1897. CHAPTER 474. Passed May 21, AN ACT AUTHORIZING TOWN AND CITY COUNCILS TO COLLECT FEES FOR LICENSES AND COMMISSIONS ISSUED TO OFFICERS ELECTED OR APPOINTED BY SUCH COUN CILS, Town and city councils, etc., author ized to charge and collect fees for licenses and commissions issued to certain officers. It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: SECTION 1. The town councils of towns and the city councils of cities and the boards of aldermen thereof, respectively, are hereby authorized to charge and collect for licenses and commissions issued to officers elected or appointed by them, respectively, such fees as the town and city council or the board of aldermen thereof, respectively, shall fix by ordinance or resolution. SEC. 2. This act shall take effect from and after its passage. CHAPTER 475. Passed May 21. AN ACT IN AMENDMENT OF CHAPTER 115 OF THE GENERAL LAWS, ENTITLED "OF WRONGS TO CHILDREN." 1897. Penalty for abuse of children. It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: SECTION 1. Section 4 of Chapter 115 of the General Laws, entitled "Of Wrongs to Children," is hereby amended so as to read as follows: "Sec. 4. Every person having the custody or control of any child under the age of sixteen years, who shall exhibit, use or employ, or shall in any manner or under any pretence sell, apprentice or give away, let out or otherwise dispose of any such child to any person for or in the vocation, occupation, service or purpose of rope or wire walking, or as a gymnast, wrestler, contortionist, equestrian performer, acrobat, or rider upon any bicycle or mechancial contrivance, or in any dancing, theatrical or musical exhibition unless it be in connection with churches, schools, or private instruction in dancing or music or unless it be under the auspices of a Rhode Island society incorporated, or organized without incorporation, for a purpose authorized by section 11 of Chapter 176 of the General Laws, or unless it be with the written consent, previously obtained and revocable at will, of the mayor of the city or the president of the town council where such child is to be employed; or for or in gathering or picking rags, or collecting cigar stumps, bones, or refuse from markets, or in begging, or in any mendicant or wandering occupation, or in peddling in places injurious to the morals of such child; or for or in the exhibition of any deformed, idiotic, insane, or unnatural development of such child, or in any illegal, obscene, indecent, or immoral purpose, exhibition or practice whatsoever; or for or in any business, exhibition or vocation injurious to the health or morals, or dangerous to the life or limb of such child, or who shall cause, procure or encourage any such child to engage therein, or who after being notified by an officer mentioned in section 6 of this chapter to restrain such child from engaging therein, shall neglect or refuse to do so, shall be held guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, for every such offence, be imprisoned not exceeding one year or be fined not exceeding two hundred fifty dollars, or be both fined and imprisoned as aforesaid, and shall forfeit any right which he may have to the custody of such child." SEC. 2. Section 5 of said Chapter 115 of the General Laws is hereby amended so as to read as follows: "Sec. 5. Every person who shall take, receive, hire Same subject. or employ, exhibit, or have in custody, or who shall cause to be taken, hired or employed, exhibited, or held in custody, any child under the age of sixteen years, for any of the purposes prohibited in the preceding section, shall be held guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be punished for every such offence in the manner provided in said section." SEC. 3. Section 6 of said Chapter 115 of the General Laws is hereby amended so as to read as follows: "Sec. 6. The town sergeant of any town, the chief Authority to detain such children, and of police of any city, or the general agent or agents of the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to certain insti- to Children may enter any place where any child may to deliver same tutions or homes. Certain fines to enure to R. I. vention of Cruelty to be held, detained or employed in violation of this chapter, and without process of law, seize and detain such child and hold him as a witness to testify upon the trial of any person charged with violating the provisions of this chapter; and if upon conviction of the offender no person shall appear who is entitled to the custody of such child, the officer having him in custody shall, under direction of the court, deliver him to the Children's Friend Society, the St. Aloysius Orphan Asylum, or the Association for the Benefit of Colored Children in the city of Providence, or the Home for Friendless Children in Newport, if said societies will receive him without cost to the state; or he may, with the approval of the overseer of the poor of the town, bind him to some suitable person who may be willing to receive him into his family, where he will be properly brought up, and in the event of his being unable to provide a suitable home for such child in either of the designated ways, the officer having him in charge shall deliver him to the overseer of the poor of the town to be cared for by him." SEC. 4. Section 7 of said Chapter 115 of the General Laws is hereby amended so as to read as follows: "SEC. 7. All fines imposed and collected in any Society for Pre- town or county in this state, under the provisions of this or any other chapter of the General Laws and of every other statute of this state affecting children, in every case where the prosecution shall be instituted or conducted by the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, shall, except where otherwise provided, enure and be paid over to said society in aid of the purposes for which said society was incorporated. All expenses attending the proceedings taken by said society under the provisions of this chapter shall be paid by the town or city in which the child belongs." Expenses attending prosecutions to be paid by town or city where child belongs. SEC. 5. This act shall take effect upon its passage, CHAPTER 476. 1897. AN ACT IN AMENDMENT OF CHAPTER 17 OF THE GENERAL Passed May 2), It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: SECTION 1 Chapter 17 of the General Laws is here- Attorney genby amended by adding the following section: "SEC. 8. The attorney general may appoint a clerk to perform such duties as he may direct in connection with the business of his department. Said clerk shall hold office during the pleasure of the attorney general, and shall be paid a salary of five hundred dollars a year." SEC. 2. This act shall take effect immediately. eral authorized to employ a clerk. CHAPTER 477. AN ACT IN AMENDMENT OF THE GENERAL LAWS AND PUB- Passed May 19, 1897. LIC LAWS, AND SPECIALLY IN AMENDMENT OF CHAPTER 291 OF THE GENERAL LAWS, ENTITLED "OF THE STATE PRISON AND OTHER STATE INSTITUTIONS IN THE TOWN OF CRANSTON AND OF THE GOVERNMENT AND CONTROL THEREOF." It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: ent of state pointed and duties of. SECTION 1. Section 7 of Chapter 291 of the General Laws is hereby amended so as to read as follows: "SEC. 7. Clause 1. The board of state charities Superintendand corrections shall appoint a superintendent of the farm, how apstate farm, who shall hold his office during their pleasure and who, under their direction, shall have the control and management of the state farm, within the limits defined from time to time by the board, and of the state workhouse and house of correction and of the state almshouse thereon, and shall report upon the condition and management thereof, from time to time, to the board. The board may, upon the nomination Deputies. of said superintendent, appoint a deputy superin Assistants. Superintend ent of state insane, how appointed and duties of. Deputy. tendent of the state workhouse and house of correc tion, and a deputy superintendent of the state almshouse, each of whom shall hold his respective office during the pleasure of the board. Said superintend ent shall appoint all such assistants to said deputy superintendents, and such other persons to be employed upon said state farm, as the board shall deem necessary, and may discharge them, or any of them, at his pleasure. "Clause 2. The board shall appoint a superintend hospital for the ent of the state hospital for the insane, who shall hold his office during their pleasure, and who, under their direction, shall have the control and management of said hospital, and shall report upon the condition and management thereof, from time to time, to the board. The board may, upon the nomination of said superintendent of the state hospital for the insane, appoint a deputy superintendent of said hospital, who shall hold his office during the pleasure of the board. Said superintendent shall appoint all such assistants to said deputy superintendent, and such other persons to be employed in said hospital, as the board shall deem necessary, and may discharge them, or any of them, at his pleasure. Assistant. Board of state charities and corrections to tion of certain fix compensa officers. Name of "state asylum for the insane," etc., changed to for the insane. "Clause 3. The board shall fix the compensation of their secretary, of the agent of state charities and corrections, of the superintendent of the state farm, of the superintendent of the state hospital for the insane, of the said deputy superintendents and their assistants, of the warden and deputy warden of the state prison and their assistants, and of all other persons employed in any manner upon said state farm and in the institutions thereon, and shall adopt all needful rules and regulations for the government of said farm and the institutions thereon, and shall make contracts for the labor of the inmates thereof." SEC. 2. Wherever in the General Laws, or in the Public Laws of the state, the words "state asylum for state hospital the insane," or "state asylum for the incurable insane," occur, the same shall read "state hospital for the insane," and all forms prescribed by law are hereby changed to conform to the provisions of this act: Pro |