Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 85.djvu/61

 85 STAT. ]

PUBLIC LAW 92-12-MAY 7, 1971

31

acquisition; (e) accept gifts or donations of services or of property in aid of any of the purposes herein authorized; (f) appoint such officers, attorneys, agents, and employees, vest them with such powers and duties, hx and pay such compensation to them for their services as the telephone bank may determine; (g) determine the character of and the necessity for its obligations and expenditures, and the manner in which they shall be incurred, allowed, and paid; (h) execute, in accordance with its bylaws, all instruments necessary or appropriate in the exercise of any of its powers; (i) collect or compromise all obligations assigned to or held by it and all legal or equitable rights accruing to it in connection with the payment of such obligations until such time as such obligations may be referred to the Attorney General for suit or collection; and (j) exercise all such other powers as shall be necessary or incidental to carrying out its functions under this title. " SEC. 403. SPECIAL PROVISIONS GOVERNING TELEPHONE B A N K AS AN AGENCY OF THE UNITED STATES U N T I L CONVERSION or OWNERSHIP, CONTROL, AND OPERATION.—Until the ownership, control, and opera-

tion of the telephone bank is converted as provided in section 410(a) of this title and not thereafter— " (a) the telephone bank shall be an agency of the United States and shall be subject to the supervision and direction of the Secretary of Agriculture (hereinafter called the Secretary): Provided, however, That the telephone bank shall at no time be entitled to transmission of its mail free of postage, nor shall it have the priority of the United States in the payment of debts out of bankrupt, insolvent, and decedents' estates; " (b) in order to perform its responsibilities under this title, the telephone bank may partially or jointly utilize the facilities and the services of employees of the Kural Electrification Administration or of any other agency of the Department of Agriculture, without cost to the telephone bank; " (c) the telephone bank shall be subject to the provisions of the Government Corporation Control Act, as amended (31 U.S.C. 841, et seq.), in the same manner and to the same extent as if it were ^9 Stat. 597. included in the definition of 'wholly owned Government corporation' as set forth in section 101 of said Act (31 U.S.C. 846); " (d) the telephone bank may without regard to the civil service classification laws appoint and fix the compensation of such officers and employees of the telephone bank as it may deem necessary; "(e) the telephone bank shall be subject to the provisions of sections 517, 519, and 2679 of title 28, United States Code. 8° Stat. 613, "SEC. 404. GovERNOR.~Subject to the provisions of section 410, ^2 Stat. 984; the Admmistrator of the Rural Electrification Administration shall ^^ Stat. 539. serve as the chief executive officer of the telephone bank (herein called

�