eighteen hundred and forty-seven, entitled "An Act to prevent Obstructions in the Streets of Cities, and to Regulate Hackney Coaches and other Vehicles."

1. Every Hack, Stage Coach, Omnibus, or other vehicle, whether on wheels or runners, drawn by one or more horses or other animal power, driven by the owner thereof, or by any person in the employment of the owner, which shall be used for the conveyance of passengers for hire from place to place within the Central School District, in the City of Worcester, shall be deemed a Hackney Carriage within the meaning of these rules.

2. No person shall set up, use or drive any Hackney Carriage as aforesaid, for the conveyance of passengers for hire, unless he shall have obtained a license so to do from the Mayor and Aldermen, under a penalty of not less than five dollars and not more than twenty dollars for each time such carriage is used.

3. The Mayor and Aldermen will, from time to time, grant licenses to suitable persons to set up and use Hackney Carriages for the conveyance of passengers for hire in the Centre School District in this City. Such licenses shall expire on the first Monday of May next after the date thereof, and may be revoked by the Mayor and Aldermen at their discretion. No license shall be sold or transferred without the consent of the Mayor and Aldermen endorsed thereon by the City Clerk, for which a fee of one dollar shall be paid; and a record of all licenses so granted, stating the name of the person to whom granted, the number of the license and the description of the carriage shall be kept by the City Marshal.

4. Every person so licensed shall pay to the City Treasurer, for the use of the City, one dollar for each Hackney Carriage for which the license is obtained, and the like sum for the renewal of the license.

5. Every licensed Hackney Carriage shall be marked and numbered on the outside, on the right and left sides thereof, on some conspicuous place, with the number of the license in figures not less than one and one half inches in size; and such figures shall be of a light color on a dark ground, and of a dark color on a light ground; and any owner or driver

of a licensed Hackney Carriage, who shall drive, or permit to be driven, any such carriage not numbered as aforesaid, shall forfeit and pay a fine of not less than two dollars and not more than twenty dollars for each offence.

6. The person in whose name a license has been taken for a Hackney carriage, shall be considered as the owner of the same for all the purposes of these rules, and shall be liable to all fines and penalties hereby imposed, unless, on the sale of his carriage, notice thereof shall be given to the City Clerk and the license be surrendered up to him.

7. The price or fare for Hackney Carriages for carrying passengers from one place to another within the Centre School District, shall not exceed twenty-five cents for each adult passenger. For children more than three years of age, and less than twelve years of age, half price is to be charged for each child; and for children under three years of age, under the care of an adult person, no charge is to be made. Each driver of a Hackney Carriage, if requested so to do, shall carry with each passenger one trunk and one valise, carpetbag, or other article, and to contain clothing, without compensation therefor; but for every trunk or other such article more than two, the driver shall be entitled to demand and receive five cents.

8. Licenses for Hackney Carriages will be revoked by the Mayor and Aldermen, on proof of the demand or taking of excessive fares, or of the misconduct of drivers.

9. These Rules shall be in force on and after the first Monday in May next.

Attest,

C. A. HAMILTON, City Clerk.

APPENDIX.

When wards are divided,

ue to act in

ical wards

till others

AN ACT

Concerning Vacancies in Ward Offices.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. At the first election held after a its officers new division of wards, in any city in this Comshall contin- monwealth, the respective ward officers chosen unsame numer- der the preceding organization shall officiate in the same numerical ward for which they were chosen are chosen respectively, and shall continue to act there until others shall be chosen and qualified in their stead. SECT. 2. All officers chosen at any meeting vision, shall called by the mayor and aldermen of any city, after hold on till, such new division into wards, shall hold their offimeeting, &c. ces until the next annual meeting, and until others

Officers elected after di

next annual

shall be chosen and qualified in their stead. [Approved by the Governor, May 15, 1851.]

AN ACT

Concerning Vacancies in School Committees.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Whenever vacancies occur in the school committee of any town or city in this Commonwealth,

or when, from any cause, any member or members are unable to act, the remaining member or members of said committee, together with the selectmen of said town, or the mayor and aldermen of said city, shall have power to fill vacancies in said committee; and the school return, signed by a majority of the committee thus constituted, shall be equally valid as if signed by a majority of the committee as originally chosen. [Approved by the Governor, May 24, 1851.

AN ACT

Providing for the appointment of Police Officers. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre- City Charter Sec. 8. City sentatives, in General Court assembled, and by ordinance the authority of the same, as follows:

No. 73.

town au

police offi

powers of

The mayor and aldermen of the several cities City and and the selectmen of the several towns in this thorities Commonwealth may, from time to time, appoint may appoint such police officers for their respective cities and cers with towns as they may judge necessary, with all or any constables, of the powers of constables except the power of except, &c. serving and executing any civil process; and the Shall hold said police officers shall hold their offices during office during the pleasure of the mayor and aldermen and select- the pleasure men by whom they are respectively appointed. thorities. [Approved by the Governor, May 15, 1851.

of said au

AN ACT

Concerning Returns of Elections.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows :

SECTION 1. It shall be the duty of the mayor Mayor, alder.

men, and

clerk shall

turns soon,

returns under oath.

Other regulations rela

ting to returns.

and aldermen and the clerk of each city in the examine re- Commonwealth, to examine, as soon as may be afand if faulty ter any election, the returns made by the returning require new officers of each ward in such city, of the results of the election in said ward; and if any manifest error shall appear therein, in the form of the return, the mayor and aldermen shall forthwith give notice to said ward officers of the error or deficiency in the form of said return; and it shall be the duty of said ward officers forthwith to make a new and additional return, under oath, in conformity to the truth in the case, which additional return, whether made upon such notice, or by the officers of any ward without such notice, shall be received by the mayor and aldermen or clerk of said city, at any time before the expiration of the day next preceding the day on which, by law, they are required to make their returns, or to declare the results of said election in said city; and all the original and additional returns, so made, shall be examined by the mayor and aldermen, and shall be made part of their returns of the results of such election. And in counting the votes in any election, no returns shall be rejected where the whole number of votes given for any officer or representative voted for, and the whole number of votes given for each candidate voted for, can be ascertained from such returns.

When return is unsealed, secretary Commonwealth shall

give notice to returning

officers, who shall make and transmit a copy on

SECT. 2. When returns of elections from any town are received at the office of the secretary of the Commonwealth, not sealed up as by law required, the secretary shall forthwith give notice thereof to the returning officers of said town; and upon the receipt of said notice, said returning officers shall make a copy of their record of the votes oath, sealed cast at said election, and shall make oath to the correctness of said copy; and shall transmit the same to the said secretary, sealed up as is required by law in the case of the original returns. And if, upon the opening of said copy of the record, by

up.