
“(2) study and collect information concerning legal developments constituting a denial of equal protection of the laws under the Constitution; and
“(3) appraise the laws and policies of the Federal Government with respect to equal protection of the laws under the Constitution.”[534]
The Commission was instructed to submit to the President and Congress a comprehensive report of its activities, findings, and recommendations not later than two years from the enactment of the Act. The Commission’s report was submitted to the Congress on September 9, 1959,[535] just in time to win the Commission a two year lease on life.
Many of the statutes in this category are directed at securing information on which to base natural resources or scarce materials policy. In 1947 the President was requested to prepare, through the appropriate departments of the Government, a comprehensive plan for the development of the resources of Alaska, and the expansion and development of the facilities of commerce between the United States and Alaska and within the Territory. The President was requested to have the report ready for the consideration of the second session of the Seventy-fifth Congress thirty-five days after Congress reconvened.[536]
A strategic materials stockpiling statute of 1939 directed the Secretary of the Interior through the Director of the Bureau of Mines and the Director of the Geological Survey to make scientific, technological, and economic investigations concerning the extent and mode of occurrence, the development, mining, of ores and other mineral substances found in the United States which were considered essential to the common defense or the industrial needs of the United States.[537] Preparatory to enacting definitive post-war legislation establishing United States policy with regard to the domestic rubber-producing industry, Congress in 1947 provided for the conduct of a thorough study of the field.[538] Under the Rubber Producing Facilities Disposal Act of 1953 the Rubber Producing Facilities Disposal Commission was created and granted access to all available information concerning the Government-owned rubber-producing facilities in the possession of any department, agency, officer, Government corporation, or instrumentality of the United States concerned with Government-owned rubber-producing facilities.[539] Included in the data it was required to furnish the Congress was an inventory report concerning the Government’s current stocks of synthetic rubber and its component materials.[540]
Endeavoring to expand production of abaca within the Western Hemisphere, Congress in 1950 authorized such surveys and research as were necessary or desirable to obtain the best available land in the Western Hemisphere for abaca production.[541]
Information-Gathering For the Aid of Agency Clientele: In 1938 Congress set up the Mediterranean Fruit Fly Board to conduct a complete investigation and survey of all losses sustained by growers and farmers in the State of Florida resulting from the campaign to eradicate the Mediterranean fruit fly within the State.[542] It carefully stipulated that the Board’s report did not bind Congress legally or morally to grant relief to the affected farmers.[543]
Like the farmer, the small businessman receives his full share of congressional consideration. For the sake of the nation and the small businessman, the Small Business Concerns Mobilization Act of June 1942 sought to integrate him into the war effort.[544] It created the Smaller War Plants Corporation and included among its functions that of making studies with respect to the means by which small business concerns may be supplied with essential raw materials and receive fair and reasonable treatment from all Government departments without interfering with the efficiency of the war-production program.[545] In liquidating the Reconstruction Finance Corporation in July 1953, Congress substituted for it the Small Business Administration, which, among other things, was to obtain information as to methods and practices which Government prime contractors utilize in letting subcontracts and to take action to encourage the letting of subcontracts by prime contractors to small-business concerns.[546] It was also to make a complete inventory of all productive facilities of small-business concerns which could be used for war or defense production, or to arrange for the inventory to be made by any other governmental agency which has the facilities.[547] Further, it could obtain from suppliers of materials information pertaining to the method of filling orders and the bases for allocating their supply, whenever it appeared that any small business is unable to obtain materials from its normal sources for war or defense production. And it was directed to make studies and recommendations to the appropriate federal agencies to insure a fair and equitable share of materials, supplies, and equipment to small-business concerns in order to effectuate war or defense programs.[548] On the other hand, as a condition to securing loans from the Administration, small business concerns must certify to it the names of any attorneys, agents, or other persons engaged by or on behalf of such business enterprise for the purpose of expediting applications made to the Administration for assistance of any sort, and the fees paid or to be paid to any such persons.[549]