CONGRESS. (THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.) 



175 



ated, as the case may be, under such regulations 

 as may be prescribed by said government and 

 sold to the highest bidder, for cash, at a price of 

 not less than $3 per hectare; and in case such lands 

 fail to sell when so offered, then the same shall 

 be subject to private sale at such office, for cash, 

 at a price not less than $3 per hectare, in the 

 same manner as other lands in the said islands 

 are sold. All executive proclamations relating 

 to the sales of public saline lands shall be pub- 

 lished in only two newspapers, one printed in the 

 English language and one in the Spanish lan- 

 guage, ai Manila, which shall be designated by 

 said secretary of the interior. 



" SEC. 59. That no act granting lands to prov- 

 inces, districts, or municipalities to aid in the 

 construction of roads, or for other public pur- 

 poses, shall be so construed as to embrace min- 

 eral lands, which, in all cases, are reserved exclu- 

 sively, unless otherwise specially provided in the 

 act or acts making the grant. 



" SEC. 60. That nothing in this act shall be 

 construed to affect the rights of any person, 

 partnership, or corporation having a valid, per- 

 fected mining concession granted prior to April 11, 

 1899, but all such concessions shall be conducted 

 under the provisions of the law in force at the 

 time they were granted, subject at all times to 

 cancellation by reason of illegality in the proced- 

 ure by which they were obtained, or for failure to 

 comply with the conditions prescribed as requi- 

 site to their retention in the laws under which 

 they were granted: Provided, That the owner or 

 owners of every such concession shall cause the 

 corners made by its boundaries to be distinctly 

 marked with permanent monuments within six 

 months after this act has been promulgated in 

 the Philippine Islands, and that any concessions 

 the boundaries of which are not so marked 

 within this period shall be free and open to ex- 

 plorations and purchase under the provisions of 

 this act. 



" SEC. 61. That mining rights on public" lands 

 in the Philippine Islands shall, after the passage 

 of this act, be acquired only in accordance with 

 its provisions. 



" SEC. 62. That all proceedings for the cancel- 

 lation of perfected Spanish concessions shall be 

 conducted in the courts of the Philippine Islands 

 having jurisdiction of the subject-matter and of 

 the parties, unless the United States Philippine 

 Commission, or its successors, shall create special 

 tribunals for the determination of such contro- 



AUTHORITY FOR THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS GOV- 

 ERNMENT TO PURCHASE LANDS OF RELIGIOUS 

 ORDERS AND OTHERS AND ISSUE BONDS FOR 

 PURCHASE PRICE. 



" SEC. 63. That the government of the Philip- 

 pine Islands is hereby authorized, subject to the 

 limitations and conditions prescribed in this act, 

 to acquire, receive, hold, maintain, and convey 

 title to real and personal property, and may ac- 

 quire real estate for public uses by the exercise 

 of the right of eminent domain. 



" SEC. 64. That the powers hereinbefore con- 

 irred in section 63 may also be exercised in 

 spect of any lands, easements, appurtenances, 

 and hereditaments which on the 13th of August, 

 1898, were owned or held by associations, cor- 

 porations, communities, religious orders, or pri- 

 vate individuals in such large tracts or parcels 

 and in such manner as in the opinion of the 

 commission injuriously to affect the peace and 

 elfare of the people of the Philippine Islands, 

 d for the purpose of providing funds to ac- 



01 



s 



quire the lands mentioned in this section said 

 government of the Philippine Islands is hereby 

 empowered to incur indebtedness, to borrow 

 money, and to issue, and to sell at not less than 

 par value, in gold coin of the United States of 

 the present standard value or the equivalent in 

 value in money of said islands, upon such terms 

 and conditions as it may deem best, registered 

 or coupon bonds of said government for such 

 amount as may be necessary, said bonds to be 

 in denominations of $50 or any multiple there- 

 of, bearing interest at a rate not exceeding 4J 

 per centum per annum, payable quarterly, and 

 to be payable at the pleasure of said government 

 after dates named in said bonds not less than 

 five nor more than thirty years from the date 

 of their issue, together with interest thereon, in 

 gold coin of the United States of the present 

 standard value or the equivalent in value in 

 money of said' islands; and said bonds shall be 

 exempt from the payment of all taxes or duties 

 of said government, or any local authority there- 

 in, or of the Government of the United States, 

 as well as from taxation in any form by or under 

 state, municipal, or local authority in the United 

 States or the Philippine Islands. The moneys 

 which may be realized or received from the issue 

 and sale of said bonds shall be applied by the 

 government of the Philippine Islands to the ac- 

 quisition of the property authorized by this sec- 

 tion, and to no other purposes. 



" SEC. 65. That all lands acquired by virtue of 

 the preceding section shall constitute a part and 

 portion of the public property of the government 

 of the Philippine Islands, and may be held, sold, 

 and conveyed, or leased temporarily for a period 

 not exceeding three years after their acquisition 

 by said government on such terms and conditions 

 as it may prescribe, subject to the limitations and 

 conditions provided for in this act: Provided, 

 That all deferred payments and the interest 

 thereon shall be payable in the money prescribed 

 for the payment of principal and interest of the 

 bonds authorized to be issued in payment of said 

 lands by the preceding section and said deferred 

 payments shall bear interest at the rate borne 

 by the bonds. All moneys realized or received 

 from sales or other disposition of said lands or 

 by reason thereof shall constitute a trust fund 

 for the payment of principal and interest of 

 said bonds, and also constitute a sinking-fund 

 for the payment of said bonds at their maturity. 

 Actual settlers and occupants at the time said 

 lands are acquired by the government shall have 

 the preference over all others to lease, purchase, 

 or acquire their holdings within such reasonable 

 time as may be determined by said government. 



" MUNICIPAL BONDS FOR PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS. 



" SEC. 66. That for the purpose of providing 

 funds to construct sewers, to furnish adequate 

 sewer and drainage facilities, to secure a sufficient 

 supply of water, and to provide all kinds of mu- 

 nicipal betterments and improvements in munici- 

 palities, the government of the Philippine Islands, 

 under such limitations, terms, and conditions as 

 it may prescribe, with the consent and approval 

 of the President and the Congress of the United 

 States, may permit any municipialty of said is- 

 lands to incur indebtedness, borrow money, and 

 to issue and sell (at not less than par value in 

 gold coin of the United States) registered or cou- 

 pon bonds in such amount and payable at such 

 time as may be determined by the government of 

 said islands, with interest thereon not to exceed 

 5 per centum per annum: Provided, That the 

 entire indebtedness of any municipality under 



