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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."

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 inileage 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 execute 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.

R. S., 2652.

The Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized, when R. S., 2653. ever he shall think it advantageous to the public service, to abolish or suspend the office of naval officer, or any other subordinate office, in any collection-district of the United States, except in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston, Savannah, Portland in Maine, and San Francisco, and to assign the duties of the office or any other subordinate office so abolished or suspended to a deputy collector or inspector of the customs; and so much of all fines, penalties, and forfeitures as would otherwise. inure to either of such naval officers shall, after the discontinuance of their offices, respectively, be paid into the Treasury of the United States, and there credited to the fund for defraying the expenses of collecting the revenue from customs.

The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to appoint R.S., 1973. one agent and three assistant agents, who shall be charged with the management of the scal fisheries in Alaska, and the performance of such other duties as may be assigned to them by the Secretary of the Treasury.

The agent shall receive the sum of ten dollars each day, R.S., 1974. one assistant agent the sum of eight dollars each day, and two assistant agents the sum of six dollars each day while so employed; and they shall also be allowed their necessary traveling expenses in going to and returning from Alaska, for which expenses vouchers shall be presented to the proper accounting officers of the Treasury, and such expenses shall not exceed in the aggregate six hundred dollars each in any one year.

Such agents shall never be interested, directly or indi- R. S., 1975. rectly, in any lease of the right to take seals, nor in any

R. S., 1976.

R. S., 2999.

R. S., 4681.

R. S., 4682.

R. S., 4683.

R. S., 4684.

proceeds or profits thereof, either as owner, agent, partner, or otherwise.

Such agents are empowered to administer oaths in all cases relating to the service of the United States, and to take testimony in Alaska for the use of the Government in any matter concerning the public revenues.

For the purpose of better guarding against frauds upon the revenue on foreign merchandise transported between the ports of the Atlantic and those of the Pacific overland through any foreign territory, the Secretary of the Treasury may appoint special sworn agents as inspectors of the customs, to reside in such foreign territory where such merchandise may be landed or embarked, with power to superintend the landing or shipping of all merchandise, passing coastwise between the ports of the United States on the Pacific and the Atlantic. It shall be their duty, under such regulations and instructions as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe, to guard against the perpetration of frauds upon the revenue. The compensation paid to such inspectors shall not in the aggregate exceed five thousand dollars per annum.

427. Coast and Geodetic Survey.

The President is authorized to cause a survey to be taken of the coasts of the United States, in which shall be designated the islands and shoals, with the roads or places of anchorage, within twenty leagues of any part of the shores of the United States; and also the respective courses and distances between the principal capes or headlands, together with such other matters as he may deem proper for completing an accurate chart of every part of the coasts. The President may also cause such examinations and observations to be made with respect to Saint George's Bank, and to any other bank, or shoal, and the soundings and currents, although beyond the distance of twenty leagues from the shore to the Gulf Stream, as he may deem especially subservient to the commercial interests of the United States.

All appropriations made for the work of surveying the coast of the United States shall be expended in accordance with the plan of re organizing the mode of executing the survey which has been submitted to the President by a board of officers organized under the act of March three, eighteen hundred and forty-three, chapter one hundred.

The President shall carry into effect the plan of the board, as agreed upon by a majority of its members; and shall cause to be employed as many officers of the Army and Navy of the United States as will be compatible with the successful prosecution of the work; the officers of the Navy to be employed on the hydrographical parts, and the officers of the Army on the topographical parts of the work; and no officer of the Army or Navy shall receive any extra pay out of any appropriations for surveys.

The President is authorized, in executing the provisions R. S., 4685. of this Title [R. S., 4681-4691], to use all maps, charts, books, instruments, and apparatus belonging to the United States, and to direct where the same shall be deposited, and to employ all persons in the land or naval service of the United States, and such astronomers and other persons, as he shall deem proper.

The President is authorized, for any of the purposes of R. S., 4686. surveying the coast of the United States, to cause to be employed such of the public vessels in actual service as he deems it expedient to employ, and to give such instructions for regulating their conduct as he deems proper, according to the tenor of this Title [R. S., 4681-4691].

Officers of the Army and Navy shall, as far as practica- R. S., 4687. ble, be employed in the work of surveying the coast of the United States, whenever and in the manner required by the Department having charge thereof.

The Secretary of the Treasury may make such allowances R. S., 4688. to the officers and men of the Army and Navy, while employed on Coast Survey service, for subsistence, in addition to their compensation, as he may deem necessary, not exceeding the sum authorized by the Treasury regulation of the eleventh day of May, eighteen hundred and fortyfour.

Nor shall there hereafter be made any allowance for sub- Aug. 30, 1890. sistence to officers of the Navy attached to the Coast and Geodetic Survey, except that when officers are detached to do work away from their vessels under circumstances involving them in extra expenditures, the Superintendent may allow to any such officer subsistence at a rate not exceeding one dollar per day for the period actually covered by such duty away from such vessel.

The salary of the Superintendent of the Coast Survey R. S., 4689. shall be six thousand dollars a year.

The Coast Survey report shall be submitted to Congress R. S., 4690. during the month of December in each year, and shall be accompanied by a general chart of the whole coasts of the United States, on as large a scale as convenient and practicable, showing, as near as practicable, the configuration of the coasts, and showing, by lines, the probable limits of the Gulf Stream, and showing, by lines, the probable limit to which the soundings off the coast will extend, and showing, by the use of colors and explanations, the exact portions of our coasts, of which complete charts have been published by the Coast Survey; also, showing such other parts of the coasts of which the triangulation, the topography, and the soundings have been completed, but not published, and, also, such parts of the coasts of which the triangulation and topography, or the triangulation only, have been completed.

428. District court commissioners.

The terms of office of all commissioners of the circuit May 28, 1896. courts heretofore appointed shall expire on the thirtieth day

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of June, eighteen hundred and ninety-seven; and such office shall on that day cease to exist, and said commissioners shall then deposit all the records and other official papers appertaining to their offices in the office of the clerk of the circuit court by which they were appointed. All proceedings pending, returnable, unexecuted, or unfinished at said date before any such commissioner shall be continued and disposed of according to law by such commissioner appointed as herein provided, as may be designated by the district court for that purpose. It shall be the duty of the district court of each judicial district to appoint such number of persons, to be known as United States commissioners, at such places in the district as may be designated by the district court, which United States commissioners shall have the same powers and perform the same duties as are now imposed upon commissioners of the circuit courts. The appointment of such United States commissioners shall be entered of record in the district courts, and notice thereof at once given by the clerk to the Attorney-General. That such United States commissioners shall hold their offices, respectively, for the term of four years, but they shall be at any time subject to removal by the district court; and no person shall at any time be a clerk or deputy clerk of a United States court and a United States commissioner without the approval of the Attorney-General: Provided, That all acts and parts of acts applicable to commissioners of the circuit courts, except as to appointment and fees, shall be applicable to United States commissioners appointed under this Act. Warrants of arrest for violations of internal revenue laws may be issued by United States commissioners upon the sworn complaint of a United States district attorney, assistant United States district attorney, collector or deputy collector of internal revenue, or revenue agent or private citizen, but no such warrant of arrest shall be issued upon the sworn complaint of a private citizen unless first approved in writing by a United States district attorney. That United States commissioners and all clerks of United States courts are hereby authorized to administer oaths.

PART LI.-FEES PAYABLE BY PRIVATE PERSONS.

429. Fees on vesseis payable oy private persons.

[NOTE-By section 1 of the act of June 19, 1886, and section 22 of the act of June 10, 1890, the system of compensating officers of the Government enforcing the navigation laws was materially changed. Nearly all the fees previously collected by them from masters and owners of vessels of the United States for services rendered were abolished, and payment made directly from the Treasury on the basis of the former fees. For this reason, wherever practicable in the text of this compilation, provisions requiring the payment of fees have been omitted as no longer in force between the master or owner of a vessel of the United States and the Government, but in force only as determining the compensation, in some instances, paid by the Government to its employees.

Following are the sections of law above referred to, with a schedule of the fees which still remain payable by the owner, master, or agent of a vessel of the United States at ports on the seaboard and western rivers, and also at ports on the Great Lakes and northern, northeastern, and northwestern frontiers.]

On and after July first, eighteen hundred and eighty-six, June 19, 1886. no fees shall be charged or collected by collectors or other officers of customs, or by inspectors of steam vessels or shipping commissioners, for the following services to vessels of the United States, to wit: Measurement of tonnage and certifying the same; issuing of license or granting of certificate of registry, record, or enrollment, including all indorsements on the same and bond and oath; indorsement of change of master; certifying and receiving manifest, including master's oath and permit; granting permit to vessels licensed for the fisheries to touch and trade; granting certificate of payment of tonnage dues; recording bill of sale, mortgage, hypothecation, or conveyance, or the discharge of such mortgage or hypothecation; furnishing certificate of title; furnishing the crew list, certificate of protection to seamen; bill of health; shipping or discharging of seamen, as provided by title fifty-three of the Revised Statutes [R. S., 4501-4612] and section two of this act; apprenticing boys to the merchant service; inspecting, examining, and licensing steam-vessels, including inspection certificate and copies thereof; and licensing of master, engineer, pilot, or mate of a vessel; and all provisions of laws authorizing or requiring the collection of fees for such services are repealed, such repeal to take effect July first, eighteen hundred and eighty-six. Collectors or other officers of customs, inspectors of steam-vessels, and shipping commissioners who are paid wholly or partly by fees shall make a detailed report of such services, and the fees provided by law, to the Secretary of the Treasury, under such regulations as that officer may prescribe; and the Secretary of the Treasury shall allow and pay, from any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, said officers such compensation for said services as each would have received prior to the passage of this act; also such compensation to clerks of shipping commissioners as would have been paid them had this act not passed: Provided, That such services have, in the opinion of the Secretary of the Treasury, been necessarily rendered.

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