sheets, shall be deposited with the Inspector or with one of the Judges selected by the Board of Judges.

2880h. Canvass of returns. 8. If there be more than one election precinct in the township asking to make such appropriation, the Inspector of each precinct, or the Judge of the Election, to whom such certificate, poll book and tally sheet shall have been delivered, shall constitute a board of canvassers, who shall canvass and estimate the certificates, poll books and tally sheets returned by each member of said board, for which purpose they shall assemble at the court house on the Thursday next succeeding the day of said voting, between the hours of ten o'clock A. M. and six o'clock P. M. If, however, such township shall have but one election precinct, then the Inspector and Judges thereof, or any two of them, shall constitute the board of canvassers, and shall meet at the time and place aforesaid, and perform the duties aforesaid.

2880i. Organization of canvassers. 9. The members of the board who shall meet at such time and place shall select one of their number chairman, and the Auditor shall act as clerk.

2880j. Manner of canvass. 10. Such board, when organized, shall carefully compare and examine the papers, and shall prepare and sign a statement of the whole number of votes cast, and the number for such appropriation to construct or aid in the construction or repair of such bridge, and the number against it.

2880k. Record of the vote. II. The statement of such vote, as provided for in the preceding section, shall be filed with the Auditor, who shall record the same at full length, on the records of the Board of Commissioners of said county, and carefully file away and preserve the certificates, poll books and tally sheets aforesaid.

12. If sixty per cent. of

28801. Vote necessary to appropriate. the votes cast shall be in favor of said bridge appropriation, the Board of County Commissioners, at the ensuing regular June session thereafter, shall grant the prayer of said petition, and shall levy a special tax of at least one-half the amount specified in said petition, but not exceeding one per centum upon the real and personal property in the township liable to taxation for State and county purposes, which tax shall be collected in all respects as other taxes are collected for State and county purposes, and the residue of said tax voted shall be levied by said Board of County Commissioners, at the June session of the following year, which shall be collected in like manner as in this section provided.

2880m. Expenses of election How paid. 13. The officers con

-

ducting the election provided for in this act shall be allowed the same pay as is allowed for like services in case of a general election. Should the election result in favor of such bridge appropriation, the expenses of the election, after being paid by the county, shall be deducted out of the first moneys collected by virtue of the appropriation.

2880n. Non liability for defective construction. 14. No township. voting to construct or aid in the construction of any bridge under this act, shall be liable for any debt or claim for work, labor, or materials furnished in the construction of any bridge or the repair thereof, nor for any damage to any person by reason of imperfect construction thereof, or by reason of the same getting out of repair.

2880 o. Deficiency of tax. 15. That whenever any township shall have voted to construct or aid in the construction or repair of any bridge as provided in this act, and the tax in pursuance of such vote has been levied as in this act provided, the Board of County Commissioners may, if they think public convenience requires the same, let a contract for constructing or repairing such bridge under the same rules for letting bridges wholly in one county, and if the amount of money so voted and levied as aforesaid shall be insufficient for the construction or repair of such bridge, said Board of Commissioners may add thereto out of any funds in the treasury unappropriated an amount sufficient to construct or repair such. bridge, or may levy a tax on the county to make up such deficiency.

2880p. When tax collectible. 16. No tax shall be collected or paid in under the provisions of this act, until a contract for the building or repairing of such bridge shall have been made by the Board of County Commissioners; but after such tax has been levied and no contract has been let as above provided, said tax shall not be returned delinquent but shall be continued on the duplicate by the Treasurer from time to time until such contract has been let, and when said Board of Commissioners shall notify said Treasurer that a contract has been let to construct or repair such bridge, then said Treasurer shall immediately proceed to collect said tax

2880q. Payment in advance of tax collected. 17. Whenever the Board of County Commissioners shall let a contract to construct or repair a bridge, under the provisions of this act, they may pay for the same out of any money in the county treasury not otherwise appropriated; and when said tax on the township, levied under the provisions of this act, is collected, said board shall reimburse said county out of said tax to amount equal thereto.

[1895 S., p. 195. In force March 9, 1895.]

2880r. Across township boundary lines. 1. Whenever a petition shall be presented to the board of commissioners of any county in this state, at any regular or special session thereof, signed by twenty-five freeholders of any township of such county, which township is bounded on any side thereof by a stream of water, which forms the boundary line between two townships, whether such townships be in the same or in different counties in this state, asking such township to make an appropriation of money, to aid another township, named in said petition, in furnishing the money to pay one-half the cost of constructing a free public bridge, or two or more such bridges, to an amount and upon such terms and conditions, as may be specified in such petitions, not exceeding, however, the two-thirds of one per centum upon the amount of taxable property of such township on the tax duplicate of the county for the preceding year; specifying therein the point or points on said stream as near as practicable, where it may be desired to locate such bridge or bridges, it shall be the duty of such board of commissioners, after being satisfied that such petition has been properly signed by the requisite number of freeholders of such township, as aforesaid, to cause said petition to be entered at full length upon their records.

2880s. Order for election. 2. The board of commissioners shall thereupon order the polls at the several voting places of such township, or at such voting places as such board of commissioners may designate, and for that purpose, two or more voting precincts, as organized for general state elections, may be consolidated and one voting place designated for the precincts thus consolidated, to be opened on a day to be named in the order, which shall not be less than thirty nor more than sixty days thereafter, and the votes of the legal voters of such township named in such petition shall be taken upon the subject of appropriating money by such township, for the purpose of aiding in the construction of the bridge or bridges as prayed for in such petition. 2880t. Inspectors. 3. The board of commissioners, at the time of ordering said election, shall appoint inspectors for the voting places. designated.

2880u. Notice. 4. The auditor of the county shall immediately give notice to be published for four successive weeks in some newspaper of general circulation in the county, and by printed hand-bills to be posted in fifteen public places in the township where the appropriation is prayed for in the petition; such hand-bills shall be posted by the sheriff of the county three weeks or more prior to the day fixed for taking the vote. Such hand-bills, as also the newspaper publication, shall notify the qualified voters of the township that the polls will be opened on the day fixed by the order of the board of commissioners, at the several places designated in the order, to take the vote of the legal voters thereof, upon the subject of such township aiding in the construction of the bridge or bridges named, by appropriating the amount specified in such notice, which shall be the same as that named in the petition.

And the said auditor shall make his official certificate that said notice was published, and the sheriff shall make his like official certificate that said hand-bills were posted as required by this act, which said

certificate shall be entered upon the record of the board of commissioners, and shall be sufficient evidence of the facts therein stated.

2880v. Election and officers. 5. The polls shall be opened in the township, at the voting places designated for that purpose, on the day fixed by said commissioners, and at the hour fixed by law for the opening of the polls at general elections. And for that purpose a board of election shall be organized, consisting of the inspector designated by the commissioners, and of judges and clerks selected as follows: One judge and one clerk by voters favoring the bridge appropriation, the other judge and clerk by voters opposing the appropriation. Such inspector, judges and clerks shall have the qualifications required of inspectors, judges and clerks at general elections. Should any of said inspectors, judges or clerks fail to be on hand at the hour for opening the polls, the places of those failing to be on hand shall be filled as provided by law for filling such places at general elections. And the election boards shall be organized, the poll books and tally sheets shall be kept, and the receiving, counting and certifying of votes shall be conducted, as nearly as may be, in manner and form as provided by law for conducting the voting, counting and certifying the votes at the general elections for state and county officers.

And the qualifications of the voter at such election shall be the same, ascertained the same, and challenges allowed the same, as is now, or may be provided by law for ascertaining the qualifications of voters and the making of challenges at general elections.

2880w. Ballots. 6. The ballots used at any such election, as provided for in this act, shall have written or printed thereon the following words:

"For the appropriation."

"Against the appropriation."

The polling clerks shall endorse their initials on the ballot as now provided by law, for ballots used at general elections. The voter, when handed the ballot, shall retire to the voting booth, and there, with pencil, cross out the words: "For the appropriation," if he wishes to vote against the appropriation, but if he wishes to vote for the appropriation he shall cross out the words: "Against the appropriation." When thus fixed to suit the elector he shall fold his ballot so the initials of the polling clerks thereon can be seen, but in a way to conceal how he has voted, and hand said ballot to the inspector, who shall thereupon deposit the same in the ballot box.

2880x. Certificate. 7. When the ballot shall be counted the board of judges, under their hands, shall make out a certificate stating in words the number of votes given for the appropriation, and the number given against such appropriation, and such certificate, together with one of the lists of voters or poll books, and one of the tally sheets, shall be deposited with the inspector, or with one of the judges selected by the board of judges.

2880y. Board of canvassers. 8. If there be more than one election precinct in the township voting to make such appropriation the inspector of each precint, or the judge selected for that purpose as herein provided, shall constitute a board of canvassers, who shall canvass and estimate the certificates, poll books and tally sheets returned by each member of said board, for which purpose they shall assemble

at the court house of the proper county on the Thursday next succeeding the day of said voting, between the hours of 10 o'clock A. M. and 2 o'clock P. M. If, however, such township shall have but one election precinct then the inspector and judges thereof, or any two of them, shall constitute the board of canvassers, and shall meet at the time and place aforesaid.

2880z. Officers of board. 9. The members of the board who shall meet at such time and place shall select one of their number as chairman, and the auditor shall act as clerk.

2880aa. Duties of board. 10. Such board when organized shall carefully examine and compare the papers, and shall prepare and sign. a statement of the whole number of votes cast, the number in favor of the appropriation to aid the construction of such bridge or bridges, and the number against it.

2880bb. Statement of vote. II. The statement of such vote, as provided for in the preceding section, shall be filed with the auditor, who shall record the same at full length in the commissioners' record of said county, and he shall carefully file away and preserve the certificate, poll books and tally sheets aforesaid.

2880cc. Special tax. 12. If a majority of the votes cast shall be in favor of said appropriation, in each township voting said appropriation, if both be in the same county, the board of commissioners of such county at their next regular session shall make an order which shall be entered at full length on the commissioners' record, granting the prayer of said petition, and shall levy a special tax on the taxable property of said townships of at least one-half the amount specified in said respective petitions, but not exceeding the one-third of one per centum, upon the real and personal property in such townships liable to taxation for state and county purposes, which tax shall be collected in all respects as other taxes are collected for state and county purposes, and the residue of the tax voted shall be levied the following year by said board of commissioners at the time for levying county and state taxes of that year, which shall be collected in like manner as that first levied: Provided, however, That no part of said tax shall be levied unless both townships the one on either side of said stream votes in favor of

said appropriation.

2880dd. Certificate of auditor. 13. As soon as the statement of such vote shall be filed with the auditor, if the appropriation asked for be to aid in the construction of a bridge or bridges over a stream forming the boundary line between t[w]o counties and if a majority of the votes cast shall be in favor of the appropriation, such auditor, in writing, shall certify to the auditor of the other county of the result of the vote polled, and of the total amount of the appropriation made by the township. Such written certificate shall be recorded at full length in the commissioners' record by the auditor receiving it from the auditor of the other county, the same as the statement is recorded as provided in section II of this act, and he shall [be] carefully file away and preserve said written certificate. The board of commissioners of each of said counties, at their next regular session, shall make an order, which shall be entered at full length on the commissioners' record, and shall respectively levy a special tax of at least one-half the tax voted, all in manner and form as provided in section 12 of this act, when the townships are both in the same county, and the other half of said tax the