the title to such premises were vested in the United States. (37 Stat. 432.)

This was a proviso annexed to an appropriation for operating force for pube buildings in the sundry civil appropriation act for the fiscal year 1913, cited above.

A similar provision for the use of the appropriation for operating supplies for public buildings was made by Act June 23, 1913, c. 3, § 1, post, § 6936. $6936. (Act June 23, 1913, c. 3, § 1.) Appropriations for operating supplies for public buildings available for use in temporary rented quarters used pending the alteration, etc., of certain public buildings.

Operating supplies for public buildings: * including the customhouse at Washington, District of Columbia, but excluding any other public building under the control of the Treasury Department within the District of Columbia, and excluding also marine hospitals and quarantine stations, mints, branch mints, and assay offices, and personal services, except for work done by contract or for temporary job labor under exigency not exceeding at one time the sum of $100 at any one building, **: Provided further, That hereafter, unless otherwise specifically provided by law, whenever the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to secure temporary quarters for the use of the Government officials pending the alteration, improvement, or repairs to, or the remodeling, reconstruction, or enlargement of any public building under the control of the Treasury Department not hereinbefore excluded, appropriations for the foregoing purposes shall be available, if necessary, in connection with such portions of the premises as may be rented for or occupied by such officials in the same manner, for the same purpose, and to the same extent as if the title to such premises were vested in the United States. (38 Stat. 22.)

These were provisions making an appropriation for operating supplies for public buildings in the sundry civil appropriation act for the fiscal year 1914, cited above.

A similar provision for the use of the appropriation for operating force for public buildings, was made by Act Aug. 24, 1912, c. 355, ante, § 6935. § 6937. (Act May 27, 1908, c. 200, § 1.) Furniture for new buildings in accordance with plans and specifications.

The furniture for all new public buildings shall hereafter be procured in accordance with plans and specifications approved by the Supervising Architect of the Treasury. (35 Stat. 327.)

This was a provision of the sundry civil appropriation act for the fiscal year 1909, cited above.

Recent sundry civil appropriation acts have contained a provision, repeated severally, that all furniture owned by the United States in buildings owned or rented by the United States should be used, so far as practicable, whether it corresponded with the regulation plan for furniture or not. The provision for the fiscal year 1914 was by Act June 23, 1913, c. 3, § 1, 38 Stat. 22.

§ 6938. (Act July 1, 1898, c. 546, § 1.) Public buildings under control of Secretary of Treasury.

That all court-houses, custom-houses, post-offices, appraiser's stores, barge offices, subtreasuries, and other public buildings outside

of the District of Columbia and outside of military reservations which have been heretofore purchased or erected, or are at present in course of construction, or which may hereafter be erected or purchased out of any appropriation under the control of the Treasury Department, together with the site or sites thereof, are hereby expressly declared to be under the exclusive jurisdiction and control and in the custody of the Secretary of the Treasury, who shall have full power to take possession of and assign and reassign rooms therein to such Federal officials, clerks, and employees as in his judgment and discretion should be furnished with offices or rooms therein. (30 Stat. 614.) This was a provision of the sundry civil appropriation act for the fiscal year 1899, cited above.

Provisions of recent sundry civil appropriation acts authorize the Secretary of the Treasury, during the particular fiscal year, out of the appropriations "Fuel, lights, and water for public buildings," and "Pay of assistant custodians and janitors," to furnish steam for the operation of pneumatic tubes of the postal service, and to pay employés in the production of said steam, the proceeds derived from the sale of said steam to be credited to said appropriations in proportion to the amounts expended therefrom. The provision for the fiscal year 1914 was by Act June 23, 1913, c. 3, § 1, 38 Stat. 22. Appropriations for a general inspector of public buildings, under the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury, to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, were made by recent sundry civil appropriation acts, Act June 28, 1902, c. 1301, § 1, 32 Stat. 448, and subsequent similar acts down to 1911. The provision for the fiscal year 1909, by Act May 27, 1908, c. 200, § 1, 35 Stat. 327, further provided that it should be his duty "to inspect public buildings under the control of the Treasury Department, and report on the efficiency of the custodians' forces, and the use of fuel, lights, water, miscellaneous supplies, and so forth"; and this provision was repeated in the provision for the fiscal year 1912, by Act March 4, 1911, c. 285, § 1, 36 Stat. 1391. But thereafter no appropriation for such inspector was made.

§ 6939. (Act March 3, 1893, c. 211, § 3.)

Public buildings not to

be draped in mourning. Hereafter no building owned, or used for public purposes, by the Government of the United States, shall be draped in mourning and no part of the public fund shall be used for such purpose. (27 Stat. 715.)

This section was part of the legislative, executive, and judicial expenses appropriation act for the fiscal year 1894, cited above.

§ 6940. (Act June 6, 1900, c. 791, § 1.) Reports of Supervising Architect.

The Supervising Architect of the Treasury shall hereafter include in his annual report statements showing, under the following titles, the number of custom-houses, court-houses, post-offices, and buildings used for two or more of said objects: The actual cost of construction, cost of alterations and repairs, cost of sites, and date of purchase, as to each of said buildings, and the aggregate of such expenditures under each of said titles; also the same information, under their respective titles, as to marine hospitals, quarantine stations, and all other buildings under the control of the Treasury Department. (31 Stat. 592.)

This was a provision of the sundry civil appropriation act for the fiscal year 1901, cited above.

§ 6941. (R. S. § 3748.) Uniforms and equipments.

The clothes, arms, military outfits, and accouterments furnished by the United States to any soldier shall not be sold, bartered, exchanged, pledged, loaned, or given away; and no person not a soldier, or duly authorized officer of the United States, who has possession of any such clothes, arms, military outfits, or accouterments, so furnished, and which have been the subjects of any such sale, barter, exchange, pledge, loan, or gift, shall have any right, title, or interest therein; but the same may be seized and taken wherever found by any officer of the United States, civil or military, and shall thereupon be delivered to any quartermaster, or other officer authorized to receive the same. The possession of any such clothes, arms, military outfits, or accouterments by any person not a soldier or officer of the United States shall be presumptive evidence of such a sale, barter, exchange, pledge, loan, or gift.

Act March 3, 1863, c. 75, § 23, 12 Stat. 735.

Similar provisions were made by R. S. § 1242, ante, § 1973.

§ 6942. (R. S. § 3749.) Solicitor of Treasury may rent or sell unproductive lands or property.

The Solicitor of the Treasury is authorized, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, to rent, for a period not exceeding three years, or to sell, at public sale, any unproductive lands, or other property of the United States acquired under judicial process or otherwise in the collection of debts, after advertising the time, place, and conditions of such sale for three months preceding the same in some newspaper published in the vicinity thereof, in such manner and upon such terms as may, in his judgment, be most advantageous to the public interest.

Act March 3, 1863, c. 76, § 9, 12 Stat. 740.

The Secretary of the Treasury was authorized to lease unproductive pub

lic property under his control by a provision of Act March 3, 1879, c. 182, § 1, post, § 6943.

The Secretary of War was authorized to lease property of the United States under his control, not required for public use, by Act July 28, 1892, c. 316, post, § 6944.

§ 6943. (Act March 3, 1879, c. 182, § 1.) Secretary of Treasury may lease unproductive public property.

That authority be, and is hereby, given to the Secretary of the Treasury to lease, at his discretion for a period not exceeding five years, such unoccupied and unproductive property of the United States under his control, for the leasing of which there is no authority under existing law, and such leases shall be reported annually to Congress. (20 Stat. 383.)

This was a provision of the sundry civil appropriation act for the fiscal year 1880, cited above.

The renting of buildings, not reserved by the vendors, on lands acquired for building sites, etc., was authorized by a provision of Act March 4, 1909, c. 299, § 1, ante, § 6928.

§ 6944. (Act July 28, 1892, c. 316.) Secretary of War may lease public property not required for public use.

That authority be, and is hereby, given to the Secretary of War, when in his discretion it will be for the public good, to lease, for a period not exceeding five years and revocable at any time, such property of the United States under his control as may not for the time be required for public use and for the leasing of which there is no authority under existing law, and such leases shall be reported annually to Congress: Provided, That nothing in this act contained shall be held to apply to mineral or phosphate lands. (27 Stat. 321.)

This was an act entitled "An act authorizing the Secretary of War to lease public property in certain cases."

§ 6945. (Act July 1, 1879, c. 62.) Secretary of Interior may convey certain low grounds in Washington, D. C.

That the powers and duties heretofore in and by the third section of the act of Congress, approved May seventh, eighteen hundred and twenty-two, to wit, chapter ninety-six, of the first session of the seventeenth congress, devolved upon and vested in "the mayor of the city of Washington for the time being," be, and the same hereby are, vested in and devolved upon the Secretary of the Interior, who shall execute the deeds thereby required, under his hand and official seal, when it shall appear to him that the persons applying for such deeds are duly entitled to have the same: Provided, nevertheless, this act shall not be so construed as to create or revive any right lost by lapse of time. (21 Stat. 47.)

This was an act entitled "An act to provide for the conveyance of the low grounds in the City of Washington, under the provisions of the act of Congress, chapter ninety-six, approved May seventh, eighteen hundred and twenty-two."

Act May 7, 1822, c. 96, 3 Stat. 691, mentioned in this section, empowered the city of Washington, D. C., to drain low grounds on and near the public reservation, to improve and ornament certain parts of such reservation, and to sell other parts of such reservation, and by section 3 the mayor was

empowered to execute deeds for the lands sold on compliance with the terms of sale.

§ 6946. (R. S. § 3750.) To have charge of property transferred to the United States.

The Solicitor of the Treasury shall have charge of all lands and other property which have been or may be assigned, set off, or conveyed to the United States in payment of debts, and of all trusts. created for the use of the United States in payment of debts due them; and of the sale and disposal of lands assigned or set off to the United States in payment of debts, or vested in them by mortgage or other security for the payment of debts: Provided, That this section shall not apply to real estate which has been or shall be assigned, set off, or conveyed to the United States, in payment of debts arising under the internal-revenue laws, nor to trusts created for the use of the United States, in payment of such debts due them.

Act May 29, 1830, c. 153, § 1, 4 Stat. 414. Act March 2, 1867, c. 169, § 4, 14 Stat. 472.

The Commissioner of Internal Revenue was authorized to sell real estate which had become the property of the United States in payment of debts arising under the internal-revenue laws, by R. S. § 3208, ante, § 5930.

Lands or tenements of debtor, sold on execution at the suit of the United States, may be purchased by the United States, by such agent as the Solicitor of the Treasury may appoint, by R. S. § 3470, ante, § 6376.

§ 6947. (R. S. § 3751.) To release lands in certain cases.

In cases where real estate has become the property of the United States, by conveyance, extent, or otherwise, in payment of a debt, and such debt is afterward fully paid in money, and the same has been received by the United States, the Solicitor of the Treasury may release by deed or otherwise convey the same real estate to the debtor from whom it was taken, if he is living, or, if such debtor is dead, to his heirs or devisees, or such person as they may appoint: Provided, That this section shall not apply to real estate so acquired by the United States in payment of any debt arising under the internal-revenue laws.

Act May 29, 1830, c. 153, § 1, 4 Stat. 414. Act March 2, 1867, c. 169, § 4, 14 Stat. 472.

See note to R. S. § 3750, ante, § 6946.

§ 6948. (Act March 3, 1903, c. 1007, § 1.) Secretary of Treasury may sell lands acquired by United States by devise.

The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to sell such lands as have been or may hereafter be acquired by the United States by devise, upon such terms and after such public notice by advertisement as he may deem best for the public interest. (32 Stat. 1112.)

This was a provision of the sundry civil appropriation act for the fiscal year 1904, cited above.

This provision superseded a provision of Act Aug. 7, 1882, c. 433, § 1, 22 Stat. 319, which authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to "sell such lands as have been acquired by devise," etc.

§ 6949. (R. S. § 3752.) Power to obtain releases.

Whenever any lands have been or shall be conveyed to individuals or officers, for the use or benefit of the United States, the President