of selectmen shall appoint some suitable person to fill the vacancy, who shall hold his office until his successor is appointed and qualified in his stead. St. 1889, c. 98, §§ 1, 4.

Any town which has accepted or shall hereafter accept the provisions of chapter 158 of the acts of the year 1871, or of sections 74, 75, 76, and 77 of chapter 27 of the Public Statutes, shall be exempt from the provisions of St. 1889, c. 98, until such acceptance is revoked by such town. St. 1889, c. 98, § 6, amended by St. 1889, c. 178, § 1. Said superintendent of streets shall, under the direction of the selectmen, have full charge of all repairs and labor required of towns upon streets, ways, bridges, and sidewalks, and the care and preservation of shade-trees, and in relation thereto shall have all the powers and be subject to the duties, liabilities, and penalties now or hereafter imposed upon surveyors of highways. St. 1889, c. 98, § 2.

In towns where no other provision is made, said superintendent of streets shall have full charge of all repairs required of towns upon sewers and drains, and in relation thereto shall have the same powers, and be subject to the same duties, liabilities, and penalties as are imposed upon said superintendent in section 2 of this act, in relation to the repairs of streets, ways, sidewalks, and bridges. St. 1889, c. 98, § 3.

Weighers of Beef. In each city and town where beef cattle are sold for the purpose of market or barrelling, the mayor and aldermen or selectmen shall appoint one or more persons, conveniently situated in such city or town, and not dealers in cattle, to be weighers of beef, who shall be sworn. Pub. Sts., c. 60, § 1.

Weighers of Boilers and Heavy Machinery. The mayor and aldermen or selectmen of any city or town in which boilers and heavy machinery are sold, shall appoint one or more persons, not engaged in the manufacture or sale thereof, to be weighers of boilers and heavy machinery, who shall be sworn to the faithful discharge of their duties, and shall be removable at the pleasure of the board appointing them. They shall receive such fees as may be ordered by such board, which fees shall be paid by the seller. Pub. Sts., c. 65, § 30.

Weighers of Coal. -The mayor and aldermen or selectmen of every place where anthracite, bituminous, or mineral coal is sold, shall appoint suitable persons, one or more of whom shall not be engaged in the business of selling coal, to be weighers of coal, who shall be sworn and be removable at the pleasure of the board appointing them, and all coal shall be weighed by such sworn weighers. Pub. Sts., c. 60, § 80.

Weighers of Fish. There shall be appointed annually by the mayor and board of aldermen

of cities and by the selectmen of towns, in cities and towns where salt-water fish are landed from vessels, a public weigher of fish, who shall hold office for one year from the time of his appointment or until his successor is appointed, and who shall before entering upon his duties be sworn to the faithful performance thereof, and shall give bond so conditioned with sureties in the sum of five thousand dollars.

He may appoint, subject to the approval of the mayor of the city, or the chairman of the board of selectmen of the town, as the case may be, assistants or deputy-weighers, for whose official conduct he shall be held answerable; who shall, before entering upon their duties, be sworn to the faithful performance thereof, and from each of whom such weigher shall exact a bond so conditioned with sureties in the sum of one thousand dollars. The weigher and his assistants or deputies shall not be interested directly nor indirectly in the buying or selling of fish. St. 1888, c. 163, §§ 1, 2.

Weighers of Vessels. The and aldermen mayor or selectmen of cities and towns, where lighters or other vessels are employed in transporting stones, gravel, or sand, shall annually in March or April appoint one or more weighers of vessels, who shall be sworn. Pub. Sts., c. 69, § 13.

CHAPTER V.

OFFICERS WHO MAY BE APPOINTED.

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77.

Collector of Taxes. See Enginemen and Hose-men. The mayor and aldermen or selectmen of places provided with fire-engines may appoint suitable persons for enginemen, who shall continue in office during the pleasure of the authority appointing them. The mayor and aldermen or selectmen may select from the enginemen any number for each engine, who shall, under the direction of the firewards, attend fires with axes, fire-hooks, fire-sails, and ladders, and do such further duty as the mayor and aldermen or selectmen shall from time to time prescribe; and they shall be entitled to all the exemptions and privileges of other enginemen.

When the proprietors of an engine apply to the mayor and aldermen or selectmen of a city or town in which the engine is owned, setting forth that they desire that the same should be employed for the benefit of such place, the mayor and aldermen or selectmen may appoint enginemen in the same manner, with the same privi

leges, and subject to the same regulations, as if the engine belonged to the place; and if the proprietors do not agree as to the place where the engine shall be kept, the mayor and aldermen or selectmen shall determine such place.

Selectmen, engineers of fire departments, and the board of engineers of fire-districts, may, in towns having one or more steam fire-engines, or in which water for extinguishing fires is supplied from hydrants or reservoirs, appoint to each hose-carriage such number of men, not exceeding twenty, as they deem expedient. If an engineman is negligent in his duties, the mayor and aldermen, or selectmen, shall discharge him and appoint another in his stead. Pub. Sts., c. 35, §§ 12, 14, 17, 20, 21.

Engineers. The selectmen of towns in which a fire department has been established, as provided in chapter 35 of the Public Statutes, shall annually in April appoint for such department as many engineers, not exceeding twelve, as they may think expedient, for the term of one year from the first day of May following, and until others are appointed in their stead, but the selectmen may, for cause, remove from office any engineer, after seven days' notice to him and hearing; and the selectmen shall fill all vacancies. Pub. Sts., c. 35, § 29; St. 1886, c. 113.

Firewards. The selectmen of a town may annually, in March or April, appoint such num