July 7, 1884.

R. S., 4667.

Feb. 14, 1903.
Sec. 4.

R. S., 4668.

R. S., 4669.
Feb. 14, 1903.
Sec. 4.

R. S., 4670. July 26, 1886.

June 23, 1874.

R. S., 4671.

Hereafter it shall be the duty of the Light-House Board to apply the money appropriated, other than for surveys, as far as can be without detriment to the interests of the Government, by contract.

No contract for the erection of any light-house shall be made except after public advertisement for proposals in such form and manner as to secure general notice thereof, and the same shall only be made with the lowest bidder therefor, upon security deemed sufficient in the judgment of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor.

Whenever any of the light-vessels occupying positions which are adapted to the erection of light-houses upon pile-foundations require to be rebuilt, or require such extensive repairs as to render the substitution of such lighthouse advisable and practicable, such permanent structures may be erected in place of any such light-vessels; but the expense arising from all such changes and erections shall be defrayed from the general annual appropriations for repairs, and so forth, of light-vessels, except when a special appropriation is made for such change.

The Light-House Board, with the approval of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor, shall prescribe, and from time to time may alter or amend, and cause to be distributed, such regulations as they deem proper for securing an efficient, uniform, and economical administration of the Light-House Establishment.

The Light-House Board shall arrange the ocean, gulf, lake, and river coasts of the United States into light-house districts, not exceeding sixteen in number. Any law or regulation prohibiting the employment in the light-houses of the United States of persons more than forty-five years of age is hereby repealed.

The jurisdiction of the Light-House Board is hereby extended over the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri rivers for the establishment of such beacon lights, day beacons, and buoys as may be necessary for the use of vessels navigating those streams; and for this purpose the said board is hereby required to divide the designated rivers into one or two additional light-house districts, to be in all respects similar to the already existing light-house districts; and is hereby authorized to lease the necessary ground for all such lights and beacons as are used to point out changeable channels and which in consequence can not be made permanent.

An officer of the Army or Navy shall be assigned to each district as a light house inspector, subject to the orders of the Light-House Board; and shall receive for such service the same pay and emoluments that he would be entitled to by law for the performance of duty in the regular line of his profession, and no other, except the legal allowance per mile, when traveling.under orders connected with his duties.

Feb. 14, 1903.
Sec. 4.

The Secretary of Commerce and Labor shall assign to R.S., 4672. any of the collectors of the customs the superintendence of such light-houses, beacons, light-ships, and buoys, as he deems best.

The Secretary of Commerce and Labor is authorized to regulate the salaries of the respective keepers of lighthouses in such manner as he deems just and proper, but the whole sum allowed for such salaries shall not exceed an average of six hundred dollars to each keeper.

R.S., 4673.

Feb. 14, 1903.

Sec. 4.

Feb. 14, 1903.

Sec. 4.

The Secretary of Commerce and Labor may, upon the R.S., 4674. recommendation of the Light-House Board, discontinue from time to time such lights as may from any cause become useless or unnecessary. And he may, upon the like recommendation, from time to time re-establish any lights which have been thus discontinued, whenever he believes such re-establishment to be required by public convenience or the necessities of trade or commerce.

The Secretary of Commerce and Labor shall have power to order the sale at auction, after due public notice, of any real estate or other property pertaining to the lighthouse establishment, no longer required for light-house purposes; the proceeds of such sales, after the payment therefrom of the expenses of making the same, to be deposited and covered into the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts, as now provided by law in like cases.

June 23, 1874.

R. S., 4675.

Feb. 14, 1903.

Sec. 4.

No additional salary shall be allowed to any civil, mili- R. S., 4679. tary, or naval officer on account of his being employed on the Light-House Board, or being in any manner attached to the light-house service.

No member of the Light-House Board, inspector, light- R.S., 4680. keeper, or other person in any manner connected with the light-house service, shall be interested, either directly or indirectly, in any contract for labor, materials, or supplies for the light house service, or in any patent, plan, or mode of construction or illumination, or in any article of supply for the light-house service.

453. Treasury agents.

The Secretary of the Treasury may appoint one supervising special agent, who shall receive in addition to the necessary traveling expenses actually incurred by him, a compensation of ten dollars per day; eighteen special agents, who shall each receive in addition to the necessary traveling expenses actually incurred by him, a compensation to be fixed by the Secretary of the Treasury, not to exceed eight dollars per day; and nine special agents, who shall each receive in addition to the necessary traveling expenses actually incurred by him, a compensation to be fixed by the Secretary of the Treasury not to exceed six dollars per day, for the purpose of making the examinations of the books, papers, and accounts of collectors and other officers of the customs, and to be employed generally, under the direction of the Secretary, in the prevention and

R.S., 2649.

Aug. 15, 1876.

Mar. 3, 1891.

Feb. 14, 1903. Secs. 4, 10.

R. S., 2651.
Aug. 15, 1876.

R. S., 2652.

R. S., 2653:

R. S., 1973.

Feb. 14, 1903.
Sec. 7.

R. S., 1974.

detection of frauds on the customs revenue; and the expense thereof shall be charged to the "appropriation to defray the expense of collecting the revenue from customs."

The Secretary of the Treasury may, from time to time, make such regulations not inconsistent with law, for the government of the special agents, as he deems expedient, and may rescind or alter regulations so made. But no special agent, in addition to those authorized by the two preceding sections [Sec. 2649 as amended], shall be appointed or employed upon any business relating to the customs revenue; nor shall any sum be paid to any agent authorized to be employed for mileage or any other expenses except such as are actually incurred in the discharge of his official duty.

It shall be the duty of all officers of the customs to execute and carry into effect all instructions of the Secretary of the Treasury relative to the execution of the revenue laws; and in case any difficulty shall arise as to the true construction or meaning of any part of the revenue laws, the decision of the Secretary of the Treasury shall be conclusive and binding upon all officers of the customs.

The Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized, whenever he shall think it advantageous to the public service, to abolish or suspend the office of naval officer, or any other subordinate office, in any collection-district of the United States, except in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston, Savannah, Portland in Maine, and San Francisco, and to assign the duties of the office or any other subordinate office so abolished or suspended to a deputy collector or inspector of the customs; and so much of all fines, penalties, and forfeitures as would otherwise inure to either of such naval officers shall, after the discontinuance of their offices, respectively, be paid into the Treasury of the United States, and there credited to the fund for defraying the expenses of collecting the revenue from customs.

454. Alaska Seal Agents.

The Secretary of Commerce and Labor is authorized to appoint one agent and three assistant agents, who shall be charged with the management of the seal fisheries in Alaska, and the performance of such other duties as may be assigned to them by the Secretary of Commerce and Labor.

The agent shall receive the sum of ten dollars each day, one assistant agent the sum of eight dollars each day, and two assistant agents the sum of six dollars each day while so employed; and they shall also be allowed their necessary traveling expenses in going to and returning from Alaska, for which expenses vouchers shall be presented to the proper accounting officers of the Treasury, and such expenses shall not exceed in the aggregate six hundred dollars each in any one year.

Such agents shall never be interested, directly or indi- R.S., 1975. rectly, in any lease of the right to take seals, nor in any proceeds or profits thereof, either as owner, agent, partner, or otherwise.

Such agents are empowered to administer oaths in all R.S., 1976. cases relating to the service of the United States, and to take testimony in Alaska for the use of the Government in any matter concerning the public revenues.

For the purpose of better guarding against frauds upon the revenue on foreign merchandise transported between the ports of the Atlantic and those of the Pacific overland through any foreign territory, the Secretary of the Treas ury may appoint special sworn agents as inspectors of the customs, to reside in such foreign territory where such merchandise may be landed or embarked, with power to superintend the landing or shipping of all merchandise, passing coastwise between the ports of the United States on the Pacific and the Atlantic. It shall be their duty, under such regulations and instructions as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe, to guard against the perpetration of frauds upon the revenue. The compensation paid to such inspectors shall not in the aggregate exceed five thousand dollars per annum.

455. Coast and Geodetic Survey.

R. S., 2999.

Feb. 14, 1903.

Sec. 10.

The President is authorized to cause a survey to be taken R. S., 4681. of the coasts of the United States, in which shall be designated the islands and shoals, with the roads or places of anchorage, within twenty leagues of any part of the shores of the United States; and also the respective courses and distances between the principal capes or headlands, together with such other matters as he may deem proper for completing an accurate chart of every part of the coasts.

The President may also cause such examinations and R. S., 4682. observations to be made with respect to Saint George's Bank, and to any other bank, or shoal, and the soundings and currents, although beyond the distance of twenty leagues from the shore to the Gulf Stream, as he may deem especially subservient to the commercial interests of the United States.

All appropriations made for the work of surveying the R. S., 4683. coast of the United States shall be expended in accordance with the plan of re-organizing the mode of executing the survey which has been submitted to the President by a board of officers organized under the act of March three, eighteen hundred and forty-three, chapter one hundred.

The President shall carry into effect the plan of the board, RS, 4684. as agreed upon by a majority of its members; and shall cause to be employed as many officers of the Army and Navy of the United States as will be compatible with the successful prosecution of the work; the officers of the Navy to be employed on the hydrographical parts, and the officers of the Army on the topographical parts of the work; and

R. S., 4685.

R. S., 4686.

R. S.. 4687.

R. S., 4688.

Feb. 14, 1903.
Sec. 4.

Aug. 30, 1890.

R. S., 4689.

R. S., 4690.

no officer of the Army or Navy shall receive any extra pay out of any appropriations for surveys.

The President is authorized, in executing the provisions of this Title [R. S., 4681-4691], to use all maps, charts, books, instruments, and apparatus belonging to the United States. and to direct where the same shall be deposited, and to employ all persons in the land or naval service of the United States, and such astronomers and other persons, as he shall deem proper.

The President is authorized, for any of the purposes of surveying the coast of the United States, to cause to be employed such of the public vessels in actual service as he deems it expedient to employ, and to give such instructions for regulating their conduct as he deems proper, according to the tenor of this Title [R. S., 4681-4691].

Officers of the Army and Navy shall, as far as practicable, be employed in the work of surveying the coast of the United States, whenever and in the manner required by the Department having charge thereof.

The Secretary of Commerce and Labor may make such allowances to the officers and men of the Army and Navy, while employed on Coast Survey service, for subsistence, in addition to their compensation, as he may deem necessary, not exceeding the sum authorized by the Treasury regulation of the eleventh day of May, eighteen hundred and forty-four.

Nor shall there hereafter be made any allowance for subsistence to officers of the Navy attached to the Coast and Geodetic Survey, except that when officers are detached to do work away from their vessels under circumstances involving them in extra expenditures, the Superintendent may allow to any such officer subsistence at a rate not exceeding one dollar per day for the period actually covered by such duty away from such vessel.

The salary of the Superintendent of the Coast Survey shall be six thousand dollars a year.

The Coast Survey report shall be submitted to Congress during the month of December in each year, and shall be accompanied by a general chart of the whole coasts of the United States, on as large a scale as convenient and practicable, showing, as near as practicable, the configuration of the coasts, and showing, by lines, the probable limits of the Gulf Stream, and showing, by lines, the probable limit to which the soundings off the coast will extend, and showing, by the use of colors and explanations, the exact portions of our coasts, of which complete charts have been published by the Coast Survey; also, showing such other parts of the coasts of which the triangulation, the topography, and the soundings have been completed, but not published, and, also, such parts of the coasts of which the triangulation and topography, or the triangulation only, have been completed.