YEAR. CH. An act in addition to "An act for the laying out of public parks in or near the PAGE. 292 1881. 92. 107. An act to extend the time within which the Massachusetts Institute of Technology may erect buildings on certain land in the city of Boston, 293 129. An act in addition to the acts for the purpose of supplying the city of Boston with pure water 197. 205. An act to authorize the construction of the Charles-river promenade. 221. An act to amend "An act in relation to registration and elections in the 229. An act relating to ordinances of the city of Boston An act to authorize the establishment and maintenance of a dog shelter by 297 297 An act to authorize the city of Boston to permit the erection of certain frame or wooden buildings within the building limits of said city 125. An act authorizing the appointment of additional probation officers in the city of Boston 143. An act to authorize the city of Boston to take land for a public library 300 301 168. 173. An act to authorize the city of Boston to issue a Public Park Loan 204. An act to amend the charter of the city of Boston in relation to general 304 304 An act in relation to advertising applications for liquor licenses in the city 304 226. An act in relation to blanks for certain court returns, and to reports of arrests. 305 252. An act relating to the construction, use, and inspection of buildings in the 305 256. An act for the preservation of Boston harbor, and of the public health in 269. An act to provide for notice of the place of storage of gunpowder and An act relating to the fees for licenses of keepers of intelligence offices, 306 307 1883. 14. An act relative to the pensioning of members of the police department of 307 51. An act to authorize the city of Boston to take land for public institutions 87. An act to authorize the mayor and aldermen of Somerville to construct a sewer in Cambridge and Crescent streets in Boston 307 308 An act relating to the limit of time for the erection of a library building 309 144. An act to abate a nuisance in the city of Boston, and for the preservation 310 155. 173. An act relating to the inspection of buildings in the city of Boston 311 311 251. An act to secure better provisions for escape from hotels and certain public 312 261. An act to authorize the town of Natick to supply the town of Wellesley with water 313 47. Resolve authorizing the governor and council to transfer certain articles of 313 1884. 115. An act relating to the eligibility to office of members of the city council of An in relation to assessors and assistant assessors in the city of Boston 140. An act to provide for the attendance of an officer at the sessions of the probate court and the court of insolvency in the county of Suffolk 313 314 223. 250. 278. 325. 327. An act relating to safety appliances in hotels and public buildings 315 315 316 316 317 Provisions of the Public Statutes referring especially to the city of 318-338 APPENDIX. An act establishing the city of Boston 341 An act to divide the town of Cambridge, and to incorporate the southerly 350 1846. 95. 1847. 29. 1851. 250. An act to establish the city of Charlestown. An act to incorporate the town of West Roxbury An act to establish the city of Roxbury 352 359 366 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General powers. SECTION 1. The inhabitants of the city of Boston, for all the Corporate purposes for which towns and cities are by law incorporated in this I Pick. 375. commonwealth, shall continue to be one body politic, in fact and 1 Met. 473. in name, under the style and denomination of The City of Boston: and as such, shall have, exercise, and enjoy all the rights, immunities, powers and privileges, and shall be subject to all the duties and obligations now incumbent upon, and appertaining to, said city, as a municipal corporation. ment. SECT. 2. The administration of all the fiscal, prudential, and City governmunicipal concerns of said city, with the conduct and government thereof, shall be vested in one principal officer, to be styled the mayor, one council of twelve persons, to be called the board of aldermen, and one council of forty-eight persons, to be called the common council, which boards, in their joint capacity, shall be denominated the city council; and also in such other boards of officers as are hereinafter specified. twelve wards. [SECT. 3. It shall be the duty of the city council, and they are Division into empowered, during the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty, 1875, 243. and whenever thereafterwards they may deem it expedient, not P. S. 28, 14. oftener than once in ten years, to cause a new division of the city to be made into twelve wards, in such manner as to include an equal number of voters in each ward, as nearly as conveniently may be, consistently with well-defined limits to each ward; and until such division be made, the boundary lines of the wards shall remain as now established.]" SECT. 4. The annual meeting of citizens for the election of mu- Annual meetit.g nicipal officers hereinafter mentioned, shall be held on the second of city officers. 1 The establishment of the town of Boston dates from the passage of the order of the Court of Assistants, September 17 (7th, O. 8.) 1630, "that Trimountain shall be called Boston." The act of the legislature establishing the city of Boston was passed February 23, 1822, and adopted March 4, 1822 (St. 1821, c. 110). The Act to revise the Charter (St. 1854, c. 448) is here printed as it was enacted. The sections which have been repealed or superseded, are enclosed in brackets, and amendments or modifications are indicated in the notes. Roxbury was first recognized by the Court of Assistants as a town October 8, 1630. It was incorporated as a city March 12, 1846 (St. 1846, c. 95), and annexed to Boston by vote of the two cities September 9, 1867 (St. 1867, c. 359). Dorchester was named by the Court of Assistants in the same order in which Boston was named, and it retained its town organization until annexed to Boston, June 22, 1869 (St. 1869, c. 349). Charlestown was founded July 4, 1629; incorporated as a city in 1847 (St. 1847, c. 29); annexed to Boston October 7, 1873 (St. 1873, c. 286). West Roxbury was incorporated as a town March 24, 1851 (St. 1851, c. 250); annexed to Boston October 7, 1873 (St. 1873, c. 314). Brighton was incorporated as a town in 1806 (St. 1806, c. 65); annexed to Boston October 7, 1873 (St. 1873, c. 303). The changes in the original charter (St. 1821, c. 110), prior to the general revision, may be traced through the following statutes, which, having been repealed or superseded, are not printed in this volume: 1822, 85, 107; 1823, 2; 1824, 28, 49; 1829, 80; 1830, 7; 1831, 38; 1838, 123; 1850, 167; 1851, 337; 1852, 266; 1853, 354. 2 By St. 1875, c. 243, the number was increased to seventy-two. $ St. 1875, c. 243, required the city council in 1875, and during each tenth year thereafter, to cause a division of the city to be made into twenty-four wards. By St. 1876, c. 242, Ward 22 was divided into two wards, one being numbered twenty-five. for the election Certificates of election to be furnished. Commencement of municipal year. Election of ward officers. Ward officers to be sworn. Non-election of ward officers. Absence of ward officers. Power and duty of warden. Duties of ward clerk. Duties of war 1 Monday of December, and the citizens of said city, qualified to vote in city affairs, shall, for the purpose of such election, then meet together within the wards in which they respectively reside, at such hour and place as the board of aldermen may, by their warrant, direct and appoint; and the person receiving the highest number of votes for any office shall be deemed and declared to be elected to such office; and, whenever two or more persons are to be elected to the same office, the several persons, to the number required to be chosen, having the highest number of votes, shall be declared elected. [SECT. 5.3 Every person so chosen in any ward shall, within forty-eight hours of his election, be furnished by the clerk with a certificate thereof, signed by the warden, clerk, and a majority of the inspectors, which certificate shall be presumptive evidence of the title of such person to the office therein mentioned.] SECT. 6. The municipal officers to be chosen at the annual election shall enter upon the duties of their respective offices on the first Monday of January. [SECT. 7. The qualified voters of said city shall, at the annual meeting, choose, by ballot, one warden and one clerk, and five inspectors of elections for each ward, who shall be resident in said ward, and who shall hold their offices for one year, and until others shall be chosen and qualified in their stead. [SECT. 8. The ward officers mentioned in the preceding section shall respectively make oath faithfully and impartially to discharge their several duties, which oath may be administered by the clerk of such ward to the warden, and by the latter to the clerk and inspectors, or to all of said officers, by any justice of the peace for the county of Suffolk; and a certificate thereof shall be entered in the record to be kept by the clerk of the ward.] [SECT. 9. In case of the non-election of any ward officer at the annual meeting adjournments may be had for the purpose of effecting such election, in the same manner as is hereinafter provided with regard to the election of members of the common council.] [SECT. 10. In case of the absence of any ward officer at any ward meeting such officer may be chosen pro tempore, by hand vote, and shall have all the powers, and be subject to all the duties of the regular officer, at such meeting.] [SECT. 11. It shall be the duty of the warden to preside at all ward meetings, with the powers of moderators of town meetings. In case of his absence, the clerk, and, in case of the absence of the clerk, any inspector shall preside according to seniority, until a warden shall be chosen, as provided in the preceding section.] [SECT. 12. It shall be the duty of the clerk to make a fair and true record, and to keep an exact journal of all the acts and votes of citizens at the ward meetings, and to deliver over such records and journals, together with other documents and papers held by him in his said capacity, to his successor in office.] [SECT. 13. It shall be the duty of the warden and inspectors of den and inspec- each ward to receive, sort and count, and of the warden to declare, all votes at any election within such ward.] tors. Duties of ward officers at all elections. [SECT. 14. It shall be the duty of all ward oflicers, authorized to preside and act at elections of city officers, to attend and perform 1 By P. S. c. 7, § 67, the municipal election is now held on the Tuesday next following the second Monday. 2 St. 1878, c. 243, § 1 provides for a division of each ward into precincts, and requires (§ 4) meetings for elections to be "at the several polling-places" within each ward. Annulled by St. 1878, c. 243, § 2. Sections seven to fourteen, inclusive, were repealed by St. 1876, c. 216. By St. 1878, c. 243, § 2, the powers, duties, and liabilities of ward officers devolved on precinct officers. |