town; shall have power to levy an ad valorem tax on all property, real, personal and mixed, within the corporate limits of said town; provided, that said tax, in any one year, shall not exceed one-half of the State tax on said property in such year; and the said board of aldermen shall have power to levy and collect a license tax on all occupations taxed by the laws of this State; provided, that such tax shall not exceed one-half of the State tax on such occupations. The said taxes shall be assessed and collected by the marshal, or in such other manner as the board of aldermen may direct, in accordance with the act regulating the collection of taxes for the State of Texas.

SEC. 11. That the board of aldermen shall have power to appoint such additional officers as they may deem necessary, and shall regulate and prescribe the duties and compensation of such officers, and may require of any of them bond and security, in such penalty as may be deemed requisite, to compel the efficient discharge of such duties as may be assigned them in said town of Decatur, which bond shall be payable to the mayor of said town and his successors in office.

SEC. 12. That all offenses against the by-laws of said town shall be prosecuted before the mayor; provided, that any person shall have the right of trial by jury by depositing with the mayor three dollars as jury fee, or by making oath that he is unable to pay such fee. All prosecutions before said mayor shall be governed by and in accordance with the laws organizing justices' courts.

SEC. 13. The marshal, or his deputy, shall execute and return all writs issued by the mayor in the same manner as is provided by law defining the duties of constable. Said marshal shall give bond and security, in such penalty as shall be required by the board of aldermen, which bond shall be payable to the mayor of said town and his successors in office, and shall, with all bonds provided for in this act, be approved by the board of aldermen, and be recorded in the office of the clerk of the District Court of Wise county. The said marshal shall have the same power as a constable under the laws of the State, and shall be entitled to the same fees as a constable, and to such additional compensation as the board of aldermen may allow.

SEC. 14. That in the case of the death or resignation of any one of the aldermen, a majority of said board

shall have power to fill such vacancy, under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the board, until the next election of officers of said town. Said aldermen shall be entitled to such compensation as may be allowed them by the board; provided, that in no case shall the same exceed two dollars per day for each day they may be required to sit as such aldermen.

SEC. 15. Said mayor shall be entitled to such fees as are allowed justices of the peace for similar services, together with such other compensation as may be allowed by the board of aldermen.

SEC. 16. That the treasurer shall keep safely all the money of said corporation; shall pay out the same upon the order of the board; and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the by-laws. He shall give bond with security, payable to the mayor and his successors in office, in such sum as may be deemed proper by said board of aldermen, conditioned for the faithful performance of his duties, which bond shall be approved by said board, and recorded in the office of the district clerk of Wise county. Said treasurer shall be allowed such compensation as is by law allowed to county treas

urers.

SEC. 17. That there shall be elected by the board of aldermen, from and out of their own number, a secretary, whose duty it shall be to keep correct minutes of the acts of said board, in a well bound book or books, to be open at all reasonable times for the examination of any citizen or legal voter in said corporation. Said secretary shall receive such compensation as may be allowed by the board.

SEC. 18. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

Approved June 2d, 1873.

CHAPTER CCCIX.

An Act to incorporate the "Mechanics' Real Estate and Building Association, of Harris County."

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That D. C. Green, W. A. Archer, J. B.

Johnson, D. C. Smith, Thomas Waters, E. Hall, C. C. Wiggin, W. H. Peregoy, Thomas Martin, and their pres ent and their future associates, successors and assigns, be and are hereby incorporated and created a body politic and corporate, by the name and style of the "Mechanics' Real Estate and Building Association, of Harris County,” and by said corporate name shall have full power and capacity to sue and be sued, and maintain any action to final judgment and execution, in any of the courts of this State; and shall be capable of purchasing, taking by grant, gift or donation, and of holding, improving and conveying any estate or property, real, personal or mixed, for the use of said corporation; and shall have power to make contracts, execute promissory notes, draw bills of exchange, execute deeds of trust and mortgage; make dividends and divisions of property, issue bonds, have a common seal with such device as they may adopt, establish such by-laws as shall be necessary for the government of said company, and do and perform all other acts incident and appertaining to the powers granted by this act; provided, that the operations of said association as to the purchase and holding of real property shall be restricted exclusively to and within the county of Harris,

SEC. 2. That for the well ordering of the affairs of this association, there shall be seven directors, who shall be chosen by the shareholders from among themselves, at such time and in such manner as the by-laws may direct, and shall hold their places for one year from the date of their election, or until their successors shall be chosen and qualified.

SEC. 3. The officers of this company shall be a president, vice president, treasurer and secretary, all of whom shall be chosen by the directors; and the positions of secretary and treasurer may both be filled by the same person, or by two persons, at the option of the directors; such officers shall hold their offices for one year from the date of their election, or until their successors are chosen and qualified; provided, however, that the said directors and officers may be removed before the expiration of their term of office, in such manner and for such causes as the by-laws may determine; and such by-laws may define the rights and duties of said directors and officers, and may provide for the compensation of any of them, and may require bonds from any of them.

SEC. 4. The principal object of this association is for the purpose of encouraging mechanics and working men in the saving and investment of their earnings.

SEC. 5. The capital stock of this association to be twelve thousand five hundred dollars, which shall be divided into one hundred shares, of one hundred and twenty-five dollars each per share, payable in monthly installments of five dollars per month per share, on or before the first day of each month, in advance; and if said installments be not so paid promptly on or before the first day of each month, in advance, the share or shares so in arrears shall be declared forfeited to the company by the directors at their third regular meeting after such failure to pay, unless said installments in arrears shall be paid up before said third meeting, with interest at the rate of twelve per cent. per annum from the time they are due; and the share or shares so forfeited may be disposed of for the use of the company as the by-laws may prescribe; and said delinquent shareholder or shareholders shall then and there cease to be a member or members of this company, and such forfeiture is hereby declared to be complete and beyond redemption; provided, however, that such forfeiture shall work a discharge of the owner or owners of the share or shares. which may be forfeited, from further liability as subscriber or subscribers to such forfeited stock.

SEC. 6. No person shall own or vote more than oneshare of the capital stock, and the voting of shares by proxy is expressly forbidden; provided, the guardians. may vote the shares of their wards, and the legal representatives the shares of deceased persons.

SEC. 7. Whenever one hundred shares shall have been subscribed, and two months installments paid in, this company may organize under this act; and for this purpose the said corporators, or a majority of them, may, upon the passage of this act, open the books of said company for subscriptions to stock; and when the requisite number of shares shall have been subscribed, and two installments paid, shall call a meeting of the shareholders, who may elect the directors and adopt by-laws, and fully organize under this act; and thereafter the directors shall hold a meeting for the transaction of business once during each month, upon such a day as the by-laws may prescribe; and at such meetings four of said directors. shall constitute a quorum.

SEC. 8. That said company may loan its moneys: receive deposits; buy and sell exchange drafts, or other obligations, bullion, coin, and all sorts of currency, bonds and securities, and shares or stock in companies, incorporated or not incorporated; and may loan money on any terms or plans they may adopt; and have full power to do and perform all acts which may be appropriate and incident to the company under the powers and privileges granted by this act.

SEC. 9. Forty shares, represented at any regular or special meeting of the share-holders, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of all business, unless the bylaws shall otherwise direct and provide, and except for the purpose mentioned in section ten.

SEC. 10. After the shares shall have been paid up in full, one hundred and twenty-five dollars each, the capital stock may at any time, from time to time, at any regular or special meeting of the stockholders, be increased by a vote of two-thirds of all the shares of the association, by continuing the levying of installments of five dollars per month per share, under the same terms as herein before provided, for as many months as may be deemed best, not to exceed the time of the expiration of their charter.

SEC. 11. The shares of this association shall be transferred on the books of the same, under such rules as the by-laws may direct.

SEC. 12. This act shall take effect from and after its passage, and shall remain in force for twenty-five years. Approved June 2d, 1873.

CHAPTER CCCX.

An Act to incorporate the Paris Street Railway Company.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That Thomas D. Woosen, A. S. Johnson, R. S. Brame, John B. McLeod, James D. Wortham and W. Babcock, of the city of Paris, and county of Lamar, and their associates and successors, are hereby declared a body corporate and politic, under the style and name of the "Paris Street Railway Company" by which name they may contract and be contracted with, sue to