TAXES ON PERSONAL PROPERTY.-TREASURER OF STATE. 103 same effect as if the deed itself had been recorded, and cer- CHAP. 126 tified copies thereof, from such registry shall be evidence when the original would be.' Approved February 14, 1883. Chapter 126. An Act relating to taxes on personal property. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature assembled, as follows: Specification one of section fourteen of chapter six of the revised statutes, as amended by chapter twenty-eight of the public laws of eighteen hundred and eighty-one, is hereby amended so to be as follows: First. All personal property employed in trade, in the erection of buildings or vessels, or in the mechanic arts, shall be taxed in the town where so employed on the first day of April in each year; provided, the owner, his servant, subcontractor or agent, so employing them occupies any store, shop, mill, wharf, landing-place or ship-yard therein for the purpose of such employment.' Approved February 14, 1883. Chapter 127. An Act to provide for an annual examination of the accounts of the Treasurer of State. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature assembled, as follows: The governor and council shall annually appoint a committee, consisting of not less than three citizens of the state, who shall carefully examine the accounts of the state treasurer as embodied in his annual report, and certify in writing the result of such examination; and said certificate shall be appended to his report. They shall also examine all canceled bonds and coupons and destroy the same by burning in the presence of the treasurer, giving him a certificate of such destruction. They shall make a sworn report of their doings as CHAP. 128 such committee to the governor and council, and said report shall be entered on the records of the governor and council and filed in the office of the secretary of state. The compensation of said committee shall be fixed by the governor and council and paid from the contingent fund of the governor and council; and said committee may consist wholly or in part, of members of said council. Compensation, and how paid. Approved February 15, 1883. Land agent authorized to give release deeds in certain cases. Chapter 128. An Act authorizing the Land Agent to execute in behalf of the State, release deeds in certain cases. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature assembled, as follows: The land agent is hereby authorized and empowered to give release deeds in behalf of the state, in cases where conditional deeds have been given and the records in the land office show that the conditions have been fully complied with. Approved February 15, 1883. Sec. 8, ch. 124. Chapter 129. An Act to facilitate the preparation and issue of the annual report of the State Superintendent of Schools. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature assembled, as follows: SECT. 1. Section eight of chapter one hundred and public lawa 1873, twenty-four of the public laws of eighteen hundred and as amended by ch. 229. public laws of 1880, further amended. S. S. committee to make annual returns. seventy-three, entitled "An Act in aid of Free High Schools," as amended by chapter two hundred and twenty-nine of the public laws of eighteen hundred and eighty, is further amended by substituting for the word "December," in the third line thereof, the word 'June,' so that said section shall read as follows: 'SECT. 8. The superintending school committee or committees having the supervision of any free high school or schools shall annually, before the first day of June, make returns under oath to the superintendent of common schools, Superintendent of common schools to make awards. on blanks prepared and sent out by him, of the amount CHAP. 129 appropriated, and also the amount expended by each town or school district for instruction in such free high school or schools during the current year; also of the amount appropriated and the amount expended for common school purposes by each town or school district maintaining such free high school or schools; the number of weeks which such school or schools have been taught; the wages paid each teacher; the number of pupils registered; the average attendance; the number of pupils in each branch of study pursued and the amount received for tuition. If the superintendent of common schools shall be satisfied that the provisions of this act have been complied with, he shall certify to the governor and council the sum which each town or district is entitled to receive from the state under this chapter. If any town or district is dissatisfied with the decision of the superintendent of common schools, such town or district may appeal to the appeal. governor and council. The governor and council shall issue a certificate to the treasurer of the town or agent of the district for such amount as they may adjudge such town or dis- urer. trict is entitled to receive from the state treasury. Any person or persons connected with the management of such free high schools, either as teacher, school agent, school com- Penalty for demittee or supervisor, who shall in any way aid or abet in defrauding the state into the payment in support of said schools of more than is contemplated by the spirit and tenor of this act, shall be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail for not less than one year.' Governor and council to certify amount to treas frauding state. Treasurer of state school funds. to apportion SECT. 2. Section ninety-two of chapter eleven of the revised statutes is hereby amended so as to read as follows: 'SECT. 92. The treasurer shall immediately after the first day of July, apportion to the towns all state school funds for the year according to the list of children furnished by the superintendent of common schools, as provided in section seventy-four. The number of scholars belonging to a town from which either the school committee or the municipal made. authorities thereof have failed to make the returns required by law, shall be reckoned by taking the number used as the basis of the last apportionment and deducting all scholars set off to other towns or incorporated into a new town within a Basis when re turns are not CHAP. 130 year, and one-tenth of the remainder, and the residue shall be the basis of a new apportionment. Immediately after making the apportionment, the treasurer shall notify each town of its proportion, which shall not be paid to any town until its returns are made to the superintendent of common schools.' Not to be paid until return is made. Approved February 17, 1883. Fines recovered for violation of fish and game laws, how disposed of. Proviso. Inconsistent acts repealed. Chapter 130. An Act relating to fines and penalties recovered for violation of the fish and game laws. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature assembled, as follows: SECT. 1. All fines and penalties hereafter recovered for the violation of chapters fifty and seventy-five of the public laws of eighteen hundred and seventy-eight, and all acts amendatory thereof, and of all laws now in force in this state for the protection of fish and game, shall be paid one-half to the complainant and one-half to any game and fish protective society or other sportsmen's association, which shall have been organized under the laws of Maine, and which may be located in the county where the said fines and penalties are recovered; provided, the said society or association shall expend the same in the propagation and cultivation of trout and salmon for the fresh water lakes and ponds of Maine, to be done under the direction and supervision of the fish commissioners. In case there may be more than one such society or association located in the county where said fines and penalties are recovered, the fish commissioners shall designate which society the money shall be paid to, or they may cause the same to be divided between them. If there is no such society or association in the county where such fines and penalties are recovered, then such fines and penalties shall be paid to the state fish commissioners, who shall appropriate the same as they may deem proper. SECT. 2. All acts or parts of acts inconsistent with this act are hereby repealed. SECT. 3. This act shall take effect when approved. Approved February 17, 1883. Chapter 131. An Act to amend section twelve of chapter eighty-three of the Revised Statutes of eighteen hundred and seventy-one, relating to the duties of trial justices. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature assembled, as follows: CHAP. 131 That the words "is unable to" in the first line thereof, be Sec. 12, ch. 83, R. S., amended, stricken out and the word 'fails' inserted in lieu thereof, and that all the words after the word "if" in the seventh line thereof, to and including the word "continuance" in the ninth line thereof, be stricken out and the words 'said trial justice, who so appointed such time and place, or before whom such writ is returnable, fails to attend at the time and place fixed in such continuance, such action then and there,' be inserted in lieu thereof, so that said section, as amended, shall read as follows: when justice is unable to attend, another may continue. *SECT. 12. When a trial justice fails to attend at the time and place appointed by him for the trial of any suit already entered, or at which any writ is returnable before him, any other trial justice who might legally try the same, or any justice of the peace and quorum, residing in the same or adjoining town, may attend and continue such action once, Proceedings. to a day certain, not exceeding thirty days, and note the fact on the writ, and in his own docket; and if said trial justice, who so appointed such time and place, or before whom such writ is returnable, fails to attend at the time and place fixed in such continuance, such action then and there may be entered before, and tried by some other trial justice of the same town, or if none such resides therein, then before some trial justice of the same county, who may render judgment and issue execution as if the action had been originally returnable before him.' Approved February 17, 1883. |