No additional salary shall be allowed to any civil, military, or naval officer on account of his being * * * in any manner attached to the light-house service. No additional salary allowed. R. S., 4679. penses of officers Hereafter officers of the Army and Navy detailed for Traveling exservice in connection with the Light-House Establishment of Army and shall be paid their actual traveling expenses when travel-Feb. 26, 1907 (34 ing under orders on official duty to and from points Stat., 997). which can not be conveniently reached by vessel or railroad. The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to regulate the salaries of the respective keepers of light-houses 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. Keepers, Secre tary to regulate salaries of R. S., 4673. lighthouse keep Stat., 163). Clothing for crews of vessels. July 27, 1912 (37 Stat., 239), sec. 2. Every light-house keeper and assistant light-house Rations for keeper in the Light-House Establishment of the United ers. States shall be entitled to receive one ration per day or, in May 14, 1908 (35 the discretion of the Commissioner of Lighthouses, commutation therefor at the rate of thirty cents per ration.1 Hereafter the Secretary of Commerce is authorized to purchase, from the appropriations for the Lighthouse Service, clothing for the crews of vessels, to be sold to Reimbursethe employees of said service and the appropriations reim- ment for rations bursed; and hereafter reimbursement, under rules pre-shipwrecked scribed by the Secretary of Commerce, is authorized to persons. keepers of light stations and masters of light vessels and of lighthouse tenders for rations and provisions and clothing furnished shipwrecked persons who may be temporarily provided for by them, not exceeding in all five thousand dollars in any fiscal year. etc., furnished ployees. Hereafter the benefits of the Act of May thirtieth, nine-Injuries to emteen hundred and eight (Thirty-fifth Statutes, page five Ibid. hundred and fifty-six), entitled "An Act granting to certain employees of the United States the right to receive from it compensation for injuries sustained in the course of their employment," shall be extended to persons employed by the United States in any hazardous employment in the Lighthouse Service. missioner. Stat., 534), sec. 4 Adjustment of The commissioner of light-houses shall make an annual Duties of Comreport to the Secretary of Commerce, who shall transmit June 17, 1910 (36 the same to Congress at the beginning of each regular (in part). session thereof; and such commissioner, subject to the Annual report. approval of the Secretary of Commerce, is hereby author-claims for damized to consider, ascertain, adjust, and determine all claims sons. for damages, where the amount of the claim does not exceed the sum of five hundred dollars, hereafter occasioned by collisions, for which collisions vessels of the Light-House Service shall be found to be responsible, 1 It is provided by Treasury Department Circular No. 77, 1875, dated June 23, 1875, that "Sick and disabled seamen employed on vessels * **of the Lighthouse Service will be admitted to the benefits of the Marine-Hospital Service upon application of their respective commanding officers." ages from colli Duties of Lighthouse Board Commissioner. Ibid., sec. 6. Commissioner to control, etc., house Service. Ibid., sec. 7. and report the amounts so ascertained and determined to be due the claimants to Congress at each session thereof through the Treasury Department for payment as legal claims out of appropriations that may be made by Congress therefor. All duties performed and all power and authority transferred to now possessed or exercised by the Light-House Board, under any provision of law not hereby repealed, are hereby transferred to and imposed and conferred upon and vested in the commissioner of light-houses, under the direction and control of the Secretary of Commerce. The commissioner of light-houses shall, under the the Light direction and control of the Secretary of Commerce, have charge and control of the construction, maintenance, repair, illumination, inspection, and superintendence of light-house depots, supply stations, light and signal stations, light-houses, light-vessels, light-house tenders, fog signals, submarine signals, beacons, buoys, day marks, post-lantern lights, and seamarks and their appendages, and generally of the Light-House Service; and the charge and custody of all the archives, books, documents, drawings, models, returns, apparatus, and other things appertaining to the Light-House Establish⚫ment. Regulations for seagoing barges. Administrative regulations. Ibid., sec. 10. re Contracts quired for materials, etc. Ibid., sec. 8. [Section 14 of the act of May 28, 1908, designates the Commissioner of Lighthouses a member of a board to prepare regulations regarding the towage of seagoing barges within inland waters. (See p. 176.)] The commissioner of light-houses, under the direction and control of the Secretary of Commerce, shall, from time to time, prescribe and distribute such regulations as he may deem proper for securing an efficient, uniform, and economic administration of the Light-House Service. All materials for construction, maintenance, repair, and operation shall be procured by public contracts, under such regulations as may from time to time be prescribed by the commissioner, subject to the approval of the Secretary of Commerce, and no contract 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 and best bidder therefor, upon security deemed sufficient in the judgment of the commissioner of lighthouses, but all bids may at any time be rejected by the Open-market commissioner: Provided, however, That the commissioner of light-houses may purchase illuminating oil, wicks, and chimneys for lights, and ground tackle for light-vessels and buoys, and to an amount not exceeding five hundred dollars at any one time, other materials and supplies when immediate delivery is required by an exigency, by private contract or in the open market, if he deems it for the best. interests of the service so to do; but such purchases shall purchases. be set forth in the annual report of the commissioner with the reasons for purchasing other than upon bids after public advertisement. furnished from Mar. 4, 1913 (37 Hereafter supplies and equipment for special works of Supplies to be the Lighthouse Service may be furnished from general general stocks. stock and the appropriation "General expenses, Light- stat., 1018). house Service," reimbursed therefor from the respective appropriations for special works. plied by con It shall be the duty of the Commissioner of Light-All money aphouses to apply the money appropriated, other than for tract. July 7, 1884 (23 surveys, as far as can be without detriment to the interests stat, 198). of the Government, by contract. Competition in bids. Stat., 973). Hereafter any and all proposals for bids for any new machinery or other new equipment necessary in the repair Mar. 4, 1999 (35 of any vessel in the Light-House Service shall be on specifications prepared and submitted that will secure competition in the bids for furnishing such machinery or equipment. ments on con May 5, 1894 (28 The Secretary of Commerce be, and he hereby is, Partial payauthorized to make partial payments, from time to tracts. time, upon existing contracts and all contracts here- stat., 582). after made for the construction of vessels for the * * * [Lighthouse Service], but not in excess of seventy-five per cent of the amount of the value of the work already done; and that the contracts hereafter made shall provide for a lien upon such vessels for all advances so made: Provided, That nothing in this Joint Resolution shall be construed to hereafter authorize any partial payments, except on contracts stipulating for the same and then only in accordance with such contract stipulation. Payments not to exceed value previous labor R.S., 3648. or service. No advance of public money shall be made in any case whatever. And in all cases of contracts for the perform- of ance of any service, or the delivery of articles of any description, for the use of the United States, payment shall not exceed the value of the service rendered, or of the articles delivered previously to such payment. I shall, however, be lawful, under the special direction of the President, to make such advances to the disbursing officers of the Government as may be necessary to the faithful and prompt discharge of their respective duties, and to the fulfillment of the public engagements.1 No tracts. No inspector, light-keeper, or other person in any man- service shall be ner connected with the light-house service, shall be inter- interested in conested, either directly or indirectly, in any contract for labor, R. S., 4680. 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. 1 Under date of June 15, 1877, the President directed that needful advances of moneys appropriated for the Lighthouse Establishment be made to officers of the Army and Navy acting as engineers or inspectors in that service. (Filed in office of First Comptroller, No. 9468, B. 18.) lighthouse sites. Purchase of The commissioner, under the direction of the SecJune 17, 1910 (36 retary of Commerce, is authorized, whenever an approStat., 534), sec. 9. priation is made by Congress for a new light-house, Purchase of additional land. Stat., 1018). the proper site for which does not belong to the United States, to purchase the necessary land for such site, provided the purchase money be paid from the amount appropriated for such light-house without exceeding the limit of cost, if any, fixed in such case; and the commissioner of light-houses is authorized to employ temporarily draftsmen for the preparation of plans for tenders and light-vessels which may be authorized by Congress, to be paid from the respective appropriations therefor. Hereafter the purchase of necessary additional land for Mar. 4, 1913 (37 light stations and depots is authorized under rules prescribed by the Secretary of Commerce: Provided, That no single acquisition of such additional land shall cost in excess of $500. Title to pierhead beacon sites. Mar. 3, 1875 (18 Stat., 372). No money paid until title exam of State given. R. S., 355. The Secretary of Commerce is hereby authorized, whenever he shall deem it advisable, to acquire, by donation or purchase in behalf of the United States, the right to use and occupy sites for pier-head beacons the establishment of which has been, or shall hereafter be, authorized by Congress. * * * No public money shall be expended upon any site or ined, and consent land purchased by the United States for the purposes of erecting thereon any armory, arsenal, fort, fortification, navy-yard,custom-house, light-house, or other public building, of any kind whatever, until the written opinion of the Attorney-General shall be had in favor of the validity of the title, nor until the consent of the legislature of the State in which the land or site may be, to such purchase, has been given. The district attorneys of the United States, upon the application of the Attorney-General, shall furnish any assistance or information in their power in relation to the titles of the public property lying within their respective districts. And the Secretaries of the Departments, upon the application of the Attorney-General, shall procure any additional evidence of title which he may deem necessary, and which may not be in the possession of the officers of the Government, and the expense of procuring it shall be paid out of the appropriations made for the contingencies of the Departments respectively. Legal services. Mar. 2, 1889 (25 Stat., 941). Hereafter all legal services connected with the procurement of titles to site for public buildings, other than for life saving stations and pier-head lights, shall be rendered by United States district attorneys: Provided further, That hereafter, in the procurement of sites for such public buildings, it shall be the duty of the AttorneyGeneral to require of the grantors in each case to furnish, free of all expenses to the Government, all requisite abstracts, official certifications, and evidences of title that the Attorney-General may deem necessary. President State. au of The President of the United States is authorized to pro-thorized to procure the assent of the legislature of any State, within cure assent which any purchase of land has been made for the erection Sts., 1838. of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock-yards, and other needful buildings, without such consent having been obtained. erected until ces No light-house, beacon, public piers, or landmark, shall No lighthouse be built or erected on any site until cession of jurisdiction sion. over the same has been made to the United States.1 R. S., 4661. reserve serving A cession by a State of jurisdiction over a place selected, Cession may as the site of a light-house, or other structure or work of process. the Light-House Establishment, shall be deemed sufficient R. S., 4662. within the preceding section, notwithstanding it contains a reservation that process issued under authority of such State may continue to be served within such place. And notwithstanding any such cession of jurisdiction contains no such reservation, all process may be served and executed within the place ceded, in the same manner as if no cession had been made. of land. In every case in which the Secretary of the Treasury Condemnation or any other officer of the Government has been, or here-Aug. 1, 1888 (25 after shall be, authorized to procure real estate for the Stat., 357), sec. 1. erection of a public building or for other public uses he shall be, and hereby is, authorized to acquire the same for the United States by condemnation, under judicial process, whenever in his opinion it is necessary or advantageous to the Government to do so. And the United States circuit or district courts of the district wherein such real estate is located, shall have jurisdiction of proceedings for such condemnation, and it shall be the duty of the AttorneyGeneral of the United States, upon every application of the Secretary of the Treasury, under this act, or such other officer, to cause proceedings to be commenced for condemnation, within thirty days from the receipt of the application at the Department of Justice. The practice, pleadings, forms and modes of proceed- Ibid., sec. 2. ing in causes arising under the provisions of this act shall conform, as near as may be, to the practice, pleadings, forms and proceedings existing at the time in like causes in the courts of record of the State within which such circuit or district courts are held, any rule of the court to the contrary notwithstanding. lease unoccu erty. Mar. 3, 1879 (20 Authority is hereby given to the Secretary of Com- Secretary may merce to lease, at his discretion for a period not exceeding pied U. S. propfive years, such unoccupied and unproductive property of the United States under his control, for the leasing of Stat., 383). which there is no authority under existing law, and such leases shall be reported annually to Congress.2 1 This section is amended in special cases to allow lights on leased ground. (See p. 137.) This provision applies to all property of the Department of Commerce formerly under the control of the Secretary of the Treasury, and includes property of the Light house Service. |