and if any such report shall become necessary after the present general court has been prorogued, it shall be made to the governor.

SECTION 4. The commission shall appoint in such industrial centres and other cities and towns of the commonwealth as may seem to it expedient, local soldiers' and sailors' committees, or may designate any existing local committee or agency to act as such a committee, and may delegate to said committees such powers and duties as in the judgment of the commission may be necessary effectively to carry out the provisions of this act in all parts of the commonwealth. Such local committees shall, under the supervision and direction of the commission, exercise the powers and duties delegated as aforesaid, and shall make such reports to the commission as it may require. The said commission is hereby authorized to request any persons, associations or corporations which have already established agencies or headquarters for the relief of discharged soldiers, sailors and marines, or shall hereafter establish the same, to co-operate with the said commission, or to restrict, divert or cease their efforts, as the commission may deem best for the common good.

SECTION 5. The soldiers' and sailors' commission shall continue in existence until it is dissolved by proclamation made by the governor; and the governor is hereby authorized and requested to dissolve the commission whenever, in his judgment, the reasons for its existence have ceased.

SECTION 6. This act shall take effect upon its passage. [Approved April 24,

1919.

CHAPTER 126.

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE PROPER OBSERVANCE THROUGHOUT THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE RETURN OF MASSACHUSETTS SOLDIERS, SAILORS AND MARINES.

Whereas, It is fitting that a day should be set apart to celebrate the home-coming of Massachusetts soldiers, sailors and marines, and

Whereas, The deferred operation of the following act might defeat its purpose, therefore, the act is declared to be an emergency measure, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.

Be it enacted, etc., as follows:

SECTION 1. The governor is hereby authorized to designate by proclamation a day which in his judgment may appropriately be set apart for the general observance and celebration throughout the commonwealth of the home-coming of Massachusetts soldiers, sailors and marines, and the day so designated shall, for the year only in which it occurs, be a holiday within the meaning of the ninth clause of section five of chapter eight of the Revised Laws and the amendments thereof, and all the public offices shall be closed on that day.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon its passage. [Approved April 24,

CHAPTER 129.

AN ACT RELATIVE TO THE AMOUNT TO BE ALLOWED FOR THE BURIAL OF INDIGENT SOLDIERS AND SAILORS.

Be it enacted, etc., as follows:

Section eighteen of chapter five hundred and eighty-seven of the acts of nineteen hundred and fourteen, as amended by chapter one hundred and sixty of the General Acts of nineteen hundred and seventeen, is hereby further amended by striking out the word "fifty", in the second line, and substituting the word: — sixty, and by striking out the word "ten", in the sixth line, and substituting the word: - thirtyfive, so as to read as follows: Section 18. The expense of such burial shall not exceed sixty dollars, two dollars of which shall be paid as compensation to the burial agent who caused the interment to be made; but if the total expense of the burial, by whomsoever incurred, shall exceed the sum of one hundred and thirty-five dollars, no payment therefor shall be made by the commonwealth. The burial shall not be made in any cemetery or burial ground which is used exclusively for the burial of the pauper dead, or in any part so used of any cemetery or burial ground. Relatives of the deceased who are unable to bear the expense of burial may be allowed to conduct the funeral. The full amount so expended, the name of the deceased soldier, sailor or marine, the regiment, company or vessel in which he served, the date of death, place of interment, and in case of a wife or widow the name of the husband and date of marriage, and such other details as the commissioner of state aid may require, shall be certified under oath to him, in such manner as he may approve, by the burial agent and the treasurer of the city or town expending the amount, within ninety days after the burial; and said commissioner shall endorse upon the certificate his allowance of such amounts as in his judgment have been paid and reported according to the provisions of this act, and shall transmit such certificate to the auditor. The amounts legally paid and so allowed, with no expense for disbursement, shall be reimbursed by the commonwealth to the several cities and towns on or before the tenth day of November in the year after the expenditures have been made. [Approved April 24, 1919.

CHAPTER 138.

AN ACT RELATIVE TO THE REORGANIZATION OF THE VOLUNTEER MILITIA. Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to authorize without delay the preliminary steps essential to the reorganization of the volunteer militia, therefore the act is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary to the immediate preservation of the public convenience.

Be it enacted, etc., as follows:

SECTION 1. For the purpose of recruiting the Massachusetts volunteer militia under chapter three hundred and twenty-seven of the General Acts of nineteen hundred and seventeen, and acts in amendment thereof, the commander-in-chief may appoint provisional officers for such units as he may from time to time create, by orders in accordance with the above named chapter and amendments thereof.

Such provisional officers, subject to removal by the commander-in-chief and until their successors are elected or appointed as provided by the constitution and laws of the commonwealth, shall exercise the same military authority over their several commands as is specified in the said laws for duly chosen officers of the organized militia of the commonwealth.

SECTION 2. Such provisional officers may be appointed before the enlisted personnel of the units to which they are assigned are enlisted and mustered and may be designated as enlisting and mustering officers of the respective units to which they are assigned.

SECTION 3. Enlisted men who have been honorably discharged from the United States army, navy or marine corps or released from active service therein may be enlisted and mustered without physical examination for the term of one year and the commander-in-chief may prescribe in orders that commanding officers may furlough the enlisted personnel of their respective commands for such periods as the commander-in-chief may determine in orders.

SECTION 4. The commander-in-chief may assign such units as he may create to such armories as he may designate.

SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon its passage. [Approved April 29,

1919.

CHAPTER 139.

AN ACT RELATIVE TO WAR ALLOWANCES FOR DEPENDENTS OF CERTAIN SOLDIERS,

SAILORS AND MARINES.

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would defeat its purpose to provide immediate relief for the dependents of persons in the military or naval service of the United States, therefore the act is hereby declared to be an emergency law, as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.

Be it enacted, etc., as follows:

Chapter one hundred and eight of the General Acts of nineteen hundred and eighteen is hereby amended by striking out section one and substituting the following: - Section 1. Any city or town, acting by the officers authorized by law to furnish state and military aid, may, during the war with Germany and for six months thereafter, provide a war allowance for the dependent relatives of any soldier, sailor or marine who, subsequently to February third, nineteen hundred and seventeen, entered the military or naval service of the United States by enlistment or draft, or who, subsequently to the said date, was recalled to such service or was continued therein after the termination of a prior enlistment: provided, that on February third, nineteen hundred and seventeen, such soldier, sailor or marine was a resident of this commonwealth. The dependent relatives eligible to receive such aid shall be the wife, children under sixteen years of age, or any child dependent by reason of physical or mental incapacity, or the dependent parent, brother or sister, or any person who stood in the relationship of a parent to the soldier, sailor or marine for five years prior to his enlistment, draft, recall or continuance in the service since the said February third. The allowance authorized by this section may continue through the month in which active service is terminated by death, discharge or transfer to the army or navy reserve force, and for two months thereafter. [Approved April 30, 1919.

CHAPTER 147.

AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE PURCHASE OF HISTORICAL WORKS RELATIVE TO THE SERVICE OF MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEERS IN THE EUROPEAN WAR.

Be it enacted, etc., as follows:

SECTION 1. The provisions of chapter four hundred and thirteen of the acts of eighteen hundred and ninety-three, entitled "An Act to authorize the purchase of historical works relative to the services of Massachusetts volunteers during the late civil war", shall apply to histories of organizations the major part of which, as determined by the adjutant general, were composed of Massachusetts men who served in the army and navy in the war between the United States and Germany and her allies.

SECTION 2. The volumes purchased under this act shall be distributed as follows: One copy to the office of the secretary of the commonwealth; one to the office of the adjutant general; one to the free public library of each city and town or to the office of the town clerk of every town which has no free public library; one to the library of each college or university in the commonwealth; one to each of such historical societies in the commonwealth as may be designated by the secretary of the commonwealth; one to the library of congress; one to the library of each state and territory of the union; ten copies to the state library, and the remainder at the discretion of the secretary of the commonwealth, preference to be given by him to free libraries. [Approved May 1,

1919.

CHAPTER 150.

AN ACT RELATIVE TO THE EMPLOYMENT OF VETERANS IN THE SERVICE OF THE COMMONWEALTH, CITIES OR TOWNS.

Be it enacted, etc., as follows:

SECTION 1. The word "veteran" as used in this act shall mean any person who has served in the army, navy or marine corps of the United States in time of war or insurrection and who has been honorably discharged from such service or released from active duty therein, provided that such person was a citizen of this commonwealth at the time of his induction into such service or has since acquired a settlement therein; and provided further that any such person who at the time of entering the said service had declared his intention to become a subject or citizen of the United States and withdrew such intention under the provisions of the act of congress approved July ninth, nineteen hundred and eighteen, and any person designated as a conscientious objector upon his discharge shall not be deemed to be a "veteran" within the meaning of this act.

SECTION 2. The names of veterans who pass examinations for appointment to any position classified under the civil service shall be placed upon the respective eligible lists in the order of their respective standing, above the names of all other applicants, and upon receipt of a requisition not especially calling for women, names shall be certified from such lists according to the method of certification prescribed by the civil service rules applying to civilians.

SECTION 3. A veteran who registers for employment in the labor service of the commonwealth and of the cities and towns thereof, if found qualified, shall be placed on the eligible list for the class for which he registers ahead of all other applicants. The names of eligible veterans shall be certified for labor service in preference to other persons eligible according to the method of certification prescribed by the civil service rules applying to civilians. If, however, the appointing officer certifies in the requisition for laborers that the work to be performed requires young and vigorous men, and, upon investigation, the civil service commission is satisfied that such certificate is true, it may fix a limit of age and certify only those whose age falls within such limit. In cities and towns in which the provisions of chapter nineteen of the Revised Laws and amendments and the rules governing the civil service have not been applied to the labor service, the selectmen and the city councils shall take any necessary action to secure the employment of veterans in the labor service of their respective cities and towns in preference to all other persons except women. SECTION 4. If there is no suitable eligible list from which to certify to fill a requisition received by the civil service commission, it shall authorize the appointing officer to make provisional appointment of a veteran, and shall send to the appointing officer the names and addresses of veterans who have filed applications for the kind of work for which requisition is made, and the position shall be filled provisionally by the appointment of a veteran. If, however, the appointing officer cannot find a veteran qualified for the position who will accept, he may with the approval of the civil service commission, appoint provisionally some other person. This section shall not apply to requisitions calling for women.

SECTION 5. Nothing in this act shall be construed as affecting the preference given under existing law to veterans of the civil war or any promotion under civil service.

SECTION 6. A veteran who is removed, suspended or lowered in rank or compensation, and a veteran whose office or position is abolished shall have the benefit and protection of the provisions of section twenty-three of chapter nineteen of the Revised Laws, as amended, and of the provisions of chapter two hundred and fortyseven of the General Acts of nineteen hundred and eighteen, whether such veteran is appointed under the civil service or otherwise, and he may pursue his remedy under either or both of said acts.

SECTION 7. The provisions of this act shall not apply to the removal, suspension, or lowering in rank or compensation of veterans members of the district police, of the metropolitan park police, or of the police department of the city of Boston. [Approved May 2, 1919.

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, BOSTON, May 12, 1919.

I, Calvin Coolidge, by virtue of and in accordance with the provisions of the Forty-eighth Amendment to the Constitution, "The Referendum II Emergency Measures", do declare that in my opinion the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety and convenience requires that the law passed on the second day of May, in the year nineteen hundred and nineteen, entitled "An Act Relative to the Employment of Veterans in the Service of the Commonwealth, Cities or Towns", should take effect forthwith, that it is an emergency law, and that the facts constituting the emergency are as follows: