ter, specifying the vessels that have been boarded, their names and descriptions, the names of the masters, from what port or place they last sailed, whether laden or in ballast, to what nation belonging, and whether they have the necessary manifests of their cargoes on board, and generally all such matters as it may be necessary for the officers of the customs to know.

The officers of revenue cutters shall perform, in addition R. S., 2762 to the duties herein before prescribed, such other duties for the collection and security of the revenue as from time to time shall be directed by the Secretary of the Treasury, not contrary to law.

The President of the United States is hereby authorized Mar. 2, 1895. to convene a board, to be composed of three surgeons of the Marine-Hospital Service, to examine and report upon all officers now in the Revenue-Cutter Service who, through no vicious habits of their own, are now incapacitated by reason of the infirmities of age or physical or mental disability to efficiently perform the duties of their respective offices. And such officers as, under the terms of this Act, may be reported by said board to be so permanently incapacitated shall be placed on waiting orders out of the line of promotion, with one-half active duty pay, and the vacancies thereby created in the active list of the officers shall be filled by promotion in the order of seniority, as now provided by law: Provided, however, That no such promotion shall be made until the professional qualifications of the candidate shall have been determined by written examination before a board of officers of the Revenue-Cutter Service convened by the Secretary of the Treasury for that purpose: Provided further, That the number of officers upon the active list now authorized by law shall not be increased by this Act.

375. Light-House Board.

The President shall appoint two officers of the Navy, of R. S., 4653. high rank, two officers of the Corps of Engineers of the Army, and two civilians of high scientific attainments, whose services may be at the disposal of the President, together with an officer of the Navy and an officer of engineers of the Army, as secretaries, who shall constitute the Light-House Board.

The Secretary of the Treasury shall be ex-officio presi- R. S., 4654. dent of the Light-House Board.

The Light-House Board shall elect, by ballot, one of their R. S., 4655. number as chairman of the board, who shall preside at their meetings, when the president is absent, and perform such acts as may be prescribed by the rules of the board.

The Light-House Board shall meet, for the transaction R. S., 4656. of business, on the first Mondays in March, June, September, and December. But the Secretary of the Treasury may convene the board whenever, in his judgment, the exigencies of the service require it.

The Light-House Board may adopt such regulations for R. S., 4657. the government of their meetings as they judge expedient.

R. S., 4653.

R. S., 4659.

Mar. 3, 1879.

R. S., 4660.

R. S., 4661.

R. S., 4662.

R. S., 4663.

The Light-House Board shall be attached to the office of the Secretary of the Treasury, and under his superintend ence shall discharge all administrative duties relating to the construction, illumination, inspection, and superintend ence of light-houses, light-vessels, beacons, buoys, seamarks, and their appendages, and embracing the security of foundations of works already existing, procuring illuminating and other apparatus, supplies, and materials of all kinds for building, and for rebuilding when necessary, and keeping in good repair the light-houses, light-vessels, beacons, and buoys of the United States; and shall have the charge and custody of all the archives, books, documents, drawings, models, returns, apparatus, and other things appertaining to the Light-House Establishment.

The Light-House Board shall furnish, upon the requisi tion of the Secretary of the Treasury, all the estimates of expense which the several branches of the light-house service may require, and such other information as may be required, to be laid before Congress at the commencement of each session.

The expense of maintaining the vessels of the light-house establishment, may be paid from any surplus of the appropriations for the works, general or special, on which the respective vessels are, for the time being, employed; and the cost of repairs to such vessels may be paid from the appropriation under which they respectively were employed when they were injured or became deteriorated to such an extent as to render the repairs necessary; or, if such appropriation be exhausted, then from the appropriation under which they are respectively to be next employed.

The Light-House Board is authorized, whenever an appropriation has been or may be made by Congress for a new light-house, the proper site for which does not belong to the United States, to purchase the necessary land, provided the purchase-money be paid from the amount appropriated for such light-house.

No light-house, beacon, public piers, or landmark, shall be built or erected on any site until cession of jurisdiction over the same has been made to the United States.

A cession by a State of jurisdiction over a place selected as the site of a light-house, or other structure or work of the Light House Establishment, shall be deemed sufficient 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.

Whenever preliminary surveys are required to ascertain the necessity for any light-house, light-ship, beacon, or other warning to vessels, the erection of which is or may be authorized by law, or to determine the proper site for the same, or to ascertain more fully what the public exigency

requires, the Secretary of the Treasury may cause the necessary examinations and surveys on the sea-board to be made under the direction of the Superintendent of the Coast Survey, and those on the northwestern lakes to be made under the direction of the Corps of Engineers. In all cases in which adverse reports are made, they shall be submitted to Congress at its next session. In all cases in which the objects authorized are favorably reported upon, the works may be commenced immediately after valid titles and cessions of jurisdiction shall have been obtained to the sites.

The President shall cause to be detailed from the Engi- R. S., 4664. neer Corps of the Army, from time to time, such officers as may be necessary to superintend the construction and renovation of light-houses.

The Light-House Board shall cause to be prepared by the R. S., 4665. engineer secretary of the board, or by such officer of engineers of the Army as may be detailed for that service, all plans, drawings, specifications, and estimates of cost, of all illuminating and other apparatus, and of construction and repair of towers, buildings, &c., connected with the Light-House Establishment, and no bid or contract shall be accepted or entered into, except upon the decision of the board, at a regular or special meeting, and through their properly authorized officers.

All materials for the construction and repair of light- R. S., 4666. houses, light-vessels, beacons, buoys, and so forth, shall be procured by public contracts, under such regulations as the board may from time to time adopt, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, and all works of construction, renovation, and repair shall be made by the orders of the board, under the immediate superintendence of their engineer secretary, or of such engineer of the Army as may be detailed for that service.

Hereafter it shall be the duty of the Light-House Board July 7, 1884. 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 R. S., 4667. 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 the Treasury.

Whenever any of the light-vessels occupying positions R. S., 4668. 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 lighthouses advisable and practicable, suchpermanent 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.

R. S., 4669.

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

June 23, 1874.

R. S., 4671.

R. S., 4672.

R. S., 4673.

R. S., 4674.

R. S., 4675.

The Light-House Board, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, 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.

The Secretary of the Treasury shall assign to any of the collectors of the customs the superintendence of such lighthouses, beacons, light ships, and buoys, as he deems best.

The Secretary of the Treasury 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.

The Secretary of the Treasury may, upon the 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 the Treasury shall have power to order the sale at auction, after due public notice, of any real estate or other property pertaining to the light-house 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.

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.

376. 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 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."

R. S., 2649.

Mar. 3, 1891.

The Secretary of the Treasury may, from time to time, R. S., 2651. 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 exe- R. S., 2652. cute 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, when R. S., 2653. ever he shall think it advantageous to the public service, to