conventions or meetings shall be called in any one year except upon previous approval of the department governor. In c ase any such convention or meeting is called for the purpose of considering or acting on special business, the call shall so state. The actual and necessary traveling expenses, going and returning, of the presidents called and actually attending such meeti ngs shall be paid out of the provincial treasury upon approval by the provincial board, but shall not exceed the maximum amount allowed by law for traveling expenses of provincial officers. During the time that the municipal president is absent for the pur pose of attending any such meeting the vice-president shall act in his place and shall receive therefor out of the municipal treasury a sum equal to the salary due the president for the same time. The president shall also receive the salary while absent fo r the said purpose. [2408-33.] Finance SECTION  2597 . Provincial Secretary-Treasurer — Duties and Powers . — There shall be a provincial secretary-treasurer; but the department governor may, in his discretion, authorize the department treasurer in person or by deputies to perform, in whole or in  part, the duties devolving upon the provincial secretary-treasurer, without extra compensation, and the traveling expenses of the department treasurer or his deputies, when acting as provincial secretary-treasurers, shall be a proper charge against the fun ds of the respective provinces. The secretary-treasurer shall be the chief financial officer of the province, and his duties shall be as follows ( a ) Assessment of property . — He shall keep on file a copy of the tax assessment list of all real property in the province in his office, and shall make an alphabetical index thereof, which list and alphabetical index shall be a public record. ( b ) Collection of taxes . — Except where otherwise specially provided, he shall, by himself or deputy, collect all taxes imposed upon property or persons in the province. ( c ) Appointment of clerks, deputies, and so forth . — He Shall have power to appoint as many deputies or clerks in his office as he may deem necessary, after he has obtained the approval of the provincial board and the department treasurer. Such deputies an d clerks shall be selected under the provisions of the Civil Service Law. He may also ARTICLE  V Copyright 2012 CD Technologies Asia, Inc. and Accesslaw, Inc. Philippine Law Encyclopedia 2011 815