CONTRACTS. 323 



tarv shall prescribe, and all departments comply with, niles provid- 

 inir for such examination and tests of the articles received as may 

 be necessary for such purpose; in making; additions to the said sched- 

 ule ; in opening and considering the bids, and shall perform such 

 other similar duties as he may assign to them: Prooidcd, That the 

 articles intended to be purchased in this manner are those in common 

 use by or suitable to the ordinary needs of two or more such depart- 

 ments or establishments; but the said Secretary shall have discretion 

 to amend the annual common supply schedule from time to time as 

 to any articles that, in his judgment, can as well be thus purchased. 

 In all cases only one bond for the proper performance of each con- 

 tract shall be required, notwithstanding that supplies for more than 

 one department or government establishment are included in such 

 contract. Every purchase or drawing of such supplies from the con- 

 tractor shall be immediately reported to said committee. No dis- 

 bursing officer shall be a member of such committee. No department 

 or establishment shall purchase or draw supplies from the common 

 schedule through more than one office or bureau, except in case of 

 detached bureaus or offices having field or outlying service, which may 

 purchase directly from the contractor with the permission of the head 

 of their department: And provided further^ That telephone service, 

 electric light, and power service purchased or contracted for from 

 companies or individuals shall be so obtained by him. 



Act June 17,' 1910. c. 297, s. 4, 36 Stat. 531. 



This section is a part of the legislative, executive, and judicial ap- 

 propriation act for the fiscal year 1911, cited above. 



Itev. St. sec. 3709. as amended by act January 27, 1894, c. 22, mentioned 

 in this section, is set forth above. 



EEV. ST. SEC. 3710. 

 Opening bids. 



Sec. 3710. Whenever proposals for supplies have been solicited, 

 the parties responding to such solicitations shall be duly notified of 

 the time and place of opening the bids, and be permitted to be pres- 

 ent either in person or by attorney, and a record of each bid shall then 

 and there be made. 



REV. ST. SEC. 3711. 



Inspection of fuel in District of Columbia; appointment of inspectors, etc. 



Sec. 8711. It shall not be lawful for any officer or person in the 

 civil, military, or naval service of the United States in the District 

 of Columbia to i)urchase anthracite or bituminous coal or wood for 

 the public service except on condition that the same shall, before de- 

 livery, be inspected and weighed or measured by some competent 

 person, to be appointed by the head of the Department or chief of the 

 branch of the service for which the purcha.se is made from among 

 the persons authorized to be employed in such Department or branch 

 of the service. The person appointed under this section shall ascer- 

 tain that each ton of coal weighed by him shall consist of two thou- 

 sand two hundred and forty pounds, and that each cord of wood to 

 be so measured shall be of the standard measure of one hundred and 

 twenty-eight cubic feet. Each load or parcel of wood or coal weighed 

 and measured by him shall be accompanied by his certificate of the 



