194 



CONGRESS. (THE CENSUS BUREAU.) 



meet the necessities of vessels passing through 

 the same from ocean to ocean; and he shall also 

 construct such safe and commodious harbors at 

 the termini of said canal as shall be necessary 

 for the safe and convenient use thereof, and shall 

 make such provisions for defense as may be 

 necessary for the safety and protection of said 

 harbors and canal; and such sum or sums of 

 money as may be agreed upon by such treaty as 

 compensation to be paid to Nicaragua and Costa 

 Rica for the concessions and rights hereunder 

 provided to be acquired by the United States, are 

 hereby appropriated, out of any money in the 

 Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to be paid 

 on warrant or warrants drawn by the President. 



"The President shall cause the said Isthmian 

 Canal Commission to make such surveys as may 

 be necessary for said canal and harbors to be 

 made, and in making such surveys and in the 

 construction of said canal may employ such per- 

 sons as he may deem necessary, and may fix their 

 compensation. 



" In the excavation and construction of said 

 canal the San Juan river and Lake Nicaragua, 

 or such parts of each as may be made available, 

 shall be used. 



" SEC. 5. That the sum of $10,000,000 is hereby 

 appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury 

 not otherwise appropriated, toward the project 

 herein contemplated by either route so selected. 



" And the President is hereby authorized to 

 cause to be entered into such contract or con- 

 tracts as may be deemed necessary for the proper 

 excavation, construction, completion, and defense 

 of said canal, harbors, and defenses, by the route 

 finally determined upon under the provisions of 

 this act. Appropriations therefor shall from time 

 to time be hereafter made, not to exceed in the 

 aggregate the additional sum of $135,000,000 

 should the Panama route be adopted, or $180,000,- 

 000 should the Nicaragua route be adopted. 



" SEC. 6. That in any agreement with the Re- 

 public of Colombia, or with the states of Nica- 

 ragua and Costa Rica, the President is authorized 

 to guarantee to said republic or to said states the 

 use of said canal and harbors, upon such terms 

 as may be agreed upon, for all vessels owned by 

 said states or by citizens thereof. 



" SEC. 7. That to enable the President to con- 

 struct the canal and works appurtenant thereto 

 as provided in this act, there is hereby created 

 the Isthmian Canal Commission, the same to be 

 composed of 7 members, who shall be nominated 

 and appointed by the President, by and with the 

 advice and consent of the Senate, and who shall 

 serve until the completion of said canal unless 

 sooner removed by the President, and one of 

 whom shall be named as the chairman of said 

 commission. Of the 7 members of said commis- 

 sion at least 4 of them shall be persons learned 

 and skilled in the science of engineering, and 

 of the 4 at least one shall be an officer of the 

 United States army, and at least one other shall 

 be an officer of the United States navy, the said 

 officers respectively being either upon the active or 

 the retired list of the army or of the navy. Said 

 commissioners shall each receive such compensa- 

 tion as the President shall prescribe until the 

 same shall have been otherwise fixed by the Con- 

 gress. In addition to the members of said Isth- 

 mian Canal Commission, the President is hereby 

 authorized through said commission to employ in 

 said service any of the engineers of the United 

 States army at his discretion, and likewise to em- 

 ploy any engineers in civil life, at his discretion, 

 and any other persons necessary for the proper 

 and expeditious prosecution of said work. The 



compensation of all such engineers and other per- 

 sons employed under this act shall be fixed by 

 said commission, subject to the approval of the 

 President. The official salary of any officer ap- 

 pointed or employed under this act shall be de- 

 ducted from the amount of salary or compensa- 

 tion provided by or which shall be fixed under 

 the terms of this act. Said commission shall in 

 all matters be subject to the direction and con- 

 trol of the President, and shall make to the 

 President annually and at such other periods as 

 may be required, either by law or by the order 

 of the President, full and complete reports of all 

 their actings and doings and of all moneys re- 

 ceived and expended in the construction of said 

 work and in the performance of their duties in 

 connection therewith, which said reports shall 

 be by the President transmitted to Congress. 

 And the said commission shall furthermore give 

 to Congress, or either House of Congress, such 

 information as may at any time be required 

 either by act of Congress or by the order of 

 either House of Congress. The President shall 

 cause to be provided and assigned for the use 

 of the commission such offices as may, with the 

 suitable equipment of the same, be necessary and 

 proper in his discretion, for the proper discharge 

 of the duties thereof. 



" SEC. 8. That the Secretary of the Treasury is 

 hereby authorized to borrow on the credit of the 

 United States from time to time, as the proceeds 

 may be required to defray expenditures author- 

 ized by this act (such proceeds when received to 

 be used only for the purpose of meeting such 

 expenditures), the sum of $130,000,000, or so 

 much thereof as may be necessary, and to pre- 

 pare and issue therefor coupon or registered 

 bonds of the United States in such form as he 

 may prescribe, and in denominations of $20 or 

 some multiple of that sum, redeemable in gold 

 coin at the pleasure of the United States after 

 ten years from the date of their issue, and pay- 

 able thirty years from such date, and bearing 

 interest payable quarterly in gold coin at the 

 rate of 2 per centum per annum ; and the bonds 

 herein authorized shall be exempt from all taxes 

 or duties of the United States, as well as from 

 taxation in any form by or under State, munici- 

 pal, or local authority: Prodded, That said 

 bonds may be disposed of by the Secretary of 

 the Treasury at not less than par, under such 

 regulations as he may prescribe, giving to all 

 citizens of the United States an equal opportu- 

 nity to subscribe therefor, but no commissions 

 shall be allowed or paid thereon; and a sum not 

 exceeding one-tenth of one per centum of the 

 amount of the bonds herein authorized is hereby 

 appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury 

 not otherwise appropriated, to pay the expense 

 of preparing, advertising, and issuing the same. 



The Census Bureau. The Congress passed a 

 measure to provide for a permanent Census 

 Office. The House committee, which reported in 

 favor of the measure, said among other things: 



" It is estimated that the sum required to com- 

 plete the principal inquiries ordered by the tem- 

 porary census act, and included in the proposed 

 bill, will be about $3.000,000, spreading it over 

 the next four years. This involves an office force 

 of not far from 800 people, including the present 

 executive force, costing about $160,000 per an- 

 num; including also rental, miscellaneous ex- 

 penses, etc. Under the proposed bill, however, 

 with the changes that have been made, -it is es- 

 timated that the annual cost will be not far from 

 $615,000 for the next six years. This involves a 

 material reduction in the clerical force during 



