Upon the completion of the whole or any part of the irrigation system, the Secretary of Transportation and Public Works shall provide for its maintenance and administration and shall make and award all necessary contracts and make the necessary bylaws, rules and regulations for the patrolling of, and for the distribution and use of the water in, the temporary and permanent irrigation districts; Provided, That the Secretary of Transportation and Public Works is hereby authorized and empowered to compromise, when, in his judgment, it is advisable to do so, any claim not exceeding one thousand ($1,000) dollars, filed for damages to property or to any person, caused by the negligence of the employees of the Isabela Irrigation Service within the district where the works of the irrigation service are located, after an investigation has been duly made by the Chief Engineer of the Isabela Irrigation Service, and after a favorable opinion thereon has been rendered by the Secretary of Justice of Puerto Rico; Provided, That every claim allowed in accordance with the authority vested in the Secretary of Transportation and Public Works shall be paid out of the funds of the Isabela Irrigation Service.
History —June 19, 1919, No. 63, p. 348, § 11; May 11, 1937, J.R. No. 38, p. 606; May 6, 1938, No. 130, p. 271, § 1.