from chiefs of non-Christian tribes, lands situate in the Philippine Archipelago or rights of property, privileges, or easements appertaining to, or growing out of, land therein, made without the authority of the Spanish Government while the Philippine Archipelago was under the sovereignty of Spain, or without the consent of the United States Government or of the Insular Government since the sovereignty of the Archipelago of the Philippines was transferred by the Treaty of Paris from Spain to the United States, and not based on any lawful patent or grant of the Government of Spain or the United States, or of the Insular Government, whether such grants, deeds, patents, leases, or other instruments of conveyance were made before the passage this Act or shall be made after its passage, being made without any lawful authority or ownership, are hereby declared to be illegal, void, and of no effect. of SEC. 2. The public good requiring the speedy enactment of this bill, the passage of the same is hereby expedited in accordance with section two of "An Act prescribing the order of procedure by the Commission in the enactment of laws," passed September twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred. SEC. 3. This act shall take effect on its passage. [No. 719.] AN ACT reducing the fifty-one municipalities of the Province of Iloilo to seventeen. By authority of the United States, be it enacted by the Philippine Commission, that: SECTION 1. The fifty-one municipalities of the Province of Iloilo shall, in accordance with the provisions of this Act, be reduced to seventeen, as follows: 1. The municipality of Iloilo shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipalities of La Paz, Mandurriao, Molo, and Jaro, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Iloilo. 2. The municipality of Santa Bárbara shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipalities of Pavia, Leganés, Zárraga, and Lucena, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Santa Bárbara. 3. The municipality of Pototan shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipalities of Mina and Dingle, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Pototan. 4. The municipality of Cabatuan shall consist of its present territory and that of Maasin, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Cabatuan. 5. The municipality of Miagao shall consist of its present territory and that of San Joaquin, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Miagao. 6. The municipality of Janiuay shall consist of its present territory and that of Lambunao, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Janiuay. 7. The municipality of Passi shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipalities of Dueñas, San Enrique, and Calinog, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Passi. 8. The municipality of Sara shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipalities of Ajuy, Lemery, Concepción, and San Dionisio, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Sara. 9. The municipality of León shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipalities of San Miguel and Alimodian, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of León. 10. The municipality of Tigbauan shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipality of Cordoba, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Tigbauan. 11. The municipality of Guimbal shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipalities of Igbarás and Tubungan, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Guimbal. 12. The municipality of Arévalo shall preserve its present boundaries. 13. The municipality of Otón shall preserve its present boundaries. 14. The municipality of Banate shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipalities of Barotac, Viejo and Anilao, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Banate. 15. The municipality of Dumangas shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipality of Barotac Nuevo, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Dumangas. 16. The municipality of Buenavista shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipalities of Nabalás, Nagaba, and Nueva Valencia, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Buenavista. 17. The municipality of Balasan shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipalities of Batad, Estancia, and Carlos, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Balasan. SEC. 2. The provincial governor of Iloilo shall direct the holding of a municipal election in each of the new municipalities under the provisions of sections ninety-one, ninety-two, ninety-three, and ninetyfour of the Municipal Code on or before the first day of June, nineteen hundred and three, and not earlier than the fifth day of May, nineteen hundred and three. When the new municipal officials shall have been elected, and shall have qualified, the present organization of each of the municipalities mentioned in section one of this Act, except those described in paragraphs numbered twelve and thirteen of said section, shall be thereby abolished, and all offices held by virtue of their present organization shall be vacant and abolished, so that all the present municipal officials shall cease to hold office as soon as the new officials shall have taken the oath of office. Until the officials elected for the new municipalities as described in section one shall have qualified the present organizations of the existing municipalities shall continue. SEC. 3. The public good requiring the speedy enactment of this bill, the passage of the same is hereby expedited in accordance with section two of "An Act prescribing the order of procedure by the Commission in the enactment of laws," passed September twentysixth, nineteen hundred. SEC. 4. This act shall take effect on its passage. Enacted, April 4, 1903. [No. 720.] AN ACT reducing the thirty-four municipalities of the Province of Capiz to twenty two. By authority of the United States, be it enacted by the Philippine Commission, that: SECTION 1. The thirty-four municipalities of the Province of Capiz shall, in accordance with the provisions of this Act, be reduced to twenty-two, as follows: 1. The municipality of Capiz shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipality of Loctugan, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Capiz. 2. The municipality of Iuisan shall preserve its present boundaries. 3. The municipality of Panitan shall preserve its present boundaries. 4. The municipality of Dao shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipality of Cuartero, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Dao. 5. The municipality of Dumarão shall preserve its present bound aries. 6. The municipality of Dumalag shall preserve its present boundaries. 7. The municipality of Tapás shall preserve its present boundaries. 8. The municipality of Sigma shall preserve its present boundaries. 9. The municipality of Mambusao shall preserve its present bound aries. 10. The municipality of Jamindan shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipality of Jagnaya, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Jamindan. 11. The municipality of Panay shall preserve its present boundaries. 12. The municipality of Pontevedra shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipality of Maayon, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Pontevedra. 13. The municipality of Pilar shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipality of Casanayan, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Pilar. 14. The municipality of Sapian shall preserve its present boundaries. 15. The municipality of New Washington shall consist of the present territory of the municipality of Batan, and that of the municipalities of Jimeno and Belete, and the barrio of Lagatic, of the present municipality of Calibo, with the seat of the municipal government at the present barrio of Lagatic. 16. The municipality of Calibo shall consist of its present territory, with the exception of the barrio of Lagatic, and the territory comprised in the municipalities of Banga, Lezo, and Numancia with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Calibo. 17. The municipality of Malinao shall preserve its present boundaries. 18. The municipality of Taft shall consist of the territory comprised in the present municipalities of Macate and Tangalan, with the seat of the municipal government within the territory comprised in the present barrios of Dapdap and Baybay. 19. The municipality of Ibajay shall preserve its present boundaries. 20. The municipality of Nabas shall preserve its present boundaries. 21. The municipality of Buruanga shall preserve its present bound aries. 22. The municipality of Libacao shall consist of its present territory and that of the municipality of Madalag, with the seat of the municipal government at the present municipality of Libacao. SEC. 2. The provincial governor of Capiz shall direct the holding of a municipal election in each of the new municipalities under the pro visions of sections ninety-one, ninety-two, ninety-three, and ninety-four of the Municipal Code on or before the first day of June, nineteen hundred and three, and not earlier than the fifth day of May, nineteen hundred and three. When the new municipal officials shall have been elected, and shall have qualified, the present organization of each of the municipalities mentioned in section one of this Act, except those described in paragraphs numbered two, three, five, six, seven, eight, nine, eleven, fourteen, seventeen, nineteen, twenty, and twenty-one, shall be thereby abolished, and all offices held by virtue of the present organization shall be vacant and abolished, so that all the present municipal officials shall cease to hold office as soon as the new officials shall have taken the oath of office. Until the officials elected for the new municipalities as described in section one shall have qualified, the present organizations of the existing municipalities shall continue. SEC. 3. The public good requiring the speedy enactment of this bill, the passage of the same is hereby expedited in accordance with section two of "An Act prescribing the order of procedure by the Commission in the enactment of laws," passed September twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred. SEC. 4. This act shall take effect on its passage. [No. 721.] AN ACT amending the provincial government Act, Numbered Eighty-three, so as to provide for the deposit of surplus provincial funds in the Insular Treasury. By authority of the United States, be it enacted by the Philippine Commission, that: SECTION 1. Paragraph (h) of section thirteen of Act Numbered Eighty-three, entitled "A general Act for the organization of provin cial governments in the Philippine Islands," is hereby amended by adding at the close of said paragraph the following: "Provided, That the provincial treasurer of any province organized under Act Numbered Eighty-three, or any other Act of the Commission, shall deposit his surplus provincial funds with the Insular Treasurer whenever the Insular Treasury shall be designated as the depository for the provincial funds of the province by the Insular Treasurer," making the said paragraph (h) read as follows: "() To authorize the provincial treasurer to deposit so much of the provincial funds as may not be needed in the near future for public use in a bank of deposit of approved standing in the Islands. All interest paid on such deposit shall inure to the benefit of the provincial treasury, and no funds shall be deposited in the bank by the treasurer until there shall be spread upon the minutes of the board a resolution reciting and approving the exact terms of the contract of deposit in the bank. The bank shall certify the weekly balances of provincial funds held by it to the provincial governor and to the Treasurer of the Islands: Provided, That the provincial treasurer of any province organized under Act Numbered Eighty-three, or any other Act of the Commission, shall deposit his surplus provincial funds with the Insular Treasurer whenever the Insular Treasury shall be designated as the depository for the provincial funds of the province by the Insular Treasurer." SEC. 2. The public good requiring the speedy enactment of this bill, the passage of the same is hereby expedited in accordance with section two of "An Act prescribing the order of procedure by the Commission in the enactment of laws," passed September twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred. SEC. 3. This act shall take effect on its passage. [No. 722.] AN ACT amending Act Numbered Six hundred and forty, entitled "An Act authorizing the improvement of the port of Cebu." By authority of the United States, be it enacted by the Philippine Commission, that: SECTION 1. Act Numbered Six hundred and forty, entitled "An Act authorizing the improvement of the port of Cebu," is hereby amended by striking out in section five thereof the phrase "within not more than sixty days from the date of the passage of this Act," and inserting in lieu thereof the words "on or before the first day of May, nineteen hundred and three," so that said section five shall read as follows: "SEC. 5. The Consulting Engineer to the Commission shall prepare plans, specifications, and contracts, and advertise for proposals, for the work herein provided for, on or before the first day of May, nineteen hundred and three." SEC. 2. The public good requiring the speedy enactment of this bill, the passage of the same is hereby expedited in accordance with section two of "An Act prescribing the order of procedure by the Commission in the enactment of laws," passed September twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred. SEC. 3. This act shall take effect on its passage. * |