Alterations and Repairs In The Appraisers' Warehouse At New York City

The Officials connected with the Customs Service in the city of New York consider it necessary and desirable for the proper dispatch of the customs business that extensive alterations and changes be made on one of the floors of the appraisers' warehouse in that city, involving the supply of numerous partitions and other work of similar characters. The Office of the Comptroller General having held (1 Comp. Dec., 33; 7 id., 684) that the appropriation for 'Repairs and preservations of public buildings' was not available for making improvements and alterations in public buildings, the Department of the Treasury requests to be advised whether, in Comptroller's opinion, the expense of making the proposed changes and alterations above referred to may not properly be paid from the appropriation for 'Collecting the revenue from customs,' the purpose of the same being entirely to facilitate the transaction of the customs business."