Section 17
SEC. 17. The secretary of the district shall be the custodian of the public records and documents of the district; he shall attest all the official acts of the governor of the district and shall record all of those acts which are required by law to be recorded, and shall discharge generally all the duties usually pertaining to the office of secretary; he shall on demand furnish certified copies of all public records and documents of the district, for which he may charge as personal compensation, in addition to his regular salary, to any private person, but not to any public official needing the same for public purpose, the amount of ten cents, local currency, for each one hundred words, including the certificate. In case of a vacancy in the office of governor, or of his absence from the district or of his disability, he shall perform the duties of district governor; he shall inspect civil affairs in the district, and acquaint himself as far as possible with the language and customs of the Moros and other non-Christian tribes living therein; he shall be the president of the district court as hereinabove provided; he shall make recommendations to the provincial engineer in respect to the repairs and improvements upon public works, public highways, and public buildings, and when public works or public repairs are begun, by direction of the legislative council, he shall, under direction of the engineer and as his deputy, supervise them and see that the contracts under which they are being carried out are complied with; he shall have custody of all public property of the district and be the custodian of all buildings used for government purposes in the district; he shall give a bond for the faithful discharge of his duties, the amount of which shall be fixed by the provincial engineer with the approval of the legislative council; he shall discharge the duties of his office under the orders and supervision of the district governor; and he shall discharge all other duties within the district which may be imposed upon him by act of the legislative council. When the district governor is absent from the capital but present in the district, the secretary shall perform such duties of the district governor as may be delegated to him in writing by the governor.