Two other acts gave local officials and soldiers power over local people. The Embankment Act (1909) gave the government power over local landowners in times of emergency. It included provisions that gave local officials the right to confiscate property and use forced labor. Leaders could invoke the law when repairs were quickly needed for the embankments protecting local areas from flooding. He could compel farmers to provide unpaid labor to repair the embankment. He also had the right to take any resources such as bamboo, timber, livestock, or boats without compensation. The Cantonments (House Accommodation) Act (1923) allowed the military, in certain zones known as cantonments, to take control of any houses they need for their accommodation. Much later, in 1947, the government passed the similar Requisitioning (Emergency Provisions) Act (1947). This law gave the president the power to take control of land or housing for any local official working on an important government project.