Art. 1452. Custodians.-Collectors or other customs officers appointed as custodians of customhouses and other public buildings under control of the Secretary of the Treasury will have charge and supervision of the buildings intrusted to them, and will be governed by the regulations and instructions concerning the duties of custodians furnished by the department through the office of the Supervising Architect.

RENTED PREMISES

Art. 1453. Use and care.-(a) Collectors or other customs officers having charge of rented buildings or rented quarters for the use of the Customs Service will be governed by the following regulations, when janitor service, heat, and light are not included in the lease:

(b) They shall have exclusive control of the force used by the Government for janitor service therein and for heating and lighting the premises.

T. D. 30263.

(c) They will cause the halls, stairs, vestibules, passageways, and rooms to be kept neat and clean at all times, and such measures must be taken as may be necessary to protect the walls and woodwork from defacement and prevent the committing of nuisances in or about the building and grounds. Advertisements or public notices, except such as relate to Government business, must not be posted on the walls or in the corridors or public lobbies of such portions of the building as are used by the Government. The labor incident to cleaning the several portions of the building, whitewashing, taking up and laying carpets, and putting up and taking down awnings, when practicable, must be performed by the janitor or his assistants, and no expenses for these services will be allowed unless some special reasons exist therefor and authority has been granted. Application for such authority should state the reasons explicitly.

(d) Collectors or other customs officers will make no payment on account of rent of a post-office box until the expiration of the quarter or other term for which the rent is due.

Art. 1454. Repairs and alterations.--(a) Any necessity for repairs or alterations of the furniture or other articles must be promptly reported, with recommendation for action, to the Bureau of Customs, together with an estimate of the cost of making the same.

(b) Customs officers having authority and jurisdiction will not make expenditures for repairs, alterations of the furniture, or for other necessaries without the previous written authority of the Bureau of Customs, and when an amount authorized for any specific purpose proves insufficient authority must first be obtained for any additional expense required before incurring it.

Art. 1455. Renewal of leases.-Collectors or other customs officers in charge will make application for authority to renew leases of rented buildings or rented rooms required for customs purposes at least 60 days before the expiration of existing leases, giving a list of all buildings and rooms rented in their respective districts and stating the purposes and periods for which they are leased, the annual rent paid, the necessity for their use, the advisability of renewing the lease; whether the premises are suitable for the purpose designed; whether the rent paid for the premises is as low as they can be had for and as low as similar premises in the immediate vicinity

rent for to private parties; whether the present rate of rent includes heat, light, water, and janitor service; whether the rent now paid is deemed excessive or the premises not suitable; whether others can be obtained at a lower rental or are better situated, describing fully such other premises and stating the rate of rent at which they can be had, and whether the lessor can give a valid lease. They shall not allow the offices or rooms to be occupied or used for other than the official purposes of the Customs Service.

Art. 1456. Flag.-(a) The flag of the United States shall RS. 2764. be displayed over all customhouses occupying rented quarters during the hours of business on working days, provided such hours do not extend beyond sunset, and on holidays, not including Sundays, except when stormy weather prevents its display. It should, however, be displayed on the second Sunday in May, designated as Mother's Day; and on Memorial Day it should be halfstaff until noon, then full staff. It is always to be lowered at sunset, taken in, folded, and stored for the night. If it is wet, it should be carefully dried before storing. Flags are to be neatly hemmed by the janitor force when they become torn by the wind until further repairs are impracticable, after which they are to be burned on the premises either in the furnace or some other available place.

(b) The revenue ensign of the United States shall also be displayed during the hours of business over all buildings in which customs business is transacted.

(c) When stormy weather or high winds prevent the flying of the larger-sized flags, the small storm flag (No. 9) should be hoisted, unless the velocity of the wind is such that it is considered inadvisable to do so.

(d) Flags will be supplied by the department on requisition as follows:

1. National ensigns for public buildings through the Office of the Supervising Architect.

2. National ensigns for rented buildings or offices and revenue ensigns for public and rented buildings or offices, through the Bureau of Customs.

PUBLIC PROPERTY

Art. 1457. Marking-Preservation.-All articles of public property purchased out of the appropriation "Collecting the revenue from customs," and in use in the Customs Service, will, so far as practicable, be stamped, marked

R. S. 197.

or branded with the words "U. S. Customs," in letters one-half inch high.

Art. 1458. Purchases by other departments or offices.The incurring of expense for or permitting the use of articles purchased out of the appropriation for the collection of the revenue from customs by officials of other departments or offices will not be permitted.

Art. 1459. Returns.-(a) Collectors and other customs officers having custody of public property purchased out of the appropriation "Collecting the revenue from customs" are required to render to the Bureau of Customs, the following returns, viz:

(b) A complete record in detail of all public property in the custody of collectors should be kept in proper form for reference, specifying the office or building in which the articles are located, together with the cost and date of purchase and condition of the same as shown by the receipts to their predecessors or their latest inventory, and all authorizations to purchase, transfer, sell, or otherwise dispose of articles should be entered upon this record. Forms required by this paragraph will be supplied on application to the bureau.

(c) Returns of furniture and fixtures and miscellaneous public property will be rendered to the bureau annually on the 30th of June, and will embrace only such articles as have been acquired, transferred, sold, or otherwise disposed of during the period covered by the returns submitted.

(d) The returns should specify the office or building in which the articles are or were located, and the number and description of the articles, care being taken to give the date of authority to purchase, sell, or transfer, and the cost of the articles.

(e) Articles should not be entered upon the records of the office nor included in the semiannual returns until they have been received, whatever the date of authority for their purchase; but when received the date of the authority should be entered in its proper column and under the head of "Remarks" the date of their receipt.

(f) Furniture and fixtures embraces carpets, matting, rugs and mats, window shades, awnings, cuspidors, water coolers, platforms, screens, counters, railings, gates, and other furniture unenumerated herein.

(g) All items should be continued upon the records of the office until authority has been obtained from the bureau to drop them.