Approved September 26, 1961.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorized and directed to establish and maintain a program of stabilization payments to small domestic producers of lead and zinc ores and concentrates in order to stabilize the mining of lead and zinc by small domestic producers on public, Indian, and other lands as provided in this Act.

Subject to the limitations of this Act, the Secretary shall make stabilization payments to small domestic producers upon presentation of evidence satisfactory to him of their status as such producers and of the sale by them of newly mined ores, or concentrates produced therefrom, as provided in this Act. Payments shall be made only with respect to the metal content as determined by assay.

Such payments shall be made to small domestic producers of lead as long as the market price for common lead at New York, New York, as determined by the Secretary, is below 14 -- 1 2 cents per pound, and such payments shall be 75 per centum of the difference between 14 -- 1 2 cents per pound and the average market price for the month in which the sale occurred as determined by the Secretary.

Such payments shall be made to small domestic producers of zinc as long as the market price for prime western zinc at East Saint Louis, Illinois, as determined by the Secretary, is below 14 -- 1 2 cents per pound, and such payments shall be 55 per centum of the difference between 14 -- 1 2 cents per pound and the average market price for the month in which the sale occurred as determined by the Secretary.