virtue of which the demand for his arrest shall be made, and in case such treaty provides no term, he shall not be detained more than four months after his arrest, but at the end of that time shall be set at liberty and shall not be again molested for the same cause. If any such deserter shall be found to have committed any crime or offense his surrender may be delayed until the tribunal before which the case shall be pending or may be cognizable shall have pronounced its sentence, and such sentence shall have been carried into effect. SEC. 2. Like application may be made by Philippine customs officers acting as American consular officers under authority of section eighty-four of the Act of Congress of July first, nineteen hundred and two, entitled "An Act temporarily to provide for the administration of the affairs of civil government in the Philippine Islands, and for other purposes," in which case the same procedure shall be had as if the case arose out of an application by the consul of a friendly foreign nation having a treaty with the United States stipulating for the return of deserting seamen: Provided, however, That no seamen brought before a Court on the application of an American consular officer shall be released because of the American citizenship of such seamen. SEC. 3. The proceedings at the examination of a person arrested under the preceding sections shall be summary in character and shall be regulated by rule of Court. The examination shall be held as soon as practicable after arrest, and such proceedings may be dismissed, or the person so in custody discharged, at any time upon written request of the consular or acting consular officer at whose instance the arrest was made. SEC. 4. Whenever it is stipulated by treaty or convention between the United States and any foreign nation that the consuls-general, consuls, vice-consuls, or consular or commercial agents, of each nation shall have exclusive jurisdiction of controversies, difficulties, or disorders, arising at sea or in the waters or ports of the other nation, between the masters or officers and any of the crew, or between any of the crew themselves, of any vessel belonging to the nation represented by such consular officer, and the President has issued his proclamation in respect thereto as prescribed in section four thousand and seventynine of the Revised Statutes of the United States, such stipulation shall be executed and enforced within the jurisdiction of the Philippine Islands, as hereinafter declared. SEC. 5. In all cases within the purview of the last preceding section, the consul-general, consul, or other consul or commercial authority of such foreign nation charged with the appropriate duty in the particular case, may make application to any Court of First Instance, or to any judge thereof, setting forth that such controversy, difficulty, or disorder has arisen, briefly stating the nature thereof, and when and where the same occurred, and exhibiting a certified copy or extract of the shipping-articles, roll or other proper paper of the vessel, to the effect that the person in question is of the crew or ship's company of such vessel; and further stating and certifying that such person has withdrawn himself, or is believed to be about to withdraw himself, from the control and discipline of the master and officers of the vessel, or that he has refused, or is about to refuse to submit to and obey the lawful jurisdiction of such consular or commercial authority in the premises; and further stating and certifying that, to the best of the knowledge and belief of the officer certifying, (unless such officer be acting as an American consular officer), such person is not a citizen of the United States. Such application shall be in writing and duly authenticated by the consular or other sufficient official seal. Thereupon such Court of First Instance, or judge thereof, shall issue a warrant for the arrest of the person so complained of, directed to the sheriff of the province, or Chief of Police of the city of Manila, as the case may be, or in his discretion to any person being a citizen of the Philippine Islands or of the United States whom he may specially depute for the purpose, requiring such person to be brought before him for examination at a certain time and place. SEC. 6. If, on such examination, it is made to appear that the person so arrested is a citizen of the United States, and that the application is made by a consul other than the United States consul, and in all cases where it shall appear that the person arrested is a citizen of the Philippine Islands he shall be forthwith discharged from arrest, and shall be left to the ordinary course of law. But if this is not made to appear, and such Court or judge finds, upon the papers hereinbefore referred to, a sufficient prima facie case that the matter concerns only the internal order and discipline of such foreign vessel, or that the case, whether its nature be civil or criminal, does not affect directly the execution of the laws in force in the Philippine Islands, or the rights and duties of any citizen of the Philippine Islands or of the United States, with the above exception, he shall forthwith commit such person to prison, after approval of the commitment by the appropriate consular officer, where prisoners under sentence for crime may be lawfully committed, or, in his discretion, to the master or chief officer of such foreign vessel, to be subject to the lawful orders, control and discipline of such master or chief officer, and to the jurisdiction of the consular or commercial authority of the nation to which such vessel belongs, to the exclusion of any authority or jurisdiction of the Philippine Islands in the premises. No person shall be detained more than the period of time stipulated in the treaty under which the proceedings are had, and if the treaty specifies no time, or if the application is made by officers acting as American consuls, no such person shall be detained more than two months after his arrest, and at the end of the time herein specified for his detention he shall be set at liberty and shall not again be arrested for the same cause. The expenses of the arrest and the detention of the person so arrested shall be paid by the consular officers making the application. SEC. 7. For the purposes of the preceding sections. Philippine customs officers acting as American consular officers shall have rights, privileges, and powers similar to those granted by this Act to the consuls of a friendly foreign nation having a treaty with the United States in respect to which the President has issued his proclamation as described in section four of this Act. SEC. 8. Act Numbered Fourteen hundred and thirty-nine and all Acts and parts of Acts in conflict with this Act are hereby repealed. SEC. 9. 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. 10. This Act shall take effect on its passage. [No. 1752.] AN ACT To amend sections four, five, and six of Act Numbered Fourteen hundred and one by making it unnecessary for the provincial board to advertise for bids for building any public work costing less than one thousand pesos, or for building or repairing any road, and by providing that the provincial board may authorize, by resolution, the director of public works to advertise for bids and to let contracts for any provincial public works; and to repeal section fifteen of Act Numbered Eighty-three. By authority of the United States, be it enacted by the Philippine Commission, that: SECTION 1. Section four of Act Numbered Fourteen hundred and one is hereby amended to read as follows: "SEC. 4. The district engineer shall have general supervision over the construction, maintenance, and repair of all provincial public works in the provinces of the district to which he is assigned, which exceed in estimated cost the sum of five hundred pesos, and over all contracts connected with such works. No contract for public works exceeding a cost of five hundred pesos shall be undertaken by a provincial board before the plans and specifications have been examined and approved by the district engineer. Upon request of any provincial board in his district, the district engineer shall make investigations and surveys of proposed construction or repair of public works, and shall submit to said provincial board reports and estimates of the cost of construction or repair of such proposed works with his recommendations, and he shall, when necessary, prepare plans and specifications for such public works as may be required by the provincial board. It shall be the duty of the district engineer, by agreement with the president of each municipality, to fix the territory within which the duty of repairing, constructing, and maintaining roads, bridges and ferries shall fall upon the municipal government and that in which such duty shall fall upon the provincial government, and in case of disagreement the issue shall be settled by reference to the provincial board, whose decision shall be final." SEC. 2. Section five of Act Numbered Fourteen hundred and one is hereby amended to read as follows: "SEC. 5. All repair or construction of provincial works, except roads, involving greater cost than one thousand pesos, shall be let to the lowest responsible bidder, after public advertisement of not less than ten days, in a paper of general círculation in the province, if such there be, and by notice posted for not less than ten days at the main entrance of the provincial building; Provided, however, That no bid shall be accepted without the approval of the district engineer. The provincial board may authorize the provincial treasurer to advertise for bids in a paper of general circulation outside of the province, and, with the approval of the district engineer, may authorize the work to be done by day labor, if no bids have been received, or if it is manifestly for the public interest, to reject any and all bids received. In the repair or construction of provincial roads, work may be done by day labor, and there need be no advertising or bidding, unless it seems desirable to the provincial board, when the regulations for advertising for the repair and building of other public works hereinbefore mentioned shall be followed. Public works of all kinds costing less than one thousand pesos may be undertaken either by day labor or by contract and may be let without advertisement under such rules as shall be prescribed by the Insular Auditor and the Director of Public Works subject to the approval of the Governor-General, whenever such works are being supervised by the district engineer. The duties in regard to advertising for bids for public works, or the letting of contracts therefor, under the conditions prescribed in this Act, shall be performed by the provincial treasurer, with the approval of the provincial board, unless the provincial board, by resolution to that effect, shall authorize the Director of Public Works to perform such duties." SEC. 3. Section six of Act Numbered Fourteen hundred and one is hereby amended to read as follows: "SEC. 6. No payments, partial or final, shall be made on any public works without a certificate on the voucher therefor to the effect. that the work for which payment is contemplated has been accomplished, inspected and accepted. Such certificate for work under the supervision of the district engineer shall be signed by him or his duly authorized representative. For work not under his supervision such certificate shall be signed by the provincial treasurer.” SEC. 4. The provisions of this Act are hereby made retroactive and shall be applicable to all liabilities heretofore paid or incurred under resolutions of provincial boards affecting the prosecution of public works by contract or otherwise. SEC. 5. Section fifteen of Act Numbered Eighty-three entitled "The Provincial Government Act," is hereby repealed. SEC. 6. 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. 7. This Act shall take effect on its passage. [No. 1753.] AN ACT Declaring all of the territory comprised in the Island of Siquijor a subprovince of Oriental Negros, and for other purposes. By authority of the United States, be it enacted by the Philippine Commission, that: SECTION 1. All of the territory comprised in the Islands of Siquijor, Province of Oriental Negros, is hereby declared to be the subprovince of Siquijor, forming a part of the Province of Oriental Negros. There shall be a lieutenant-governor for the said subprovince, to be appointed by the Governor-General, with the advice and consent of the Philippine Commission. He shall have his office in the municipality of Canoan and shall receive an annual salary of not to exceed two thousand four hundred pesos, payable monthly from funds of the subprovince hereinafter provided for; he shall represent the provincial governor in the subprovince and shall carry out the legal orders of that official transmitted to him from time to time; he shall inspect the municipalities of the subprovince at least once every six months and at such other times as may be necessary, and shall make report of such inspections to the provincial board through the provincial governor; he shall make such recommendations to the provincial board, through the provincial governor, as he shall deem necessary for the best interests of the subprovince; he shall employ and discharge, with the approval of the provincial board, all subordinate employees of the subprovince that may be authorized by the board; he shall be the custodian of the public records and documents of the subprovince; and, in general, he shall exercise in the subprovince of Siquijor, subject to the supervision of the provincial governor, the powers and duties conferred upon a provincial governor by the Provincial Government Act. SEC. 2. The provincial government of Oriental Negros is hereby authorized to establish an office for the lieutenant-governor and a permanent suboffice of the provincial treasury of Oriental Negros at Canoan, Island of Siquijor, and to provide adequate quarters for the said office and suboffice. SEC. 3. Seventy per centum of all taxes, imposts, or fines collected on and after January first, nineteen hundred and seven, in behalf of the Province of Oriental Negros in the subprovince of Siquijor, under the provisions of existing law, or which may be collected under laws which may hereafter be enacted, shall be deposited in the subtreasury of Siquijor for the sole use and benefit of the inhabitants of the subprovince; and the remaining thirty per centum of such collections shall be deposited in the provincial treasury of Oriental Negros and shall inure to the general funds of the province. There shall accrue to the treasury of the subprovince of Siquijor, as constituted by this Act, for the sole use and benefit of the inhabitants thereof, seventy per centum of such proportion of internal revenue collected on and after January first, nineteen hundred and seven, which by law accrues to the Province of Oriental Negros as the number of inhabitants of such subprovince, as shown by the official census last taken, bears to the total population of the province of which it forms a part, as shown by said census. SEC. 4. The funds provided for the subprovince of Siquijor shall be expended on resolution of the provincial board of Oriental Negros, and the deputy of the provincial treasurer in charge of the subtreasury at Canoan shall make payments from funds of the subprovince only by direction of the lieutenant-governor of the subprovince, accompanied by a certified copy of the resolution of the provincial board authorizing the expenditure. The salary of the deputy of the provincial treasurer in charge of the provincial subtreasury at Canoan and the salaries of the deputies of the provincial treasurer in the municipalities of the subprovince of Siquijor shall be paid from the funds of such subprovince. SEC. 5. All Acts or parts of Acts in conflict herewith are hereby repealed. SEC. 6. The public good requiring the speedy enactment of this bill, the passage of the same is hereby expedited in accordance with |