(H. R. 11144]

An Act To authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to extend, remodel, and enlarge the post-office building at Washington, District of Columbia, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Represenatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, authorized to enter into contracts for the extension, remodeling, and enlargement of the postoffice building, Washington, District of Columbia, on land already owned by the Government in square 678, including the extension of existing mechanical equipment, mail handling, conveying, and other apparatus, where necessary, in an amount not exceeding $4,000,000: Provided, That the plans and speciications for such buildings shall be approved by the Fine Arts Commission and by the Postmaster General.

Approved, July 3, 1930.

(98)

[H. R. 14040]

An Act To enable the Secretary of the Treasury to expedite work on the Federal building program authorized by the Act of Congress eutitled 66 An Act to provide for the construction of certain public buildings and for other purposes," approved May 25, 1926, and Acts amendatory thereof.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That to enable the Secretary of the Treasury to expedite work on the Federal building program authorized by the Act of Congress entitled "An Act to provide for the construction of certain public buildings and for other purposes," approved May 25, 1926, and Acts amendatory thereof, the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, authorized and empowered to obtain by contract without competition, topographical surveys of sites, test pits and borings where such sites have been selected although title thereto may not have been vested in the United States; to limit to such number of days as he deems proper the advertising for bids for sites for public buildings; to obtain outside architectural, engineering, technical, or professional services to such extent as he deems necessary in connection with the plans and specifications for Federal buildings which have been specifically authorized to be constructed where the sites have been selected notwithstanding title to such sites may not have been vested in the United States.

Approved, February 6, 1931.

(99)

(H. R. 16297]

An Act To amend the Act entitled "An Act to provide for the construction of certain public buildings, and for other purposes,' approved May 25, 1926 (44 Stat. 630), and Acts amendatory thereof.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Act entitled "An Act to provide for the construction of certain public buildings, and for other purposes," approved May 25, 1926 (44 Stat. 630), and Acts amendatory thereof, are hereby amended to provide that for the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of said Acts and to permit of expediting the public-building program thereby authorized, the amounts heretofore authorized to be appropriated for public-building projects outside the District of Columbia are extended $100,000,000: Provided, That under this authorization and from appropriations (exclusive of appropriations made for remodeling and enlarging public buildings) heretofore made or herein authorized for the acquisition of sites for, or the construction, enlarging, remodeling, or extension of public buildings under the control of the Treasury Department, not more than $65,000,000 in the aggregate, shall be expended annually, of which sum not more than $15,000,000 may be expended on projects in the District of Columbia (except that any part of the balance of such sums remaining unexpended at the end of any fiscal year may be expended for the respective purposes herein authorized in any subsequent fiscal year without reference to this limitation, beginning with the fiscal year 1928).

SEC. 2. That the provisions contained in the Act of May 25, 1926, as amended by the Act of February 24, 1928, limiting the amount that may be expended annually in any one of the States, Territories, or possessions of the United States to $10,000,000 be, and the same are hereby, further amended so as to increase the amount that may be expended in any one of the States, Territories, or possessions of the United States to an amount not to exceed $20,000,000 annually from the date of the passage of this Act until December 31, 1933, after which time the amount which shall be expended in any one of the States, Territories, or possessions of the United States shall not exceed the sum of $15,000,000 annually.

SEC. 3. That in the case of any projects authorized under the provisions of the Public Building Act approved May 25, 1926, hereinbefore mentioned, and the several Acts amendatory thereof, when the bid of the lowest responsible bidder received in response to public advertisement exceeds the amount available under the estimated limit of cost fixed by Congress, the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized, in his discretion, to enter into contracts for the construction of such buildings in an amount not exceeding 5 per centum in excess of such estimated limit of cost: Provided, That this provision shall not apply to any contract entered into prior to the approval of this Act, nor to any contract entered into after December 31, 1933: Provided, That in the exercise of this discretion the Secretary of the Treasury shall not incur obligations in excess of the amounts heretofore or herein authorized for appropriations.

Approved, February 16, 1931.

[H. R. 10652]

An Act to Authorize the Secretary of Commerce to purchase and and to construct buildings and facilities suitable for radio research investigations.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of Commerce be, and he is hereby, authorized to acquire, by purchase or otherwise, for the Bureau of Standards a parcel of land in the vicinity of the District of Columbia, not in excess of two hundred acres, provided a suitable site now owned by the Government is not available for the purpose, and to construct thereon buildings, facilities, and equipment suitable for experimental researches in the propagation and reception of radio signals and also to construct upon land now owned by the Government in the vicinity of the District of Columbia, which may be made available for that purpose by any department having jurisdiction thereof, buildings, facilities, and equipment suitable for an experimental radio transmitting station. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated to carry out the foregoing purposes the sum of not to exceed $147,000. Approved, February 20, 1931.

(101)

[H. R. 9676]

An Act To authorize the Secretary of the Navy to proceed with certain public works at the United States Naval Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Navy is hereby authorized to replace, remodel, or extend existing structures and to construct additional buildings, with the utilities, accessories, and appurtenances pertaining thereto, at the United States Naval Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia, at a cost not to exceed $3,200,000, of which $100,000 shall be charged to the naval hospital fund: Provided, That the construction herein authorized shall be subject to the approval of the Public Building Commission under the authority of section 6 of the Public Buildings Act of May 25, 1926, to the same extent as other public building construction in the District of Columbia, and the plans for such construction shall be submitted to the Fine Arts Commission for advice. SEC. 2. The Secretary of the Navy is hereby authorized to employ, when deemed by him desirable or advantageous, by contract or otherwise, outside professional or technical services of persons, firms, or corporations, to such extent as he may require for the purposes of this Act, without reference to the Classification Act of 1923, as amended, or to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, in addition to employees otherwise authorized and expenditures for such purpose shall be made from the naval hospital fund. Approved, February 25, 1931.

(102)