OPERATION. 27 



Contracts to exempt from liability void. 



Sec. 7. That the United States shall not exempt itself from liability 

 under this act by any contract, agreement, rule, or regulation, and 

 any such contract, agreement, rule, or regulation shall be pro tanto 

 void. 



Repeal. 



Sec. 8. That all acts or parts of acts in conflict herewith or provid- 

 ing a different scale of compensation or otherwise regulating its pay- 

 ment are hereby repealed. 



Removal of employees from classified service. 



Act August 24, 1912 (37 Stat, 539). 



Sec. 6. That no person in the classified civil service of the United 

 States shall be removed therefrom except for such cause as will pro- 

 mote the efficiency of said service and for reasons given in writing, 

 and the person whose removal is sought shall have notice of the same 

 and of any charges preferred against him, and be furnished with a 

 copy thereof, and also be allowed a reasonable time for personally 

 answering the same in writing; and affidavits in support thereof; 

 but no examination of witnesses nor any trial or hearing shall be 

 required except in the discretion of the officer making the removal ; 

 and copies of charges, notice of hearing, answer, reasons for removal, 

 and of the order of removal shall be made a part of the records of 

 the proper department or office, as shall also the reasons for reduction 

 in rank or compensation ; and copies of the same shall be furnished 

 to the person affected upon request, and the Civil Service Commis- 

 sion also shall, upon request, be furnished copies of the same: 

 * * * The right of persons employed in the civil service of the 

 United States, either individually or collectively, to petition Con- 

 gress, or any Member thereof, or to furnish information to either 

 House of Congress, or to any committee or member thereof, shall not 

 be denied or interfered with. 



MATERIEL. 



Buildings. 



Act of March 4, 1915 (38 Stat, 1086). 



General Expenses, Forest Service: * * * to erect necessary 

 buildings : Provided, That the cost of any buildings erected shall not 

 exceed $650. 



(By the Agricultural appropriation act of Mar. 4, 1907 (34 Stat., 

 1269), the limit of cost for buildings was fixed at $1,000. This was 

 reduced to $500 by the appropriation act of May 23, 1908 (35 Stat., 

 259) , and increased to $650 by the act of Mar. 4, 1911 (36 Stat., 1235). 

 The same limit of cost has been fixed by subsequent appropria- 

 tion acts. 



Construction of telephone lines. 



Act of March 4, 1913 (37 Stat, 828). 



* * * That hereafter the Secretary of Agriculture, whenever 

 he may deem it necessary for the protection of the National Forests 

 from fire, may permit the use of timber, free of charge, for the con- 

 struction of telephone lines : * * *. 



