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Seventh. To abolish fees in the offices of the Secretary of the Commonwealth and the Insurance Commissioner.

Given under my hand and the Great Seal of the State, at the city of Harrisburg, this eleventh day of No(Great Seal.) vember, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and five, and of the Commonwealth the one hundred and thirtieth.

By the Governor:

SAML. W. PENNYPACKER.

ROBERT MCAFEE,

Secretary of the Commonwealth.

In the Name and by Authority of the

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT.

PROCLAMATION.

Whereas, An extraordinary session of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has been called under authority of Article IV, Section 12, of the Constitution, to meet in the Capitol at Harrisburg, on Monday, January 15th, 1906, at 2 o'clock p. m. of that day.

Now, Therefore, I, Samuel W. Pennypacker, Governor of the Commonwealth, do hereby designate the following additional subjects for the consideration of the General Assembly with a view to legislation at the said session with respect to them:

First. To revise the laws relative to primary elections in such way as to provide for the holding of the primary elections of all political parties within the Commonwealth on the same day, at the same time, under the supervision of properly constituted officers, and to make such changes in, or additions to, these laws as may seem advisable.

of

Second. To establish a civil service system, by means which the routine officers and employments of the Commonwealth may be filled by appointments made after ascertainment of qualifi

cations and fitness, and the incumbents of such offices may retain them during good behavior.

Third. To designate the uses to which moneys may be applied by candidates, political managers and committees in political campaigns, both for nominations and elections, and to require the managing committees and managers of all political parties to file with some designated official at the close of each campaign a detailed statement in writing, accompanied by affidavit, of the amounts collected and the purposes for which they were expended.

Fourth. To enable cities that are now or may hereafter be contiguous or in close proximity, including any intervening land, to be united in one municipality, in order that the people may avoid the unnecessary burdens of maintaining separate municipal governments. This fourth subject is a modification of the first subject in the original call, and is added in order that legislation may be enacted under either of them, as may be deemed wise.

Given under my hand and the Great Seal of the State, at the City of Harrisburg, this ninth day of January,

(Great Seal.) in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and six, and of the Commonwealth the one hundred and thirtieth.

By the Governor:

SAML. W. PENNYPACKER.

ROBERT MCAFEE,

Secretary of the Commonwealth.

(6)

LAWS

OF THE

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA.

No. 1.

AN ACT

To enable cities that are now, or may hereafter be, contiguous or in close proximity, to be united, with any intervening land other than boroughs, in one municipality; providing for the consequences of such consolidation, the temporary government of the consolidated city, payment of the indebtedness of each of the united territories, and the enforcement of debts and claims due to or from each.

cities.

Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That wherever in this Consolidation of Commonwealth, now or hereafter, two cities shall be contiguous or in close proximity to each other, the two, with any intervening land other than boroughs, may be united and become one by annexing and con solidating the lesser city, and the intervening land other than boroughs, if any, with the greater city, and thus making one consolidated city, if at an election, to be held as hereinafter provided, there shall be a majority of all the votes cast in favor of such union.

Ordinance.

Petition.

Section 2. The councils of either of said cities may by ordinance direct that a petition be filed in the court of quarter sessions of the county in which such cities are situate, or two per centum of the registered voters of either of said cities may present their petition to said court, praying that the two cities, and any intervening land other than boroughs, shall be united and become one city. Thereupon, the said petition shall be filed; and the court shall fix a time for the hearing thereof, not more than twenty days Hearing. thereafter, and direct that notice be given to the mayor or chief executive officer of each of the said cities, and the clerk of the councils of each of said cities, and by publicaton in one or more newspapers published in either of said cities, and such other notice as the court may deem proper, including notice to one or more of the officers of whatever may be the municipal subdivision of the State in which any intervening land other than boroughs may lie.

(7)

Notice.

Publication.

Description of boundaries.

Appointment of civil engineer.

Report.

Approval.

Exceptions to petition.

The court shall order an election.

Qualification of voters.

Special election.

Notice of election.

Ballots.

Statement of question submitted.

Section 3. The petition for annexation shall describe the boundaries of the proposed consolidated city; and immediately upon its being filed, the court shall appoint a civil engineer, whose duty it shall be to actually run, and mark by monuments upon the ground, said boundary lines. The said civil engineer shall, within the time designated by the court after such appointment, make report to the court, to which he shall attach a plot or draft of said boundary lines; and thereupon, if the court approve said plot or draft, it shall order the same to be filed, and the same shall thereafter be considered as part of the record in said proceedings for consolidation.

Section 4. Any person interested may file exceptions to said petition prior to the day fixed for hearing. At such hearing any person in interest shall be heard; but if the court shall find that the petition and proceedings are regular and in conformity with this act, it shall order an election to be held in the said cities, to vote for or against the proposed consolidation, at which all the legal voters of either of said cities, and of the said intervening land, if any, shall be qualified to vote. If the order shall be made more than thirty days and less than ninety days before the next regular municipal election, such election shall be held at the said regular election; but, if not, then a special election shall be ordered to be held not less than thirty days after such order.

Section 5. The court shall provide for such notice' of the election as it may consider to be proper and legal, and shall order and direct that the county commissioners shall prepare separate ballots for such election, upon which shall be printed in brief form a statement of the questions so submitted, followed by the words "Yes" or "No," and said commissioners shall provide for the placing of said ballots at the polling-places, at and before the opening of the polls on the day fixed, and for separate boxes to receive said ballots when voted.

Section 6. The election shall be held at the regular polling-places, by the regular election officers, and in case of their absence, or the absence of any of them, their places shall be filled as provided by law; the Election, how con- said election shall be conducted during the hours pro

ducted.

Lawful voters.

Returns.

Computation of

vote.

Certification of result.

vided for, and in accordance with the general election laws of the Commonwealth; and all lawful voters of either city, and also of the said intervening land, if any, may vote; and the returns of election shall be delivered to the prothonotary of the court or courts of common pleas of the county, and by him delivered to the judges of the court or courts of common pleas, as provided by law, for computation, and the result thereof shall be certified by the proper officers of the

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