SECTION 1. The governor of each province, or, in case the governor has failed to qualify as officer of the court by giving a bond, and a sheriff of the province has been appointed, in accordance with section twenty-four of Act Numbered One hundred and thirty-six, providing for the organization of courts, then the sheriff of the province, shall be the legal custodian of the court-house and the public property therein, except the books, records, and papers appertaining to the offices of the clerk, in his province. In the city of Manila the sheriff of the city shall be the legal custodian of the buildings occupied by the Supreme Court, Court of First Instance, municipal courts, and court of justices of the peace, and the public property therein, except the hooks, records, and papers appertaining to the offices of the clerks of the courts, and shall be responsible for the preservation and care of such buildings and property. All expenses incident to the repair, alteration, and custody of court buildings in the provinces, and to the purchase of equipment and supplies, including necessary books and stationery, shall be borne by the several provincial treasuries. All expenses of the character last mentioned incurred in the city of Manila shall be paid for from the city treasury; but no expenses for either purpose shall be incurred without the prior authority of the provincial board in the province, or of the municipal board in the city of Manila, as the case may be. The necessary estimates for repairs, furniture, and equipment of the court-houses in the provinces shall be made by the governors or sheriffs, as the case may be; and for the city of Manila, by the sheriff thereof.
The estimates for the purchase of necessary stationery and books for the use of the courts and clerks shall be made by the clerks of the several courts, respectively.