Executive Order 1605

by President of the United States

By virtue of the authority vested in me I hereby establish the following order for the Canal Zone:

Section 1. The Administrative District of Emperador shall be known hereafter as the Administrative District of Empire, and the town of Empire shall be the head of the District.

Sec. 2. The Administrative District of Gorgona is hereby abolished, and the territory heretofore embraced in said District is incorporated into the Administrative District of Empire for all judicial, administrative, and political purposes.

Sec. 3. The District Court of Gorgona is hereby abolished, and all cases, civil or criminal, pending in said court, at the time this order takes effect are transferred to the District Court of Empire, to be tried and disposed of in said court in like manner and form as if they had been originally instituted therein, without prejudice to any rulings or orders that may have been previously made in said cases by the District Court of Gorgona; and all process issued in said cases made returnable to the District Court of Gorgona shall be returnable to the District Court of Empire, and the records and files of the District Court of Gorgona shall be transferred to and become a part of the records and files of the District Court of Empire as soon as this order takes effect.

Sec. 4. If at any time it is impracticable to assign a district judge of one district to hold the court of another district judge, the Head of the Department of Civil Administration, with the approval of the Chairman of the Isthmian Canal Commission, shall appoint some competent person to act as a special judge to hold such court until the regular judge thereof returns to his duties, or one of the district judges is assigned to such court under the existing laws. Any person appointed special judge hereunder, while serving in that capacity shall receive compensation for his services at the same rate as that paid to the regular district judge.

Sec. 5. The powers and duties heretofore vested in and imposed on the administrative officers of the District of Gorgona are hereby transferred to the corresponding administrative officials respectively in the District of Empire; together with the records and files belonging to such officers.

Sec. 6. The areas of Gatun Lake lying outside of the east and west lines of the Canal Zone proper (original ten mile strip) and the lands adjacent to said areas up to contour lines of one hundred feet above mean sea level, are hereby included in the present Cristobal Administrative District, and in the Third Judicial Circuit, for all judicial, administrative, and political purposes; except, that part of the Chagres and its confluences from the point where the said river intersects the eastern line of the Canal Zone proper, thence to the eastward up to contour lines of one hundred feet above mean sea level, which shall be included in the Administrative District of Empire and in the Second Judicial Circuit for such purposes.

Sec. 7. All laws and orders or parts thereof in conflict with this order are hereby repealed.

Sec. 8. This order shall take effect ten days from and after this date; Provided, That the office of senior district judge in accordance with the preexisting laws shall continue until December 31, 1912, at which date the said office shall cease to exist ; And, provided further, That nothing in this order shall be construed to deprive any judicial or administrative officer of the District of Gorgona as now formed, of leave of absence with pay that may be due him when this order takes effect.

Wm. H. Taft.

The White House,

September 12, 1912.