By authority of the President of the United States, be it enacted by the United States Philippine Commission, that:

SECTION 1. A supply store is hereby authorized and directed to be established for the purpose of furnishing officers, employees, and servants of the various Departments of the insular and provincial governments, including all teachers in the public schools stationed outside of the city of Manila, with food supplies and other necessaries of life at reasonable prices.

SEC. 2. The Chief of Philippines Constabulary is hereby authorized and directed to take the control and management of such supply store and of the sale and delivery of supplies to the officials, employees, and servants aforesaid, and Act Numbered One hundred and seventy-five is so amended as to impose these duties upon him. He is further authorized and empowered to employ such of the subordinate officers and employees of the Philippines Constabulary as, in his judgment, shall be necessary to make effective the provisions of this Act and to make the necessary regulations to prevent abuse of the privileges conferred by this Act and their extension to persons not authorized.

SEC. 3. The Chief of Philippines Constabulary, in conjunction with the Insular Purchasing Agent, is empowered to procure necessary and suitable offices and warehouses in the city of Manila for the accommodation, handling, and shipping of supplies made necessary under the provisions of this Act. If possible, Government buildings will be utilized, but if necessary, they are authorized to rent private property for this purpose. The Chief of Philippines Constabulary is also authorized to establish branch supply stores outside the city of Manila whenever, in his judgment, it is necessary or desirable so to do in order to most efficiently carry out the provisions of this Act, using Government buildings for that purpose whenever available and renting buildings belonging to private persons when necessary.

SEC. 4. The Chief of Philippines Constabulary is hereby authorized to make sales from time to time to the officials, employees, and servants, described in section one hereof, of such goods and supplies, solely for their personal use, and any sale or other disposition of such supplies by such officials, employees, or servants is hereby forbidden. It shall be the duty of the Chief of Philippines Constabulary, whenever it comes to his knowledge that such supplies have been sold or otherwise disposed of by any such officer, employee, or servant, to refuse to make further sales to him or to allow him any of the benefits of this Act.

SEC. 5. All goods and supplies required by the Chief of Philippines Constabulary, under the provisions of this Act, shall be purchased by the Insular Purchasing Agent, pursuant to the provisions and under the limitations of Act Number One hundred and forty-six, upon the requisition of the Chief of the Philippines Constabulary: Provided, That the Insular Purchasing Agent is hereby also authorized to purchase from the Chief Quartermaster and Chief Commissary, Division of the Philippines, such supplies as they are authorized to sell and as in the judgment of the Chief of Philippines Constabulary, may be necessary or desirable for the supply store upon such terms as may lie mutually agreed on between the Purchasing Agent and the said military officials.

SEC. 6. The Chief of Philippines Constabulary is hereby directed to make sales to the officials and other persons entitled to purchase hereunder, only for cash, and will charge therefor the actual cost price of such goods and supplies, with twenty per centum added to cover cost of handling and transportation, he will make quarterly reports of his operations hereunder to the Secretary of Commerce and Police, together with proper estimates of funds necessary for the proper carrying on of the said supply store. He is authorized to employ in carrying out the provisions of this Act the following clerical force: One chief clerk (commissary), class six; two clerks (one sales and one bookkeeper). Class A; two clerks (one packer and one checker), Class C; one teamster Class D; all to be selected under the provisions of the Civil Service Act, and such laborers, Class K, as may be necessary.

SEC. 7. All moneys derived from the sale of food supplies and other necessaries of life, as herein provided, shall revert to the appropriation out of which such supplies were purchased, and all deposits in the Treasury on this account shall be credited as repayments to the said appropriations on the hooks of the Auditor. Every officer engaged under this Act, unless he be an officer of the Regular Army of the United States, who shall receive supplies purchased under this Act, and shall sell the same, receiving the proceeds thereof, shall be required to give bond in an amount to be determined by the Civil Governor of the Islands with surety satisfactory to him.

SEC. 8. The Chief of Philippines Constabulary and his duly authorized agents shall render monthly accounts of all their transactions in the form and manner prescribed by the Auditor, and shall deposit the proceeds of all sales in the Insular Treasury at least once each month. The property accountability created by the provisions of this Act shall be settled and adjusted in accordance with the provisions of Act Numbered Two hundred and fifteen relating thereto.

SEC. 9. The public good requiring the speedy enactment of this bill, the passage of the same is hereby expedited in accordance with section two of "An Act prescribing the order of procedure by the Commission in the enactment of laws," passed September twenty-six, nineteen hundred.

SEC. 10. This Act shall take effect on its passage.

Enacted. September 27, 1901.