Juan, ex officio members, and three other persons appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the executive council. Although the commissioner of the interior is also exofficio chairman of this board, he has neither more power nor greater duties than the other four members. It would seem, then, that this legislation abridges the powers and duties committed to the commissioner of the interior by the organic act, which contains the mandate that this official of the government shall superintend all works of a public nature. There is also a division of property and accounts, not originally established, which has charge of all the accounting and disbursements required by the vast deal of business which is being done by this office. The changes in organization above described, rendered necessary by the rapid development of the various governmental activities, have not been accompanied by corresponding amendments to the law to suit new conditions, so that there is at present a portion of statutory provisions which, although in force, can not in practice be applied. For instance, section 411 of the Revised Statutes of 1902 provides as follows: "Plans for new buildings. That all plans for the construction or extension of any public building, whenever the estimated cost of the proposed work shall exceed $100,000, shall be obtained in public competition, and for this purpose the commissioner of the interior shall advertise it in English and Spanish in two newspapers of general circulation published in different cities of the island for a period of not less than 30 days, provided, however, that the people of Porto Rico shall in no case pay for the project chosen a sum greater than 5 per cent of the total estimated cost of the building." The above provisions of the law were intended to prevent the expenditures necessary to keep a highly trained architectural office, but the limitation upon the highest prize in a contest is such that the statute affords no attraction to architects of high grade of ability, because the compensation is too small. It is my understanding that the attempts to apply this law were futile, and, therefore, the resulting need of establishing the present division of public buildings under a chief of division who is an architect, and making a specialty of such work, which, to judge from the large amount of money spent on it, has attained to a very great importance. This is a single instance of many that could be cited where the law governing the department of the interior has become either obsolete or inapplicable, and I therefore recommend a revision of such legislation so that it will conform to present conditions and facts. But little work of new construction was done during the first half of the fiscal year. The general suspension of work ordered by the governor sometime during the spring of 1914 because of the precarious condition of insular finances was still in force, and it was not until late in the winter, when the last sale of bonds was effected, that general activity was resumed, and not until the latter part of January was it possible to make a reorganization of working forces and finish all preparatory work (projects) necessary to ask for bids and undertake construction by contract. It can therefore be said that with the exception of the usual work of maintenance of public roads, which went on in the usual manner, and a small amount of construction of new roads and the reconstruction of a bridge over the river at Yauco city which was proceeded with from the beginning of the fiscal year, the greater part of the work of new construction, especially in public buildings and municipal improvements, has been done during the six months elapsed from January 1 to June 30. The following is a detailed though brief discussion of the activities of the various bureaus and divisions which constitute this department. MUNICIPAL IMPROVEMENTS. Under this head is placed the work done by this office for the municipalities and usually paid out of the proceeds of loans or advance of funds made by the insular government to the various municipal units. It includes generally the construction of waterworks, sewers, and other municipal improvements, exclusive, however, of municipal and school buildings, which work is handled by the division of public buildings, and the construction and repairing of municipal roads, which work is handled by the bureau of public works. The municipal improvements are under the charge of the division of municipal engineering, the expenses of which are met from the sum of $20,000 appropriated by an act of the legislature entitled "An act making appropriation for the study of municipal works and for carrying out the same," approved March 11, 1913, with the exception of the salary of the engineer, chief of the division, who is a regular budgetary employee of the government. The expenses incurred by this division for personnel, material and traveling expenses are charged to the respective municipalities for which the work is done, and the same are reimbursed from time to time as the municipalities settle their accounts. This system of doing business entails a great deal of bookkeeping which would be unnecessary if all the force of the division was composed of budgetary employees provided for in the same manner as the other divisions of the department. Although involving a repetition, it is well to state, in order to make matters perfectly clear, that this division has charge of designing public works for municipalities, except buildings and municipal roads, when requested by the municipalities through municipal ordinances which must specifically state that all expenses incurred in connection with such work will be reimbursed to the department of the interior. The construction of all work, whether designed in this division or not, undertaken by the municipalities under municipal bond issues or insular advances, is supervised by this division. The following summaries show the amount, condition, and kind of work done by the division of municipal engineering: (a) Construction begun during the fiscal year 1913-14 and completed during the present fiscal year 1914-15: Toa Baja waterworks.. Total....... (b) Construction begun and completed during the present fiscal year 1914–15: (c) Construction partially completed during the present fiscal year: Aguadilla waterworks... $3,000.00 6,000.00 9,000.00 $10,500.00 5,000.00 1,000.00 1,500.00 2,500.00 20, 500.00 $5, 774.79 Aguadilla sewerage system. Caguas sewerage system.. Comerio waterworks. Gurabo waterworks.. Lares waterworks........ Lares sewerage system.. Total...... Total amount of construction done during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1915.. 6, 375. 44 10, 510. 34 2, 611. 39 2,050. 78 2, 030. 93 508. 21 29, 861.88 59, 361. 88 (d) Construction begun during the present fiscal year, 1914-15 and still under way: (f) The following plans and specifications were completed prior to June 30, 1914, but no construction work has been started: Improvements to waterworks, Ponce.... Sewerage system, Ponce..... $55,000.00 170,000.00 Waterworks: Juana Diaz.. Adjuntas.. Bayamon.. Barranquitas. San German. Barceloneta. Aguada. Lajas. Naguabo. Sabana Grande. Morovis.. Añasco.. San Sebastian.. Sewerage systems: Aibonito.. Yauco... Humacao. Naguabo.. Yabucoa.. Salinas. 50,000.00 18, 000. 00 180,000.00 7,500.00 200,000.00 80, 000. 00 9,000.00 77, 709.63 13, 700.00 27,800.00 19,000.00 32, 058.00 13, 270.00 35, 635.00 14, 770.00 35,000.00 33, 570.00 11, 625.00 25,000.00 30,000,00 30,000.00 13, 941. 00 19, 250.00 18, 400.00 Santa Isabel. Improvements to waterworks, Aibonito. Street paving, Ponce... Total..... 12, 711.00 4,000.00 100,000.00 1,336, 939. 63 (g) The following plans and specifications were prepared during the present fiscal (h) The following projects are under investigation or preparation of plans and specifications: Waterworks, Juana Diaz (new project); improvements to waterworks, Cayey; waterworks, Cidra; extension to sewerage system, Fajardo; waterworks, Loiza. The average cost of preparation of projects to the different municipalities, including field expenses in connection with said projects has been as follows: RÉSUMÉ. (a) The total work contracted for and being built during the present fiscal year amounts to $270,822.44, as compared with $61,760.73 in 1913-14 and $198,221.10 during 1912-13. (b) Plans were prepared during the present fiscal year for 10 different projects with an estimated total cost of $245,899.25, as compared with $471,331 for 1913-14 and $844,000 during 1912–13. (c) The total running expenses of the division including all salaries to men employed in the office or in the field, traveling expenses and per diems necessary in carrying out inspections or preparing projects to the different municipalities has been $8,578.55 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1915. Loans from the insular government may be made for an amount equal to 6 per cent of the assessed valuation of property in the municipality in question when the financial condition of the municipality shows sufficient resources to provide for payments on ioan. This valuation was greatly decreased during the past year due to the fact that on account of the ultimate removal of the tariff on sugar the assessment of the personal property of sugar centrals was reduced several millions of dollars. It was not until the latter part of the fiscal year that loans were finally granted to several municipalities, thus greatly increasing the volume of construction for this next fiscal year. Plans and specifications have been prepared to date for 36 separate projects which are still pending the granting of loans, totaling an estimated cost of about $1,446,416.04. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. The division of public buildings has charge of designing, erecting, and maintaining all public buildings. Upon requests from the various school boards and municipalities, it prepares projects for, and supervises the construction of, all buildings such as schools, town halls, markets, hospitals, slaughterhouses, butcher shops, meat shops, etc. For the "Maintenance, care, necessary repairs to and reconstruction of public buildings" the sum of $20,000 was provided in the annual budget. From this amount there was expended on 36 different buildings, in sums varying from $1 to $3,000, the total amount of $19,985.75. The amount spent on water for public buildings was $516.80 and for light was $1,939.07. For the approval of the commissioner of the interior, who is frequently called upon to act as an advisor to the school boards, through the department of education, and to the municipalities, various projects for buildings were examined and submitted for his approval, for amounts ranging from $100 to $12,000, and for a total sum of $48,883. The work of construction done during the fiscal year is as follows: SCHOOL BUILDINGS. Estimated Expended during fiscal year. Arecibo, reinforced concrete high school building. Ponce, 16-room reinforced concrete graded school, Reina Street.. Rio Piedras, reinforced concrete Memorial Hall, extension to University of Porto Barros, reinforced concrete graded school building.. 55,000.00 571.00 38,453.29 Barranquitas, reinforced concrete graded school building. 13,000.00 6, 131.04 10,000.00 Humacao, reinforced concrete high school building. San Juan, filters and drinking fountains for school at Puerta de Tierra. 40,000.00 340.00 Mayaguez, reinforced concrete, &-room, graded school building... 8,897.48 30,430,86 340.00 Salinas, reinforced concrete toilet buildings and repairs to graded school building.. Humacao, reinforced concrete 12-room addition and alteration to Ponce de Leon graded school... Ponce, reinforced concrete 16-room graded school, Concordia Street.. Barceloneta, reinforced concrete 4-room graded school at barrio Florida.. 4,573.41 Mayaguez, reinforced concrete Science Building for the College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts.. 2,544.98 25,000.00 Ponce, reinforced concrete high school building, Padre Rufo Street. 5,000.00 Rio Piedras, reinforced concrete 3-room graded school at barrio Sabana Llana. Ponce, reinforced concrete 16-room graded school building, opposite athletic grounds.... 135, 736.84 26,962.70 Rio Piedras, filters and drinking fountains, Normal School, University of Porto 4,930.79 4,930.79 Mayaguez, reinforced concrete 12-room graded school building... SCHOOL BUILDINGS-continued. Rio Piedras, plumbing installation, Normal School, University of Porto Rico... Guayama, reinforced concrete 4-room addition and alteration to the Washington Guayama, iron and concrete fence for Derkes graded school. Rio Grande, reinforced concrete 2-room addition to Bancroft graded school. San Juan, 6-room frame annex to José Julián Acosta graded school.. San Juan, repairs to the José Julián Acosta graded school. Rio Piedras, repairs to Memorial Hall extension, University of Porto Rico. Loiza, reinforced concrete 4-room graded school building. San Juan, reinforced concrete 12-room graded school at stop 421, Santurce. Toa Alta, reinforced concrete 6-room graded school building.. Aibonito, reinforced concrete 4-room addition and alteration to Brumbaugh graded school.. San Juan, reinforced concrete and pipe fence for L. J. Vega school, Miramar, San Juan, repairs to intendencia building.. San Juan, repairs to the executive mansion building. San Juan, construction of a vault in the office of the secretary of Porto Rico, No. 1 Allen Street. 13.23 13.23 40.97 40.97 7.11 7.11 358.87 358.87 26.50 26.50 4.70 4.70 San Juan, repairs to boys' charity school at Santurce.. San Juan, repairs to tuberculosis hospital at Santurce.. 1 Some work done during the fiscal year but no payments made prior to June 30, 1915. The following is a list of buildings completed during the fiscal year: |