CHAP. 110 Section 56, chapter 6, R. S., as amended by laws of 1887 and 1895, further amended. Shall make annual re turn to state assessors. -assessors shall assess the tax. Section 2. Section fifty-six of chapter six of the revised statutes as amended by chapter seventy-two of the public laws of eighteen hundred and eighty-seven and chapter forty-nine of the public laws of eighteen hundred and ninety-five is hereby amended so as to read as follows: 'Section 56. Every such corporation, company or person, shall, by its properly authorized agent or officer, annually, on or before the fifteenth day of May, make a return under oath to the state assessors, stating the amount of said receipts for all express matters carried within the state as specified in the preceding section; whereupon, the state assessors shall, on or before the fifteenth day of June following, assess the tax therein provided, and forthwith certify the same to the treasurer of state, who shall thereupon notify said corporations, companies or persons, and said taxes shall be paid into the state treasury on or before the first day of September following.' Section 3. This act shall take effect when approved. Approved March 17, 1899. Clerk hire for register of probate, Kennebec county. Chapter 110. An Act to fix the clerk hire of the Probate Court in the County of Kennebec. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature assembled, as follows: Section 1. From and after the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine, three hundred dollars a year shall be allowed the register of probate for the county of Kennebec for clerk hire, said allowance to be paid from the county treasury. Section 2. This act shall take effect when approved. Approved March 17, 1899. An Act to amend Section four of Chapter one hundred and fifteen of the Revised Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Section 1. On and after the first day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine, the salary of the register of probate of the county of Lincoln shall be seven hundred dollars per annum, instead of the sum now established by law. Section 2. This act shall take effect when approved. Approved March 17, 1899. Chapter 112. An Act to prohibit advertising Debtors. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature assembled, as follows: Publishing lists of debts, etc., of persons the same, -rule of who owe prohibited. construction. Section 1. No person, firm or corporation, shall publicly advertise for sale in any manner whatever, or for any other purpose whatever, any list or lists of debts, dues, accounts, demands, notes or judgments, containing the names of any or all of the persons who owe the same. Any such public advertisement contairing the name of but one person who owes as aforesaid, shall be construed as a list within the meaning of this act. Any per- penalty son, firm or corporation, violating the provisions of this act shall be liable in an action of debt to a penalty not exceeding one hundred dollars, and not less than twenty-five dollars, to each and every person, severally and not jointly, whose name appears in any such list. for vio lation. not apply to executors, etc., or Section 2. The provisions of this act shall not apply to Act does executors, administrators, guardians, trustees, trustees in bankruptcy, assignees in insolvency, sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, con- officials.. stables, collectors of taxes, town treasurers, or any other officials whose official duties require them to publish any such list or lists. Approved March 17, 1899. CHAP. 113 Section 28, How mort gages may be discharged. -penalty for neglect to discharge mortgage. Chapter 113. An Act to amend Section twenty-eight of Chapter ninety of the Revised Statutes, relating to the Discharge of Mortgages, as amended by Chapter sixty-nine of the Public Laws of eighteen hundred and ninety-five. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature assembled, as follows: Section twenty-eight of chapter ninety of the revised statutes, as amended by chapter sixty-nine of the laws of eighteen hundred and ninety-five, is hereby amended so as to read as follows: 'Section 28. A mortgage may be discharged by an entry acknowledging the satisfaction thereof, made on the margin of the record of the mortgage in the registry of deeds, and signed by the mortgagee or by his executor, administrator or assignee, and such entry shall have the same effect as a deed of release duly acknowledged and recorded. If a mortgagee or his executor, administrator or assignee after full performance of the condition of his mortgage, whether before or after breach of such condition, refuses or neglects for seven days after being thereto requested to make such discharge or to execute and acknowledge a deed of release of the mortgage, he shall be liable to a fine of not less than ten nor more than fifty dollars, to be recovered in an action of the case.' Approved March 17, 1899. Heads of departments forbidden to employ counsel, before legislative committees. Chapter 114. An Act to prevent Heads of Departments from employing counsel or witnesses before Committees of the Legislature. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature assembled, as follows: No head of any department shall hereafter employ counsel or witnesses, at the expense of the state, to appear before any committee of the legislature without the consent of the legislature. Approved March 17, 1899. CHAP. 115 Chapter 115. An Act relating to the sale of Real Estate of corporations on execution. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature assembled, as follows: Real estate, or any interest therein, of any corporation not created for supplying cities or towns with water, nor for educational, religious, street lighting, telegraph, telephone, or any public purposes, may be seized and sold on execution at public auction, either as real estate of banks, or as rights of redeeming real estate mortgaged, are taken on execution and sold, without the execution creditor first exhausting his remedy against the personal property of such corporation, and subject to the same right of redemption as is provided in either case. Seizure and sale by either of the methods provided in this act, pass to the purchaser all the right, title and interest that the execution debtor has in such real estate at the time of such seizure, or had at the time of the attachment thereof on the original writ, subject to the debtor's right of redemption. This section does not repeal any other modes of levy of execution, or seizure and sale of corporation real estate on execution. Approved March 17, 1899. Chapter 116. An Act to prevent the killing of Tern. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature assembled, as follows: No person shall kill or have in his possession, except alive, any bird commonly known as tern. Whoever violates provisions of this act shall be subject to a fine of not less than one dollar nor more than ten dollars. Approved March 17, 1899. CHAP. 117 Section 3, chapter 51, R. S., amended. Approval of articles by railroad commis sioners. -when re corded, secretary of state shall issue a certificate. Form of certificate. Chapter 117. >n Act to amend; Sections three and six of Chapter fifty-one of the Revised Statutes, relating to the Organization of Railroad Companies under General Law. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature assembled, as follows: Section 1. The first eight lines of section three of chapter fifty-one of the revised statutes, is hereby amended by striking out all of the first sentence of said section, and inserting the following: 'Said directors shall present to the board of railroad commissioners a petition for approval of said articles of association, accompanied with a map of the proposed route on an appropriate scale. The board of railroad commissioners shall, on presentation of such petition appoint a day for a hearing thereon, and the petitioners shall give such notice thereof as said board deems reasonable and proper, in order that all persons interested may have an opportunity to appear and be heard thereon. If the board of railroad commissioners, after notice and hearing the parties, finds that all the provisions of sections one and two have been complied with, and that public convenience requires the construction of such railroad, said board shall endorse upon said articles a certificate of such facts and the approval of the board in writing.' So that said section, as amended, shall read as follows: 'Section 3. Said directors shall present to the board of railroad commissioners a petition for approval of said articles of association, accompanied with a map of the proposed route on an appropriate scale. The board of railroad commissioners shall, on presentation of such petition appoint a day for a hearing thereon, and the petitioners shall give such notice thereof as said board deems reasonable and proper, in order that all persons interested may have an opportunity to appear and be heard thereon. If the board of railroad commissioners, after notice and hearing the parties, finds that all the provisions of sections one and two have been complied with, and that public convenience requires the construction of such railroad, said board shall endorse upon said articles a certificate of such facts and the approval of the board in writing. The secretary of state shall, upon payment of twenty dollars to the state, cause the same with the endorsement thereon, to be recorded, and shall issue a certificate in the following form: 'STATE OF MAINE. Be it known that, whereas', (here the names of the subscribers to the articles of association should be inserted) 'have |