original act,

Sec. 3. The second section of the act to which this is amen- Section 2 of datory and in addition, shall be, and the same is hereby, inope- when in ope rative, so far as regards the powers and duties of township officers elected to office from and after the first Monday of April

next.

ration.

clerk to fur

tax roll.

Sec. 4. The fourth section of the act to which this is amenda- Township tory and in addition, shall be so amended that it is made the nish copies duty of the township clerks of each and every township in the several counties of this state, to furnish certified copies of the tax roll of such township, one copy to the treasurer of the county, and another copy to the clerk of the board of supervisors; and the supervisors of the county shall allow them severally a reasonable compensation for such services.

bond to be

tor general

county clerk.

Sec. 5. The sheriff and county clerk, elected in each of the Amount of several counties of this state, shall give a bond to the auditor given audigeneral, in addition to the bond required to be given by such by sheriff and sheriff or county clerk as now directed by law, in a sum not less than four thousand, and not exceeding ten thousand dollars, as the auditor general may direct, with two or more good and sufficient sureties, such as the auditor general may approve of, and to the satisfaction of the district or prosecuting attorney of said county, before whom the said bonds shall be taken in duplicate, one copy of which the district or prosecuting attorney shall file in his office, and the other copy he shall transmit to the auditor general; which bond shall be conditioned for the faithful execution of the duties of such sheriff and county clerk in office, and to account for, and pay over according to law, all public moneys which may come into the hands of such sheriff or county clerk for the use of this state, or for the use of any of the counties therein; and the said sheriff or county clerk will deliver to his successor in office, all books, records, papers, documents, and other things Books defwhich such sheriff or county clerk may have or hold in right vered and thereof, and pay the balance of all moneys that may be found due to the state or to any of the counties therein, in the hands of such sheriff or county clerk; and it shall be the duty of every such sheriff and county clerk to give a bond as in this section directed, given within within sixty days from and after the passage of this act: Provided, That the sheriff and county clerk of the counties of Mackinac and Chippewa shall respectively be permitted and required to give bond as aforesaid within ninety days from and after the

moneys paid to successor.

Bond to be

sixty days.

Proviso.

Associate judge to act

passage of this act, and every sheriff and county clerk, who shall fail or neglect to comply with the requirements herein made, or who shall fail or neglect to make his returns, and to pay all public moneys in the hands of such sheriff or county clerk as directed by law, shall be deemed to have vacated his office, in which case it is made the duty of the auditor general to publish such fact in the state paper, and in all the papers authorized to publish the laws, which shall be an official communication addressed to the district or prosecuting attorney of such county, that the electors of said county may elect a citizen of the county where the vacancy shall so happen, to fill the same according to law.

Sec. 6. In case of the sickness or absence of the district attoras district at- ney of any county, it is made the duty of one or both of the associate circuit judges of said county to perform the duties required of the district or prosecuting attorney in the preceding section.

torney.

Improve

ments exempt, and

rate of assessment.

Auditor general to transmit copies of act

bond, &c. to

cers.

Sec. 7. In all assessments for taxation of land actually used and occupied for farming purposes; all improvements of less value than five hundred dollars, and buildings erected thereon under the value of two hundred and fifty dollars, shall be exempt from the assessment list and from taxation. No lands shall be assessed at a less sum than three dollars per acre.

Sec. 8. It is made the duty of the auditor general to transmit a sufficient number of copies of this act, and of the act to which with form of this is amendatory and in addition, with the form of the bond different offi- required to be given by the county treasurer and township collectors, to the several county treasurers and clerks of the several counties, with directions to every such county treasurer and county clerk, immediately on receipt of said copies, to send one or more to each of the supervisors and township clerks in said county; and at the same time to transmit to the district or prosecuting attorney of the respective counties a sufficient number of the like copies, with the form of the bond required to be given by sheriffs and county clerks according to the direction of this act. Approved March 20, 1837.

[No. LXVI.]

AN ACT authorizing the supervisors of any organized county in the state to loan money for the purpose of erecting county buildings, and for other

purposes.

Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- Loan. tives of the State of Michigan, That the board of supervisors of any organized county, or which shall hereafter be organized, be, and they are hereby, authorized to borrow, on the credit of the county, a sum of money not exceeding fifteen thousand dollars, and at an interest not exceeding seven per cent. per annum, for a Interest. term of not less than five, nor more than fifteen years: Provided, Proviso. That no money shall be so borrowed by the board of supervisors of any county, unless they shall be first authorized by a majority of the qualified electors of said county, by a vote taken at some annual meeting; but no vote shall be taken unless thirty days' notice be given for that purpose by the board of supervisors, by posting up notice in three public places in each township in said county.

paid into

sury.

Sec. 2. Whenever any board of supervisors shall have nego- Moneys to be tiated for and shall have obtained any sum of money for the pur- county treapose before specified, the same shall be paid into the treasury of the county, to be drawn therefrom by the said board for the purpose of erecting county buildings, in the same manner and under the same restrictions as is provided for in the case of other moneys in the treasury, by the laws now in force.

ent of county

Sec. 3. Said board of supervisors may and they are hereby au- Superintend thorized to appoint one or more superintendents to superintend the buildings. construction and erection of said county buildings, and may fix the compensation for the services of such superintendent as they shall deem proper, and shall have power to contract for the erection of the same.

bridges, &c.

Sec. 4. The said board of supervisors shall also have power to Loan for borrow such sums of money as may be voted by the inhabitants of the several counties, for the purpose of building bridges and repairing roads.

loan.

Sec. 5. The said board of supervisors are hereby authorized, Payment of and it is made their duty, to provide for the payment of such money, whether of principal or interest, that may accrue under the

૨

Survey of

three routes.

Central railroad.

Southern railroad.

Northern railroad.

Manner of lo

tablishing

route.

aforesaid loans, in the same manner as is provided for in case of other contingent expenses of said counties.

Approved March 20, 1837.

[No. LXVII.]

AN ACT to provide for the construction of certain works of internal improvement, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Michigan, That the board of commissioners of internal improvements in this state, be, and they are hereby, authorized and directed, as soon as may be, to cause surveys to be made for three several railroad routes across the peninsula of Michigan; the first of said routes to commence at Detroit, in the county of Wayne, and to terminate at the mouth of the St. Joseph river, in the county of Berrien, to be denominated the central railroad. The second of said routes to commence at the navigable waters of the river Raisin, passing through the village of Monroe, in the county of Monroe, to terminate at New Buffalo, in Berrien county, and to be denominated the southern railroad. The third of said routes to commence at Palmer, or at or near the mouth of Black river, in the county of St. Clair, and to terminate at the navigable waters of the Grand river, in the county of Kent, or on Lake Michigan, in the county of Ottawa, to be denominated the northern railroad; which roads shall be located on the most direct and eligible routes between the termini above mentioned.

Sec. 2. As soon as the survey of either of the said routes shall cating and es be completed, the said board of commissioners shall, at a meeting duly notified and held for that purpose, in one of the counties through which the route to be determined upon shall pass, give all persons who may appear before them an opportunity to be heard relative to the location of the route in question, and the several points through which the same shall pass; and after such hearing, the said commissioners shall proceed to locate and establish the same, and shall file in the office of the secretary of state accurate plans of said surveys and localities; and the said routes shall be deemed established, according to such survey, and the plans so filed as aforesaid: Provided alway's, That the said board

- Proviso.

troit and

road, in behalf of state.

of commissioners shall, so soon as may be, purchase out, adopt and Purchase De establish so much of the route of the Detroit and St. Joseph rail- Joseph railroad company, as may have been surveyed and established by said company, if the same can be purchased on the terms recited in the third section of this act.

ers to pur

&c.

Sec. 3. If the said board of commissioners shall, in the location Commission of either of the routes in the first section of this act mentioned chase other routes in cer deem it expedient to locate the same on the surveyed route of any tain cases, railroad company duly incorporated, or so near the same as in the opinion of the board to materially injure or render the rights of said company of no value, the said board of commissioners shall be, and they are hereby, authorized to contract for and purchase in behalf of the people of this state, all and singular the chartered rights, privileges and franchises of such company, in the portion of the route so taken and used, and all the real and personal estate acquired by such company in furtherance of the object expressed and declared in the act of incorporation, so far as the same are obtained for or situate upon the portion of the route so taken by said board; and whenever the said board of commissioners shall make any purchase as aforesaid, they shall, at a meeting regularly called, receive and proceed to examine the exhibits of the affairs of such company proposing to sell as above mentioned, which exhibits shall show, in detailed accounts, the amount paid for labor on the proportion of the route in question, the amount and description of real and personal estate, the amount paid for surveys and other incidental charges, the sum paid for damages to lands through which said route passes, with a statement of all outstanding contracts for work, labor and materials, with the amounts due or to become due thereon, which statement and exhibits shall be verified by the oath or affirmation of the president and directors of such company, or a majority of them; and said board of commissioners are hereby authorized, upon such examination of such statements and exhibits, and upon view of the premises and property therein specified, to adjust and fix upon the amount, including interest upon all advances to be paid to such incorporated company for the same: And upon receiving for and in behalf of the people of the state, proper decd or deeds of conveyance of all lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights, privileges and interests as aforesaid, together with the personal property above mentioned, and upon due assignments of all