Alterations or extension of business.

§ 32. Any stock corporation heretofore or hereafter organized under any general or special law of this state may alter its certificate of incorporation so as to include therein any purposes, powers or provisions which at the time of such alteration may apply to corporations engaged in a business of the same general character, or which might be included in the certificates of incorporation of a corporation organized under any general law of this state for a business of the same general character, by filing in the manner provided for the original certificate of incorporation an amended certificate, executed by the president and secretary, stating the alteration proposed, and that the same has been duly authorized by a vote of a majority of the directors and also by vote of stockholders representing at least three-fifths of the capital stock, at a meeting of the stockholders called for the purpose in the manner provided in section forty-five of this chapter, and a copy of the proceedings of such meeting, verified by the affidavit of one of the directors present thereat, shall be filed with such amended certificate.

Thus amended by chap. 751, Laws of 1905.

Sale of franchise and property.

§ 33. A stock corporation, except a railroad corporation and except as otherwise provided by law, with the consent of twothirds of its stock, may sell and convey its property, rights, privileges and franchises, or any interest therein or any part thereof to a domestic corporation, engaged in a business of the same general character, or which might be included in the certificate of incorporation of a corporation organizing under any general law of this state for a business of the same general character, and a domestic corporation the principal business of which is carried on in, and the principal tangible property of which is located within a state adjoining the state of New York, may with the consent of the holders of ninety-five per centum of its capital stock, sell and convey its property situate without the state of New York, not including its franchises to a corporation organized under the laws of such

adjoining state, and such sale and conveyance shall, in case of a sale to a domestic corporation, vest the rights, property and franchises thereby transferred, and in case of a sale to a foreign corporation the property sold in the corporation to which they are conveyed for the term of its corporate existence, subject to the provisions and restrictions applicable to the corporation conveying them. Before such sale or conveyance shall be made such consent shall be obtained at a meeting of the stockholders called upon like notice as that required for an annual meeting. If any stockholder not voting in favor of such proposed sale or conveyance shall at such meeting, or within twenty days thereafter object to such sale, and demand payment for his stock, he may, within sixty days after such meeting, apply to the supreme court at any special term thereof held in the district in which the principal place of business of such corporation is situated, upon eight days' notice to the corporation, for the appointment of three persons to ap praise the value of such stock, and the court shall appoint three such appraisers, and designate the time and place of their proceedings as shall be deemed proper, and also direct the manner in which payment for such stock shall be made to such stockholders. The court may fill any vacancy in the board of appraisers occurring by refusal or neglect to serve or otherwise. The appraisers shall meet at the time and place designated, and they or any two of them, after being duly sworn honestly and faithfully to discharge their duties, shall estimate and certify the value of such stock at the time of such dissent, and deliver one copy to such corporation, and another to such stockholder, if demanded; the charges and expenses of the appraisers shall be paid by the corporation. When the corporation shall have paid the amount of such appraisal, as directed by the court, such stockholders shall cease to have any interest in such stock and in the corporate property of such corporation and such stock may be held or disposed of by such corporation.

Thus amended by chap. 130, Laws of 1901.

Not to affect any action or proceeding commenced before chapter 130 became a law.

As to liability of directors or officers to creditors.

§ 34. No director or officer of any stock corporation shall be liable to any creditor of the corporation, because of the creation of any excessive indebtedness, or because of any failure to make or to file an annual report, whether heretofore or hereafter occurring;

(1) In case of any debt, as to which personal liability of directors or officers may be or shall have been waived by such creditor, or by anyone under whom he claims; or by any provision of any instrument creating or securing such debt: or

(2) Unless within three years after the occurrence of the act or the default in respect of which it shall be sought to charge the director or officer, such creditor shall have served upon such director or officer written notice of his intention to hold him personally liable for his claim; provided, nevertheless, that any such liability, because of any such default now existing and not waived as above provided, may be enforced by action begun at any time within the year eighteen hundred and ninety-nine or by action. begun thereafter, if within such year written notice of intention to enforce such liability shall have been given as above provided.

Any director or officer, who, because of any such existing or future liability, shall pay any debt of the corporation, shall be subrogated to all rights of the creditor in respect thereof against the corporate property, but not against the stockholders of the corporation; and also shall be entitled to contribution from all other directors and officers of the corporation similarly liable for the same debt, and the personal representatives of any such director or officer who shall have died before making such contribution.

This section added by chap. 354, Laws of 1899.

See other statutes in this book as to liability of directors or officers.

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ARTICLE III.

STOCK; STOCKHOLDERS, THEIR RIGHTS AND LIABILITIES.

SECTION 40. Stock; acquirement of stocks and bonds of other corporations; guarantee of bonds of other corporations.

41. Subscriptions to stock.

42.

43.

Consideration for issue of stock and bonds.

Time of payment of subscriptions to stock.

44. Increase or reduction of capital stock.

45. Notice of meeting to increase or reduce capital stock.

46. Conduct of such meeting; certificate of increase or reduction. 47. Preferred and common stock.

48. Prohibited transfers to officers or stockholders.

49. (Repealed.)

50. Application to court to order issue of new in place of lost

60. Liabilities of officers, directors and stockholders of foreign corporations.

61. Dissolution by incorporators.

62. Partly paid stock.

Stock; acquirement of stocks and bonds of other corporations; guarantee of bonds of other corporations.

40. The stock of every stock corporation shall be represented by certificates prepared by the directors and signed by the presi dent or vice president and secretary or treasurer and sealed with the seal of the corporation, and shall be transferable in the manner prescribed in this chapter and in the by-laws. No share shall be transferable until all previous calls thereon shall have been fully paid in. Any stock corporation, domestic or foreign, now existing or hereafter organized, except monied corporations, may purchase, acquire, hold and dispose of the stocks, bonds and other evidences

of indebtedness of any corporation, domestic or foreign, and issue in exchange therefor its stock, bonds or other obligations if author. ized so to do by a provision in the certificate of incorporation of such stock corporation, or in any certificate amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto, filed in pursuance of law, or if the corporation whose stock is so purchased, acquired, held or disposed of, is engaged in a business similar to that of such stock corpora tion, or engaged in the manufacture, use or sale of the property, or in the construction or operation of works necessary or useful in the business of such stock corporation, or in which or in connection with which the manufactured articles, product or property of such stock corporation are or may be used, or is a corporation with which such stock corporation is or may be authorized to consolidate. When any such corporation shall be a stockholder in any other corporation, as herein provided, its president or other officers shall be eligible to the office of director of such corporation, the same as if they were individually stockholders therein and the corporation holding such stock shall possess and exercise in respect thereof, all the rights, powers and privileges of individual owners or holders of such stock. Any stock corporation may, in pursuance of a unanimous vote of its stockholders voting at a special meeting called for that purpose by notice in writing signed by a majority of the directors of such corporation stating the time and place and object of the meeting and served upon each stockholder appearing as such upon the books of the corporation, personally or by mail at his last known post-office address at least sixty days prior to such meeting, guarantee the bonds of any other domestic corporation engaged in the same. general line of business; and any stock corporation owning the entire capital stock of any other domestic stock corporation engaged in the same general line of business may in pursuance of a two-thirds vote of its stockholders voting at a special meeting called for that purpose by notice in writing signed by a majority of the directors of such corporation, stating the time and place and object of the meeting and served upon each stockholder appearing as such upon the books of the corporation