[ Act No. 2704, March 10, 1917 ]

AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR PUBLIC WORKS AND PERMANENT IMPROVEMENTS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Legislature assembled and by the authority of the same:

Section 1. The following sums, or so much thereof as may be necessary, are hereby appropriated, out of any funds in the Insular Treasury from the sale of bonds for public works or permanent improvements, and in default thereof, out of any funds in the Insular Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for public works and permanent improvements as mentioned hereunder, and for other purposes of the Insular Government.

PUBLIC WORKS.

(a) For the construction, improvement, and, where necessary, for the maintenance of roads and bridges in such provinces as shall accept the provisions of Act Numbered Sixteen hundred and fifty-two, or which by a resolution of the provincial board shall guarantee by continuing annual appropriations the establishment of such a system of maintenance as may be necessary in the opinion of the Director of Public Works, on all first-class roads at present constructed or which in future may be constructed, and are so declared by the Director of Public Works, including the construction, improvement, and maintenance of roads and bridges in the provinces of Mindoro, Palawan and Batanes organized under the Special Provincial Government Act, to be apportioned in proportion to the number of cedulas issued in each province in the year 1916 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P1,000,000.00
(b) For the construction, improvement, and, where necessary, the maintenance of roads and bridges in the provinces accepting the provisions of Act Numbered Sixteen hundred and fifty-two, and that by resolution of the provincial board shall guarantee by continuing annual appropriation the establishment of such a system of maintenance as may be necessary in the judgment of the Director of Public Works on all first-class roads now constructed or which may be constructed in the future and declared as such by the Director of Public Works and in the provinces of Mindoro, Palawan and Batanes, organized under the Special Provincial Government Act, to be apportioned in the discretion of the Secretary of Commerce and Communications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,500,000.00
(c) For the construction, improvement and, where necessary, for the maintenance of inter-provincial roads and bridges, including roads and bridges connecting one coast with another on the same province, between the provinces accepting the provisions of Act Numbered Sixteen hundred and fifty-two, and that by resolutions of the provincial boards concerned shall guarantee by continuing annual appropriations the establishment of such a system of maintenance as may be necessary in the judgment of the Director of Public Works on all first-class roads now constructed or which may be constructed in the future and declared as such by the Director of Public Works, to be apportioned in the discretion of the Secretary of Commerce and Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500,000.00

Provided, That the appropriations made by paragraphs (a), (6) and (c) may be made available with the approval of the Secretary of Commerce and Communications, for the construction, repair, and maintenance of roads and bridges in harmony with the general plan of communications and to cooperate with the Government railroads wherever there are such: Provided, further, That in provinces where communication is principally by sea, the funds allotted to the same under this Act may be expended for the acquisition and maintenance of steamers or launches when expressly authorized by the Secretary of the Interior.

(d) For the construction, reconstruction, improvement, investigations, and sur­veys of ports, wharves, piers, retaining walls, jetties, dams and dredgings in the different districts of the Archipelago, including the purchase of necessary equipment, the continuation of wharves and other improvements projected by former laws, construction and maintenance of roads across Insular lands adjacent to wharves and of roads leading to such lands, to be apportioned in the discretion of the Secretary of Commerce and Communications and including also the construction of sheds for the storage of goods on Insular Government wharves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P500,000.00

Provided, That subject to the approval of the Secretary of Commerce and Communications and with such security as the same may require, material derived from dredging may be used for filling in private property at the request of any landowner, upon the condition that the cost thereof shall be paid by the owner of the land in annual payments not to extend over more than five years.

(e) For the drilling of artesian wells including the purchase of necessary equipment; for the study and con­struction of municipal systems of waterworks and for the investigation, construction, reconstruction, and ex­tension of baths and other sanitary improvements for the development and exploitation of properly tested and approved mineral springs in places of public resort, whenever the provinces or municipalities concerned including those organized under the Special Provincial Government Act shall adopt resolutions for the appropriation of funds covering the cost of one-third part of the work, to be apportioned in the discretion of the Secretary of Commerce and Communications : Provided, That the funds appropriated by provinces or municipalities to cover the cost of one third part of the work shall be covered into the Insular Treasury when the Director of Public Works shall have fixed the amount thereof: Provided, further, That any municipality or province which by virtue of the provisions of this Act shall incur the expense of an artesian well resulting in a failure shall have the amounts expended returned to it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P550,000.00
(f) For the expenses in the investigation of applications for irrigation or water rights and river control investigations submitted to the Irrigation Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30,000.00
(g) For the reconstruction and improvement of public buildings . . . . . . . 60,000.00
(h) For the continuation of the permanent improvements on the grounds and building of the Iloilo custom-house . . . . . 33,000.00
Total for the Bureau of Public Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ____________
4,173,000.00

BUREAU OF EDUCATION.

(i) For the construction of central, intermediate, and agricultural school buildings in municipalities organized under Act Numbered Eighty-two in provinces organized under Act Numbered Eighty-three, to be distributed in the discretion of the Secretary of Public Instruction . . . 250,000.00
(j) For the grading and improvement of the land occupied by the Normal School, the Girls' Dormitory, and the new plant of the Trade School in Manila . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,000.00
(k) For the construction of a dining room and dormitory in the Muñoz Agricultural School . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000.00
(I) For an irrigation system in the Central School of Luzon, Nueva Ecija, estimated at P60,000, in three annual allotments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000.00
(m) For the purchase of a site, in case the Government has not a suitable one, for the construction of a building for the Philippine Nautical School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60,000.00
(n) For the construction of provincial schools and farming schools, conditioned upon the appropriation by each province receiving such aid of a sum equal to pr greater than that given by the insular Government, to be distributed in the discretion of the Secretary of Public Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P50,000.00
Total for Bureau of Education . . . . . . . . . . 415,000.00

PHILIPPINE GENERAL HOSPITAL.

(o) For the purchase of the lot and building of the bakery "La España," adjacent to the Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,000.00
(p) For the artesian well water service, its elevation and distribution in the hospital . . . . . . . . . . . 1,500.00
(q) For the installation and operation of a cold storage machine and room 10,000.00
(r) For the drainage, filling-in, and grading of the hospital grounds 7,000.00
(s) For the maintenance and repair of the main building and all the annexes . . . . . . . . . 20,000.00
Total for the Philippine General Hospital 74,500.00

BUREAU OF CONSTABULARY.

(t) For the completion of the kitchen and dining room and the construction of a septic vault at the Constabulary building in Bontoc . 2,670.00
(u) For the completion of the barracks at Dansalan, Lanao . . . . . . . 1,650.00
Total for the Bureau of Constabulary . . . . . . . . 4,320.00

BUREAU OF AGRICULTURE.

(v) For fencing at the La Carlota experimental station . . . . . . 2,500.00
(w) For the construction of a crematory at the Sisiman slaughterhouse . . 1,250.00
Total for the Bureau of Agriculture . . . . . . . 3,750.00

BUREAU OF HEALTH.

(x) For the construction of a contagious disease ward at the San Lazaro Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57,000.00
(y) For the construction of an insane ward at the San Lazaro Hospital . 60,000.00
(z) For the construction of dwellings at the Culion Leper Colony . . . . . . 10,000.00
(aa) For the construction of a kitchen, pantry, morgue, and laundry, and the completion of the dispensary building for the Southern Islands Hospital, Cebu . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,000.00
(bb) For the construction of an administration building for the Butuan Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P5,000.00
(cc) For the completion of the construction and improvement of the Leyte Hospital at Tacloban . . . . . . . . 7,500.00
(dd) For the completion of the sum required in connection with the construction of a hospital at Cuyo, Palawan, as provided by Act Numbered Twenty-five hundred and eighty-three . . . . . . . . . 4,000.00
Total for the Bureau of Health . . . . . . . . . . . 158,500.00

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES.

(ee) For the construction of a kitchen and dining room, the improvement of the road leading to the school, the installa­tion of a water supply system, and the completion of the students' camp at the Forestry School, Los Baños . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,500.00
(ff) For grading the land occupied by the building of the University of the Philippines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,500.00
Total for the University of the Philippines . . . . . . . . . 18,000.00

BUREAU OF POSTS.

(gg) For the construction, repair, and maintenance of telegraph lines and submarine cables, and for the construction, reconstruction, repair, and maintenance of wireless telegraph stations . . . 100,000.00

Provided, however, That whenever it may be more desirable for the public interest and the provincial boards of provinces organized under Act Numbered Eighty-three, including the Provinces of Batanes, Mindoro and Palawan, shall appropriate funds for the establishment of telephone lines, the appropriation herein made shall be available to aid such provinces in a sum not to exceed two-thirds of the cost of each project.

Total for the Bureau of Posts . . . . . . . . . . 100,000.00

BUREAU OF SCIENCE.

(hh) For the construction of a room for the bleeding and operation of animals used for making vaccine virus and for a sanitary roadway to the serum laboratory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,000.00
Total for the Bureau of Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,000.00

BUREAU OF THE TREASURY.

(ii) For the extension and improvement of the vault on Corregidor . . . . . P25,000.00
Total for the Bureau of the Treasury . . . . . . 25,000.00
Total of appropriations by this section . . . . . . 4,980,070.00

Section 2. Authority is hereby granted for the construction of a building for legislative offices and chambers and for such other Government offices as the Governor-General may designate, to be located on Plaza McKinley, in the city of Manila, and be built with funds derived from loans from the Gold Standard Fund, in conformity with subsection (c) of section three of Act Numbered Two thousand and eighty-three, as amended: Provided, That during the year nineteen hundred and seventeen, the expenditures for this purpose shall not exceed five hundred thousand pesos: And provided further, That the Director of Public Works, subject to the direction, supervision, and control of the Secretary of Commerce and Communications, may undertake the construction of said building, either by contract or administration, whether or not the total amount of the funds necessary for the completion of said building is immediately available, any existing provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding: And provided, finally.ℒαwρhi৷ That one-tenth of the sum required for said work and the interest thereon shall, for a period of ten years, be considered as appropriated annually out of the general surplus of the Insular Government.

Section 3. All balances of the several appropriations made by this Act unexpended on the thirtieth of June, nineteen hundred and eighteen, shall be reverted to the unappropriated funds in the Insular Treasury, and thereafter shall not be available for withdrawal or expenditure except upon appropriation by the Legislature.

Section 4. Whenever the Secretary of Finance shall believe that the probable revenues of the Insular Government will not be sufficient to cover the projects provided for in this Act, he shall so report to the Governor-General, who is hereby authorized to suspend in whole or in part temporarily or definitely to the end of the fiscal year the construction of any specified project, or projects provided for in this Act until otherwise ordered by the Legislature.

Section 5. This Act shall take effect on its approval.

Approved, March 10, 1917.


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