SEC. 31. That the commission shall submit annually to the Secretary of the Treasury estimates of the appropriations necessary for the work of the commission.

SEC. 32. That the commission is authorized to make necessary rules and regulations for the enforcement of this Act, and shall decide all questions arising under this Act.

SEO. 33. That the commission shall make to Congress at the beginning of each regular session a report of its work for the preceding fiscal year, including a detailed statement of appropriations and expenditures, a detailed statement showing receipts of and expenditures from the employees' compensation fund, and its recommendations for legislation.

SEC. 34. That for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and seventeen, there is hereby authorized to be appropriated, from any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of $50,000 for the work of the commission, including salaries of the commissioners and of such assistants, clerks, and other employees as the commission may deem necessary, and for traveling expenses, expenses of medical examinations under sections twenty-one and twenty-two, reasonable traveling and other expenses and loss of wages payable to employees under section twenty-one, rent and equipment of offices, purchase of books, stationery, and other supplies, printing and binding to be done at the Government Printing Office, and other necessary expenses.

SEC. 35. That there is hereby authorized to be appropriated, from any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of $500,000, to be set aside as a separate fund in the Treasury, to be known as the employees' compensation fund. To this fund there shall be added such sums as Congress may from time to time appropriate for the purpose. Such fund, including all additions that may be made to it, is hereby authorized to be permanently appropriated for the payment of the compensation provided by this Act, including the medical, surgical, and hospital services and supplies provided by section nine, and the transportation and burial expenses provided by sections nine and eleven. The commission shall submit annually to the Secretary of the Treasury estimates of the appropriations necessary for the maintenance of the fund.

SEC. 36. The commission, upon consideration of the claim presented by the beneficiary, and the report furnished by the immediate superior and the completion of such investigation as it may deem necessary, shall determine and make a finding of facts thereon and make an award for or against payment of the compensation provided for in this Act. Compensation when awarded shall be paid from the employees' compensation fund.

SEC. 37. That if the original claim for compensation has been made within the time specified in section twenty, the commission may, at any time, on its own motion or on application, review the award, and, in accordance with the facts found on such review, may end, diminish, or increase the compensation previously awarded, or, if compensation has been refused or discontinued, award compensation.

SEO. 38. That if any compensation is paid under a mistake of law or of fact, the commission shall immediately cancel any award under which such compensation has been paid and shall recover, as far as

practicable, any amount which has been so paid. Any amount so recovered shall be placed to the credit of the employees' compensation fund.

SEC. 39. That whoever makes, in any affidavit required under section four or in any claim for compensation, any statement, knowing it to be false, shall be guilty of perjury and shall be punished by a fine of not more than $2,000, or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

SEC. 40. That wherever used in this Act

The singular includes the plural and the masculine includes the feminine.

The term "employee" includes all civil employees of the United States and of the Panama Railroad Company.

The term "commission" shall be taken to refer to the United States Employees' Compensation Commission provided for in section twentyeight.

The term "physician" includes surgeons.

The term "monthly pay" shall be taken to refer to the monthly pay at the time of the injury.

SEC. 41. That all Acts or parts of Acts inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed: Provided, however, That for injuries occurring prior to the passage of this Act compensation shall be paid under the law in force at the time of the passage of this Act: And provided further, That if an injury or death for which compensation is payable under this Act is caused under circumstances creating a legal liability in the Panama Railroad Company to pay damages therefor under the laws of any State, Territory, or possession of the United States or of the District of Columbia or of any foreign country, no compensation shall be payable until the person entitled to compensation releases to the Panama Railroad Company any right of action which he may have to enforce such liability of the Panama Railroad Company, or until he assigns to the United States any right which he may have to share in any money or other property received in satisfaction of such liability of the Panama Railroad Company.

SEC. 42. That the President may, from time to time, transfer the administration of this Act so far as employees of the Panama Canal and of the Panama Railroad Company are concerned to the governor of the Panama Canal, and so far as employees of the Alaskan Engineering Commission are concerned to the chairman of that commission, in which cases the words "commission" and "its" wherever they appear in this Act shall, so far as necessary to give effect to such transfer, be read "governor of the Panama Canal" or "chairman of the Alaskan Engineering Commission," as the case may be, and "his"; and the expenses of medical examinations under sections twenty-one and twenty-two, and the reasonable traveling and other expenses and loss of wages payable to employees under section twenty-one, shall be paid out of appropriations for the Panama Canal or for the Alaskan Engineering Commission or out of funds of the Panama Railroad, as the case may be, instead of out of the appropriation for the work of the commission.

In the case of compensation to employees of the Panama Canal or of the Panama Railroad Company for temporary disability, either total or partial, the President may authorize the governor of the Panama Canal to waive, at his discretion, the making of the claim

required by section eighteen. In the case of alien employees of the Panama Canal or of the Panama Railroad Company, or of any class or classes of them, the President may remove or modify the minimum limit established by section six on the monthly compensation for disability and the minimum limit established by clause (K) of section ten on the monthly pay on which death compensation is to be computed. The President may authorize the governor of the Panama Canal and the chairman of the Alaskan Engineering Commission to pay the compensation provided by this Act, including the medical, surgical, and hospital services and supplies provided by section nine and the transportation and burial expenses provided by sections nine and eleven, out of the appropriations for the Panama Canal and for the Alaskan Engineering Commission, such appropriations to be reimbursed for such payments by the transfer of funds from the employees' compensation fund.

Approved, September 7, 1916.

[PUBLIC-No. 169. SIXTY-FOURTH CONGRESS.]

Extract from Post-Office Appropriation Act, July 28, 1916.

That hereafter the Postmaster General shall have authority to employ acting employees in place of all employees or substitutes hereinafter mentioned who are injured while on duty, who shall be granted leave of absence with full pay during the period of disability, but not exceeding one year, then at the rate of fifty per centum of the employee's salary for the period of disability exceeding one year, but not exceeding twelve months additional, and the Postmaster General is authorized to pay the sum of $2,000, which shall be exempt from payment of debts of the deceased, to the legal representatives, for the benefit of wife, children, or dependent relatives, of any railway postal clerk, substitute railway postal clerk, supervisory official of the Railway Mail Service, post-office inspector, letter carrier in the City Delivery Service, rural letter carrier, post-office clerk, specialdelivery messenger, post-office laborer or any classified civil-service employee in post offices of the first and second classes who shall be killed while on duty, or who, being injured while on duty, shall die within one year thereafter as the result of such injury: Provided, That no compensation shall be paid any such employee for any injury occasioned by his own negligence. To enable the Postmaster General to carry out the provisions of the above, $234,000.

[PUBLIO NO. 82-65TH CONGRESS.]

[S. 2916.]

An Act To amend sections twenty-four and two hundred and fiftysix of the Judicial Code, relating to the jurisdiction of the district courts, so as to Bave to claimants the rights and remedies under the workmen's compensation law of any State.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That clause three of section twenty-four of the Judicial Code is hereby amended to read as follows: "Third. Of all civil causes of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction, saving to suitors in all cases the right of a common-law remedy where the common law is competent to give it, and to claimants the rights and remedies under the workmen's compensation law of any State; of all seizures on land or waters not within admiralty and maritime jurisdiction; of all prizes brought into the United States; and of all proceedings for the condemnation of property taken as prize."

SEO. 2. That clause three of section two hundred and fifty-six of the Judicial Code is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Third. Of all civil causes of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction, saving to suitors in all cases the right of a common-law remedy where the common law is competent to give it, and to claimants the rights and remedies under the workmen's compensation law of any State." Approved, October 6, 1917.

[PUBLIC-No. 6-66TH CONGRESS.]

Extract from District of Columbia Appropriation Act of July 11, 1919.

SEO. 11. That all of the provisions of the Act of Congress approved September 7, 1916, entitled "An Act to provide compensation for employees of the United States suffering injuries while in the performance of their duties, and for other purposes," are hereby extended to employees of the government of the District of Columbia so far as they may be applicable, except to those members of the police and fire departments of the District of Columbia who are pensioned or pensionable under the provisions of the District of Columbia Appropriation Act approved September 1, 1916. Such compensation as the commission provided for in said Act may award to employees of the government of the District of Columbia shall be paid in the manner provided by law for the payment of the general expenses of the Government of the District of Columbia. For carrying out the provisions of this section, there is appropriated $5,000; and the Commissioners of the District of Columbia shall submit annually to Congress, through the Secretary of the Treasury, estimates of appropriations necessary for the foregoing purpose. Approved, July 11, 1919.

Extract from Deficiency Appropriation Act of December 24, 1919.

EMPLOYEES' COMPENSATION COMMISSION.

Contingent expenses: For furniture and other equipment and repairs thereto, $750; law books, books of reference, periodicals, stationery, and supplies, $850; experts and temporary assistants in the District of Columbia and elsewhere to be paid at a rate not exceeding $8 per day, and temporary clerks, stenographers, or typewriters in the District of Columbia to be paid at a rate not exceeding $100 per month, $7,650; medical examinations, traveling and other expenses, and loss of wages payable to employees under section 21 of the Act of September 7, 1916, and for miscellaneous items, $750; in all, $10.000.

Employees' compensation fund: For the payment of compensation provided by "An Act to provide compensation for employees of the United States suffering injuries while in the performance of their duties, and for other purposes," approved September 7, 1916, including medical, surgical, and hospital services, and supplies provided by section 9, and the transportation and burial expenses provided by sections 9 and 11, $1,100,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That the compensation heretofore or hereafter paid by the United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation to or on account of employees for disability or death resulting from personal injuries sustained while in the performance of their duties shall be in full satisfaction of the claims of such employees or their legal representatives against the United States. Approved, December 24, 1919.

[PUBLIC-No. 172-67TH CONGRESS.]

Extract from Deficiency Appropriation Act, March 20, 1922.

When any damage is done to person or property by or through the operation of the Post Office Department in any branch of its service and such damage is found by the Postmaster General upon investigation to be a proper charge against the United States, the Postmaster General is hereby invested with power to adjust and settle any claim for such damage when his award for such damage in any case does not exceed $500; and the sum of $35,000 is hereby appropriated for the fiscal year 1922 to carry out the provisions of this paragraph

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