shall be public holidays. The thirtieth of July, nineteen hundred and seven, and the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November of each odd numbered year and the days which may be proclaimed by virtue of section two hereof shall also be public holidays in all those provinces and Assembly districts in which elections are held under Act Numbered Fifteen hundred and eighty-two. Public holidays shall not be legally recognized as days for presenting for payment or acceptance, for the maturity and protest, and for giving notice of the dishonor of bills of exchange, bank checks, and promissory notes, or other commercial or negotiable paper; and all notes, drafts, checks, or other commercial or negotiable paper falling due or maturing on any of said public holidays shall be deemed as having matured on the day previous: Provided, That in the case of notes, drafts, checks, or other commercial or negotiable paper falling due or maturing on any public holiday when the preceding day is also a public holiday, the same shall be deemed as having matured on the last preceding day which is not a public holiday.' SEC. 2. Whenever a day shall have been specially designated by proclamation of the Governor-General for the election of a Delegate to the Philippine Assembly or for the election of provincial officials as provided for in section four of Act Numbered Fifteen hundred and eighty-two, the Governor-General may in his discretion also proclaim said day to be a public holiday within the district or province in which said special election is to be held. 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 [No. 1672.] passage. AN ACT To amend Act Numbered Eighty-three by providing for the establishment and maintenance under certain conditions of provincial toll ferries. By authority of the United States, be it enacted by the Philippine Commission, that: SECTION 1. Act Numbered Eighty-three is hereby amended by adding thereto a new section to be numbered forty-six and to read as follows: "SEC. 46. Whenever for thirty days after service of a request by the provincial board any municipality declines or neglects to establish and maintain a suitable system of ferries for public use, the provincial board may designate, subject to revocation by the Governor-General, such ferries as provincial toll ferries, may make appropriations from the provincial road and bridge fund for the construction, maintenance, and operation thereof, and may from time to time, subject to the approval of the Governor-General, establish 11027-WAR 1907-VOL 10-15 reasonable rates of tolls to be paid for the use thereof: Provided, That officers and enlisted men and civil employees of the United States Army, Navy, and Marine Corps and other branches of the Federal service shall be exempt from the payment of tolls or charges under this Act. The proceeds from any such provincial toll ferry shall go into and become a part of the provincial road and bridge fund of the province in which the ferry is operated. "Whenever either the Governor-General or the provincial board shall decide that the financial situation of a province is such that the collection of tolls on any ferry may be discontinued without injury to the welfare of the province, the Governor-General or the províncial board, as the case may be, shall so order and thereafter such ferry shall be free for public use. "It shall be unlawful for any person whatever to use any such provincial toll ferry except as provided in this section without paying the toll provided therefor, and any person who shall make use thereof in violation of this section shall be punished by a fine not to exceed fifty pesos and in default of the payment thereof shall be imprisoned one day for each peso of fine and costs unpaid.” 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 twentysixth, nineteen hundred. SEC. 3. This Act shall take effect on its passage. [No. 1673.] AN ACT Amending sections four and twelve of Act Numbered Seven hundred and eighty-seven, as amended by sections one and five of Act Numbered Twelve hundred and eighty-three, by providing for the organization of the legislative council of the Moro Province and for the subordinate positions of engineer and superintendent of schools of the Moro Province. By authority of the United States, be it enacted by the Philippine Commission, that: SECTION 1. Section four of Act Numbered Seven hundred and eighty-seven, entitled "An Act providing for the organization and government of the Moro Province." as amended by section one of Act Numbered Twelve hundred and eighty-three, is hereby amended so as to read as follows: "SEC. 4. The Governor-General, by and with the consent of the Philippine Commission, shall appoint, for the Moro Province, a governor, attorney, secretary, and treasurer. The provincial governor and secretary may be officers of the Army, detailed on request of the Philippine Commission by the commanding general of the Philippines Division, to perform the duties of provincial governor and secretary of the Moro Province. In the event of a vacancy occurring in any of the offices hereinbefore mentioned, it shall be promptly reported to the Governor-General by the provincial governor. The provincial governor may, until such vacancy is filled, require any provincial officer to perform the duties of the vacant office in addition to the regular duties of such provincial officer." SEC. 2. Section twelve of Act Numbered Seven hundred and eightyseven, as amended by section five of Act Numbered Twelve hundred and eighty-three, is hereby amended so as to read as follows: "SEC. 12. The governor, the secretary, the treasurer, and the attorney of the province shall constitute the legislative council of the province and each shall have a right to vote therein. Three members shall constitute a quorum for legislative action. In case of a tie vote on any proposed enactment the proposition which shall have received the vote of the governor shall prevail. "The legislative council may create the positions of engineer of the Moro Province and superintendent of schools of the Moro Province, assign the duties and fix the compensation therefor: Provided, That the engineer may be an officer of the Army detailed on request of the legislative council by the commanding general of the Department of Mindanao to perform the duties of such office. The engineer and superintendent of schools shall be appointed by the provincial governor subject to confirmation by the legislative council." 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. 1674.] AN ACT Authorizing the Governor-General to consolidate any two or more appointive positions and later to restore them to their previous status whenever in his judgment such action will promote the public interest. By authority of the United States, be it enacted by the Philippine Commission, that: SECTION 1. Whenever in his judgment the public interest will be promoted by the consolidation of two or more appointive positions the Governor-General may declare such positions to be consolidated, may fix the salary of the position resulting therefrom at not to exceed seventy-five per cent of the sum of the salaries of the positions consolidated, and may apportion the payment thereof among the branches of the Government served by the official or employee receiving the same. SEC. 2. Whenever two or more appointive positions have been consolidated as provided in section one of this Act, the Governor-General may restore them to their previous status when in his opinion the public interest is no longer served by such consolidation, and thereupon the salaries payable to the separated positions shall be the same as were paid at the time of consolidation. 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. Enacted, July 22, 1907. [No. 1675.] AN ACT Amending Act Numbered One hundred and thirty-six, as amended, by creating the office of reporter of the Supreme Court, and for other purposes. By authority of the United States, be it enacted by the Philippine Commission, that: SECTION 1. Sections thirty, thirty-one, and thirty-two of Act Numbered One hundred and thirty-six, entitled "An Act providing for the organization of courts in the Philippine Islands," as amended, are hereby further amended to read as follows: "SEC. 30. Reporter of decisions.-The Governor-General, with the advice and consent of the Philippine Commission, and upon nomination by the Supreme Court, shall appoint a reporter of the decisions of the Supreme Court, who shall receive a salary at the rate of seven thousand pesos per annum. The reporter shall have such clerical and other assistants as from time to time may be authorized by law. He shall be provided with a suitable office and office facilities. "SEC. 31. Reporter a ministerial officer.-The reporter shall be a ministerial officer, subject to the orders of the Supreme Court. He shall prepare and publish with each case a concise synopsis of the facts necessary to a clear understanding of the decision, and shall state the names of counsel, and concisely the material and controverted points made, and the authority therein cited by them, and shall prefix to each case a syllabus, which shall be confined, as near as may be, to points of law decided by the court on the facts of the case, without a recital therein of the facts. He shall make all necessary translations of the decisions from the Spanish into the English language, and shall verify all translations of the decisions made from the English into the Spanish language. He shall also edit and publish the Official Gazette in its present form, shall compile the annual volumes of the public laws, and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the court: Provided, however, That in the editing and publishing of the Official Gazette, and in the designation of such matter as shall be published therein, and in the compilation of the annual volumes of the public laws, the reporter shall be subject to the general direction and supervision of the Governor-General: And provided further, That the printing, sale, and distribution of the Gazette shall be performed by the Director of Printing in accordance with existing law. "SEC. 32. What cases reported, and how reported. The judges shall prepare and furnish to the reporter reports of the opinions by them severally given, embracing such decisions of the court as may be deemed by the court of sufficient importance to be printed and published, as rapidly as such decisions are promulgated. Dissenting opinions may be published with the majority opinions if the dissenting judge or judges so direct." SEC. 2. Subsections (c) and (h) of section three of Act Numbered Fourteen hundred and seven, entitled "The Reorganization Act," and all other Acts or parts of Acts in conflict or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, are hereby repealed. 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 [No. 1676.] passage. AN ACT To amend section three of Act Numbered Sixteen hundred and fortynine, entitled "An Act declaring all of the territory comprised in the Island of Marinduque a subprovince of Tabayas, and for other purposes," by providing for the return of a portion of the internal-revenue collections to the treasury of the subprovince of Marinduque for the sole use and benefit of the inhabitants thereof. By authority of the United States, be it enacted by the Philippine Commission, that: SECTION 1. Section three of Act Numbered Sixteen hundred and forty-nine, entitled "An Act declaring all of the territory comprised in the Island of Marinduque a subprovince of Tabayas, and for other purposes," is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof the following: "Provided, That there shall accrue to the treasury of the subprovince of Marinduque as constituted by this Act, for the sole use and benefit of the inhabitants thereof, seventy per centum of such proportion of internal revenue which by law accrues to the Province of Tayabas as the number of inhabitants of said subprovince, as shown by the last official census, bears to the total population of the province of which it forms a part, as shown by the same census.' SEC. 2. This Act shall be retroactive in effect and the proportion of internal-revenue collections allowed in section one hereof shall accrue to the subprovince of Marinduque from the date of its establishment as a subprovince. 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. [No. 1677.] AN ACT To provide anatomical material for the advancement of medical science. By authority of the United States, be it enacted by the Philippine Commission, that: SECTION 1. The body of any deceased person which is to be buried at public expense and which is unclaimed by relatives or friends for a period of forty-eight hours after death shall be subject to the disposition of the Bureau of Health, and, by order of the Director of Health, may be devoted to the purposes of medical science and to the advancement and promotion of medical knowledge and information, |