SEC. 11. If any person shall vote at the said annual election Penalty for ille- who is not qualified as aforesaid, he shall be subject to a fine of five dollars, to be recovered before any justice of the peace of the county, and which action shall be brought in the name and for the use of said association. gal voting. Notice to be quents. Whereas it is represented, in behalf of the association, that many of the taxes already assessed remain unpaid, to their great embarrassment, and that the delinquents withhold payment upon the allegation that the corporation have no power to collect their taxes, and it appearing to be just and equitable that all who enjoy the protection of the fire department should contribute to its maintenance-therefore, SEC. 12. The treasurer of the association shall give public notice, by printed handbills put up within the limits of the corgiven to delin- poration, that all taxes now due must be paid to him within a period therein to be mentioned, not less than thirty days from the date of the notice; and in default of payment, that he shall hand over a list of the persons, with their respective taxes for which they are liable, to a justice of the peace in the county where the delinquents respectively reside, who shall issue a warrant or warrants, as directed in the preceding part of this act; which shall be proceeded upon in all respects as herein before provided. SEC. 13. All the provisions of the act entitled, "An act to Part of former incorporate the Rahway Fire Association," passed December third, eighteen hundred and twenty-three, coming within the purview of this act, and contradictory thereto, shall be, and the same are hereby repealed. act repealed. Act, when to take effect. SEC. 14. This act shall go into operation immediately after it becomes a law. Approved, March 27, 1845. Penalty for refusal to deliver papers, &c. A supplement to an act entitled, "An act to prevent and punish frauds by public officers," passed March twelfth, eighteen hundred and forty-four. BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey, as follows: SEC. 1. If any officer or agent of this state, into whose hands or possession any money, books, papers, evidences of debt, or other instruments of writing, or other property, of SEC. 2. This act shall take effect immediately. Act, when to take effect. AN ACT to extend the charter of the State Bank at Trenton, for the purpose of enabling the directors to close up and settle its affairs. BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey, as follows: Provisions of SEC. 1. An act entitled, "An act to establish state banks in New Jersey," passed January twenty-eighth, one thousand former act exeight hundred and twelve, with the supplements thereto, be, tended. and the same is hereby extended and declared to be continued. in regard to the State Bank at Trenton, so far as may be necessary to enable the president, directors, and company of the said the State Bank at Trenton to collect the debts, demands, and damages which have accrued or become due, or which may hereafter accrue or become due to them, and to settle up and close their concerns; provided, that the time shall not ex- Proviso. ceed the term of twelve years from and after the twenty-eighth day of January, one thousand eight hundred and forty-two; and also provided, that the said president and directors are not hereby privileged, during the extension aforesaid, to issue any bills of credit, bank bills, or other circulation of money, by loan or otherwise, in the form or style of banking business. SEC. 2. The said president and directors shall annually, after Annual statethe passing of this act, until its concerns be finally closed, ment to be made. make out and lay before the legislature an accurate statement Act may be repealed, &c. of the property, debts, and credits of the said banking company, under the oath or affirmation of the president and cashier thereof. SEC. 3. It shall and may be lawful for the legislature of this state, at any time hereafter, to alter, modify, or repeal this act. Approved, March 27, 1845. Certain town ed to vote by ballot. AN ACT to authorize the inhabitants of the township of Orange, in the county of Essex, and of the township of Bridgewater, in the county of Somerset, and of the township of Shrews bury, in the county of Monmouth, and of the township of Monroe, in the county of Middlesex, and of the township of Springfield, in the county of Essex, and of the township of Clinton, in the county of Essex, and of the township of Hamilton, in the county of Mercer, to vote by ballot at their town meetings. BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey, as follows: SEC. 1. The inhabitants of the township of Orange, in the county of Essex, and of the township of Bridgewater, in the ships authoriz County of Somerset, and of the township of Shrewsbury, in the county of Monmouth, and of the township of Monroe, in the county of Middlesex, and of the township of Springfield, in the county of Essex, and of the township of Clinton, in the county of Essex, and of the township of Hamilton, in the county of Mercer, are hereby authorized and required to elect by ballot, and not otherwise, at their annual town meetings, the following officers, until otherwise required by law, whose qualifications shall be the same as are or may be fixed by law, viz: a township clerk, a judge of election, an assessor, a collector, two chosen freeholders, two surveyors of the highways, three commissioners of appeal, one or two overseers of the poor, a town committee, consisting of five persons, a school committec, consisting of three persons, as many justices of the peace as the township may be constitutionally entitled to elect, and an equal number of constables; and shall also, upon the same ballot, vote for the amount of money to be raised for the support of the poor, for school purposes, for the repair of roads, the amount of the dog tax, and for the place of holding the next annual town meeting, and the election of state and county officers. SEC. 2. The judge of election elected at the last, or any Officers of elec. future town meeting, shall preside at and conduct the election tion. at the next ensuing town meeting; and the clerk of the township shall be the clerk thereof; and the officers of said election shall be eligible to any office at said election, except that of justices of the peace. Elections, how SEC. 3. The election shall open and close at the same hour in the day, and be conducted in the same manner, and be sub- conducted. ject to the same rules, as elections for state and county officers are or shall be; and the same duties shall devolve upon the judge of election and the clerk, as are to be performed by the board of election and the clerk in other elections; they shall take the same oath or affirmation, as far as applicable, be invested with the same powers, and be liable to the same penalties, the same qualifications for voters shall be required, and the result ascertained in the same manner, and stated according to law. SEC. 4. A plurality of votes shall be sufficient to elect any officer, or to fix the place of holding the town meetings, or the state and county elections, but a majority of the whole number shall be required to determine an amount of money to be raised or specified; and in case there shall be a neglect or failure to elect any officer by the town meeting, or to fix the place of holding the next town meeting or state and county election, or in case of the refusal of any person clected to accept the appointment, or of a vacancy from any other cause, or in case two or more persons have an equal number of votes for the same office, or in case a majority shall not vote for the same sum or amount, or for any amount, the town committee shall, at their next meeting thereafter, fill such vacancy (unless they shall deem a special town meeting for that purpose advisable), determine upon such place, elect between those having an equal number of votes, and determine the amount or sun to be raised or specified. of town commit tee. SEC. 5. The clerk of the township shall be the clerk of the Clerk of towntown committee, and shall keep a book of minutes of the pro- ship to be clerk ceedings of said committee, which shall at all times be open to the inspection of the voters of the township; and when the town committee fill a vacancy, or elect in case of a tie between candidates, they shall immediately notify the person or persons so appointed or chosen, and transmit a statement thereof to the clerk of said county. elected. SEC. 6. The overseers of the highways shall be elected by Overseers of the the voters of the several road districts, as they may be ar highways, how ranged from time to time by the town committee; and for the purpose of carrying this provision into effect, it shall be the duty of the town committee to give public notice, as directed in the seventh section of this act, of the time, which shall be within five days after the town meeting, and of the place, which shall be some convenient place in each district, when and where the legal voters of the township, residing in such district, shall assemble for the purpose of such election; and at which time and place, such legal voters, so assembled, having been called to order by any legal voter of the district, shall proceed, viva voce, by holding up of hands, or by count, to elect a moderator of such meeting, by plurality of votes; and being so organized, the meeting shall proceed, as in the election of the moderator, to elect an overseer of the highway for the district, being a resident in said district; the moderator of each district meeting shall immediately thereafter notify the town committee, in writing, of the election of such overseer; which committee shall thereupon, in like manner, inform the person so chosen of his appointment; in case of the failure of any district to elect an overseer, or of the person so elected to accept the appointment, the town committee shall fill such vacancy, as in other cases; in case the town committee neglect to give the notice required for the district road meetings, the town committee next elected shall call a special district meet ing for the election of such overseer, at a convenient time and place; the overseers of the highways shall account to, and setile with the town committee, as now required to do by law. SEC. 7. The overseers of the poor and the school committee shall, at least ten days before the town meeting, prepare and lay before the town committee their annual reports, now required by law to be made to the town meeting; and the town committee shall prepare their annual report, and, at least five days before the town meeting, shall have copies thereof, and of the reports of the overseers of the poor, and of the school committee, and a notice of the time and places of holding the district road meetings, as required by the sixth section of this act, to be posted up in three of the most public places in the township, and an intelligible abstract thereof to be published in a newspaper circulating in said township; and in addition thereto, shall also cause a notice of the time and place of holding such district and road meeting to be posted up in some conspicuous place in such district, at least five days before the time of holding such meeting. SEC. 8. The reports of the town committee, the overseers of the poor, and the school committee, shall be filed and preserved |