MISCELLANEOUS APPROPRIATIONS.

Salary of historian, $1,500; subvention to the "Liga Anti-Tuberculosa de Puerto Rico," to be paid in twelve parts, for the maintenance of its hospital and sanatorium and for the prevention of tuberculosis in Porto Rico, $15,000; subvention to the "Liga Anti-Tuberculosa de Ponce," payable in twelve equal parts, per annum, $6,000; subvention to the "Asilo de Ancianos Desamparados," payable in twelve equal parts, per annum, $1,200; pension to the child Jesús María Sanromá to enable him to continue his musical studies, payable in twelve parts, for one year, $600; Provided, That this appropriation shall be subject to the approval of the Governor, who shall determine the manner in which it shall be expended. Subvention to the Ponce Orphanage, payable in twelve equal parts, per annum, $1,200; pension for Dr. Agustín Stahl, $1,200; appropriation of one hundred twenty-five dollars a month for the support of the Deaf and Dumb Asylum established at San Juan, P. R., for the fiscal year 1916-17, $1,500.

Total, Miscellaneous Appropriations, $28,200.

Section 2.-The Auditor of Porto Rico is hereby authorized to allow payment of extra compensation to such employees of the Insular Government, including the Executive Council and the House of Delegates as may have been or as may hereafter be employed on work pertaining to the Legislative Assembly or commissions or committees. thereof, at the rate not to exceed seventy-five cents per hour, to be paid from available and appropriate appropriations of said body.

Section 3. To defray the expenses of the "Economy Commission" created by virtue of Joint Resolution No. 1, approved January 28, 1914, the amount of ten thousand (10,000) dollars is appropriated in addition to any balance which may result from the appropriation made by section 2 of the aforesaid Joint Resolution, and each member of said commission, who does not receive a permanent salary from the Insular Government, shall be paid traveling expenses and a per diem of ten (10) dollars for each day's session of said commission while the Legislative Assembly is not in session; Provided, That the Economy Commission shall continue its work with the powers which have been granted to it by Joint Resolution No. 1, approved January 28, 1914, and with any other power hereinafter conferred upon it, until by an Act of the Legislative Assembly its work shall be declared to have terminated.

Section 4.--In order to make the government of the municipalities more simple, efficient. and economical, the Economy Commission is hereby authorized and directed to investigate the whole question of municipal organization in Porto Rico, to recommend whatever changes may be required in the present laws, and to submit a written report and draft of the legislation necessary to carry out its recommendations to the Governor as soon as possible, and in any case, not later than December 31, 1916; Provided, That for the purpose of facilitating said investigation and permitting the municipalities to have a voice in the reorganization, there shall be appointed by the

Governor three mayors, cne from each of the three classes of municipalities now provided by law, which mayors shall form a part of the Economy Commission only in so far as it may deal with municipal affairs under the provisions hereof.

Section 5.-The members of the Committee on Finance and Appropriations of the Executive Council shall be the members of the Economy Commission from the Executive Council provided for in section 1 of Joint Resolution No. 1, approved January 28, 1914.

Section 6.-The office of the Economy Commission shall be located convenient to the office of the Auditor, although meetings of the commission may be held at such place or places as the commission may see fit. The personnel of the commission shall be such, and so paid, as that body may desire; Provided, That the Auditor is hereby authorized to allow payment of extra compensation to such employees of the Insular Government, including the Executive Council and the House of Delegates, as may have been or may hereafter be employed on work pertaining to the Economy Commission at the rates fixed by the commission.

Section 7.-The personnel of the Economy Commission shall be subject to the general jurisdiction of the Auditor in the matter of duties; Provided, That the commission may alter said duties.

Section 8.--When, in the opinion of the Governor, the interests of the public service require it, he may authorize transfers from appropriations provided for any particular department of the Insular Government to other appropriations provided for the same department, and may also in like manner authorize transfers from one sub-head of appropriations to another sub-head; Provided, That no new offices. shall be created nor any changes in salaries or rates of compensation made except such as may be approved by the Economy Commission and the Governor of Porto Rico.

Section 9. All laws or parts of laws in conflict with this Act are hereby repealed.

Approved April 13, 1916.

[No. 80.]

AN ACT

TO PERMIT JUSTICES OF THE PEACE TO PRACTICE THE PROFESSION OF NOTARY PUBLIC.

Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of Porto Rico:

Section 1.-That Section 35* of "An Act to regulate the Practice of the notarial profession", as amended by Act No. 48, approved March 13, 1913, shall not be construed to prevent any justice of the peace of the Island, who is a notary, from practicing the profession

* Spanish text reads "36."

of notary in any instance not inconsistent with his duties as a justice of the peace.

Section 2.-That any law or part of law in conflict herewith is hereby repealed.

Section 3. That this Act shall take effect immediately upon its approval.

Approved, April 13, 1916.

[J. R. No. 1.]

JOINT RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES NOT TO INCLUDE IN LEGISLATING FOR PORTO RICO ANY PROHIBITION WHATEVER ON THE SALE, IMPORTATION OR MANUFACTURE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES IN PORTO RICO.

WHEREAS, The "International Reform Bureau" has submitted a statement to the Committees of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, praying the Congress to prohibit the importation, manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in Porto Rico;

WHEREAS, Certain averments contrary to facts are made in the aforesaid statement, giving a false idea of our conditions and making us appear before the world as a demoralized people;

WHEREAS, In that statement the erroneous averment is made that $14,000,000 are consumed in alcohol in Porto Rico while only $7,000,000 are spent in wheat flour, meaning thereby that this last article constitutes the sole or largest foodstuff of our people and thus establishing a very alarming difference between the figures just quoted;

WHEREAS, The precise amount of alcoholic liquors consumed in Porto Rico, taken from data furnished by the Treasury Department of the Insular Government, a department entrusted with keeping such statistics for the purpose of levying the excise taxes of the Government, is as follows for the fiscal year 1914-15:

1,926, 139 liters of distilled spirits

1, 394, 657 liters of beer_

483, 638 liters of wine__

1,421 liters of champagne..

2, 805, 855 liters

Total__

Total value of article, taking as basis its annual average price.

$1, 251, 990. 35 264, 933. 00 91, 824. 00 5,865.00

$1, 614, 612. 35

The above statement shows there is a difference of $12,385,387.65 between the exact value of the consumption of alcoholic beverages. in Porto Rico and the estimated value of $14,000,000 as stated by the "International Reform Bureau;"

WHEREAS, The total value of foodstuffs shipped into Porto Rico, according to statistical reports of the United States Custom House, for the fiscal year of 1914-15, is shown as follows:

WHEREAS, Besides the articles enumerated, there are grown on the Island many starch-food plants and cereals, such as yautías (a tropical tuber) sweet potatoes, yam, plantain, yucca, potatoes, onions, breadfruit, alligator pears, corn, beans, pumpkin, and other varieties of vegetables representing an amount greater than all the rice, flour and other similar articles shipped into the Island, and in milk, fowls, fish, sugar, meat products, chocolates and other products, an amount also greater than the value of similar articles imported, and, therefore, the excess per capita between the food and alcoholic consumption is far greater than what the "International Reform Bureau" endeavors to demonstrate;

WHEREAS, Porto Rico, compared with the United States and other countries of the world in this respect, is per capita one of the most sober and temperate countries, as can be readily seen by the following comparative statement, in which the total consumption of alcohol in Porto Rico and in the United States during fiscal year 1914–15 is taken as a basis, according to data shown on page 267 of the World Almanac for 1916:

WHEREAS, The statistical reports themselves show a constant decrease in the consumption of alcohol in Porto Rico, as can be seen by the following comparative statement for the fiscal years 1912-13 and 1914-15:

These totals representing a reduction in the consumption of alcoholic beverages for the year 1914-15 against 1912-13 of 3,027,412 liters, an amount equivalent, approximately, to a decrease of 45 per cent in two years only, which is principally due to the influence of our educational, moral and sanitation system.

WHEREAS, A prohibition measure of that character would reduce the Insular Government receipts more than $1,400,000; that is, 37 per cent of the total Government income, amounting only to $3,760,798.79 during the fiscal year 1914-15;

WHEREAS, A reduction of such magnitude in the Government receipts could not be compensated by any other source of revenue at the present time, taking into consideration the actual financial condition of the Island. Such reduction, therefore, would involve the stoppage of our progress, for we should then have to abandon many necessary public services, such as public health, road construction, and especially our public-school work, which is indispensable to the attainment of the goal of our desires in our constant endeavor to eradicate illiteracy, furnishing a primary education to two hundred thousand children who are still without school facilities on the Island;

WHEREAS, It seems to be fair and in accordance with democratic principles that legislation of a local nature should be left entirely to the discretion of the local Legislative Assembly;

NOW, THEREFORE, Be it resolved by the Legislative Assembly of Porto

Rico:

Section 1.-That the Congress of the United States be requested not to consider the aforesaid petition in legislating for Porto Rico, and that no prohibition whatever of the sale, importation or manufacturing of alcoholic beverages in Porto Rico be included in such legislation, leaving the Legislature of the Island to adopt such measures as may be deemed advisable for that purpose.

Approved April 3, 1916.

[J. R. No. 2.]

JOINT RESOLUTION

PROVIDING FOR THE PUBLICATION OF A "DIGEST OF THE PORTO RICO REPORTS ON APPEALS FROM DECISIONS OF THE REGISTRARS OF PROPERTY," COMPILED BY PABLO BERGA.

WHEREAS, Attorney Pablo Berga has prepared in Spanish a digest comprising the doctrines laid down by the Supreme Court of Porto