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Corporation.

Style.

Privileges.

Proviso,

Probable esti

ing, as debts are, or shall be by law recoverable; and the directors qualified as aforesaid, are hereby authorized to administer an oath or affirmation in any case when it shall be necessary, in relation to the duties of their office.

SECTION 3. That the said directors shall forever hereafter, in name and in fact, be one body politic and corporate in law, to all intents and purposes, whatsoever, relative to the poor of the county of Juniata, and shall have perpetual succession, and may sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, by the name, style, and title of the "Directors of the Poor and of the House of Employment for the county of Juniata," and by that name shall, and may receive, take, and hold any lands, tenements, and hereditaments, not exceeding the yearly value of ten thousand dollars, and any goods, and chattels, whatsoever, of the gift, alienation, or bequest of any person or persons, whatsoever, to purchase, take, and hold any lands, and tenements within their county, in fee simple, or otherwise, and erect suitable buildings for the reception, use, and aecommodation of the poor of said county, to provide all things necessary for the lodging, maintenance, and employment of said poor, to appoint a treasurer, annually, who shall give bond, with full and sufficient surety, for the faithful discharge of the duties of his office, and at the expiration thereof, for the payment and delivery over to his successor in office, of all moneys, bonds, notes, book accounts, and other papers, to the said corporation belonging, which shall then be remaining in his hands, custody, and possession; and said directors shall have power to employ, and at pleasure remove a steward or stewards, matron or matrons, physician or physicians, surgeon or surgeons, and all other attendants that may be necessary for the said poor, respectively; to bind out apprentices, so that such apprenticeship may expire, if males, at or before the age of twenty-one years, if females, at or before the age of eighteen years, such poor children as shall come under their notice, or as may now be bound apprentices by the overseers of the poor: Provided, That no child shall be bound at a greater distance than thirty miles from the poor-house, and to have not less than three months schooling in each year; and the said directors shall exercise and enjoy all such other powers now vested in the overseers of the poor, as are not herein granted or supplied; and the said directors are hereby empowered to use one common seal in all business relating to the said corporation, and the same at their pleasure to alter and renew.

SECTION 4. That the said directors as soon as may be after their elecmate of expense. tion and organization as aforesaid, shall make an estimate of the probable expense of purchasing the lands, and building or erecting the necessary building or buildings, and furnishing the same, and maintaining the poor of the county, for one year; whereupon the county commissioners of the said county, shall, and they are hereby authorized and required to increase the county tax by one-fourth of the sum necessary for the purpose aforesaid, and shall procure, on loan, on the credit of the taxes herein directed, to be levied, the remaining three-fourths thereof to be paid in instalments, with interest, out of the county taxes: Provided always, That not more than one-fourth of the whole amount of the sum necessary for the purpose aforesaid, shall be added to the county tax annually thereafter, to be paid by the county treasurer to the directors aforesaid, on orders drawn in their favor, by the county commissioners, as the same may be found necessary.

Provis

Estimate of ex

SECTION 5. That it shall be the duty of the said directors, on or pense to be fur- before the first day of November, in each and every year after the poor nished to county house shall have been completed, to furnish the commissioners of said county with an estimate of the probable expense of the poor and poor

commissioners.

house for one year; and it shall be the duty of said commissioners to assess, and cause to be collected, the amount of said estimate, which shall be paid to said directors, by the county treasurer, on warrants drawn in their favor by the county commissioners, as the same may be found necessary; and the said directors shall, once in every year, render an account of all moneys by them received and expended, to the auditors appointed to audit and settle the county accounts, subject to the same penalties, rules, and regulations, as are by law directed respecting the accounts of the county commissioners, which account shall be published in at least two public newspapers in the county, if there be so many published, four weeks in the month of January; and the said directors shall, at least once in every year, lay before the Court of Further duties Quarter Sessions, and grand jury of said county, a list of the number, of directors. ages, and sex of the persons maintained and employed in the house of employment, or supported, or assisted by them, elsewhere, and of the children by them bound out to apprenticeship as aforesaid, with the names of their masters, or mistresses, and their trade, occupation, or calling, and shall, at all times when thereunto required, submit to the inspection and free examination of such visitors as shall from time to time be appointed by the Court of Quarter Sessions of the said county, all their books and accounts, together with the rents, interests, and moneys payable and receivable by the said corporation, and also an account of all sales, purchases, donations, devises, and bequests, as shall have been made by or to them.

SECTION 6. That as soon as the said buildings shall have been erected Notices to overor purchased, and all necessary accommodations provided therein, notices seers of the shall be sent, signed by any two of the said directors, to the overseers poor. of the several townships of the said county of Juniata, requiring them forthwith to bring the poor of their respective townships to said house of employment; which order the overseers are hereby enjoined and required to comply with, or otherwise to forfeit the costs of all future maintenance, except in cases where, by sickness, or any other sufficient cause, any poor person cannot be removed; in which case the said overseers shall represent the same to the nearest justice of the peace, who, being satisfied of the truth thereof, shall certify the same to the said directors, and at the same time issue an order under his hand and seal to the said overseers, directing them to maintain such poor until such time as he or she may be in a situation to be removed, and then convey the said pauper and deliver him or her to the steward or keeper of the said house of employment, together with the said order, and the charge and expense of such temporary relief, and of such removal, shall be paid by the said directors at a reasonable allowance.

SECTION 7. That the said directors shall from time to time receive, Employment of provide for, and employ, according to the true intent and meaning of poor and indithis act, all such poor and indigent persons as shall be entitled to relief, gent persons. or shall have gained a legal settlement in said county of Juniata, and shall be sent there, by an order or warrant for that purpose, under the hands and seals of any two justices of the peace, directed to any constable of the said county of Juniata, or to the overseers of the proper township, in any other county in this Commonwealth; and the said di-. rectors are hereby authorized, when they shall deem it proper and convenient to do so, to permit any poor person or persons to be maintained elsewhere: Provided, The expense of their maintenance does not, in any case, exceed that for which they could be maintained at the poor house of the county of Juniata.

Ordinances,

SECTION 8. That the said directors, or any two of them, who shall rules and regabe a quorum in all cases to do business, shall have power to make and lations.

Proviso.
Proviso.

Directors au

minister oaths.

ordain such ordinances, rules, and regulations as they shall think proper, convenient, and necessary for the direction, government, and support of the poor and house of employment aforesaid, and of the revenues thereunto belonging, and of all such persons as shall come under their cognizance: Provided, The same be not repugnant to this law or any of the laws of this State, or of the United States: And provided, also, That the same shall not have any force or effect until they shall have been submitted to the Court of Common Pleas, for the time being, of the county of Juniata, and shall have received the approbation of the

same.

SECTION 9. That the said directors, or a majority of them, shall have thorized to ad- full power and authority to administer oaths or affirmations to all persons residing in said house of employment, or becoming chargeable to the said county, touching their place of legal settlement, and in case such poor person or persons shall refuse to take the said oath or affirmation, or shall refuse to answer such questions as shall be asked by the said directors, touching and relative to the said settlement, the said directors may withhold all further relief from such poor person or persons until he, she or they shall consent to take such oath or affirmation, and answer all such questions as aforesaid; and the said board of direc tors, or a majority of them, in addition to the power herein before granted, are authorized and empowered to administer oaths and affirmations in all cases whatever relating to their official duties.

Directors to

month.

SECTION 10. That a quorum of said directors shall, and they are meet once every hereby enjoined and required to meet at the said house of employment at least once in every month, and visit the apartments, and see that the poor are comfortably supported, and hear all complaints and redress, or cause to be redressed, all grievances that may happen by the neglect or mismanagement of any person or persons in their employment, or other

Compensation.

Vacancies.

Claims to have full force and effect.

Outstanding poor taxes.

Certain powers conferred on supervisors of highways.

wise.

SECTION 11. That the said directors shall, each of them, receive for their service annually the sum of twenty dollars to defray the expenses of the necessary attendance on the duties of their office.

SECTION 12. That in case of any vacancy by death, resignation, or otherwise, of any of the said directors, the remaining directors shall fill such vacancy by the appointment of a citizen of the district in which the vacancy has occurred, under the same penalty as is provided by the third section of this act, to serve until the next general election, when another director shall be elected to serve the unexpired term.

SECTION 13. That all claims and demands existing at the time of this act being carried into effect, shall have full force and effect as if this act had not passed, and when the same may have been duly adjusted and settled, all moneys remaining in the hands of the overseers, as well as the uncollected taxes levied for the support of the poor in the several townships in the county of Juniata, shall be paid over to the treasurer of the poor house, to be applied to the maintenance and support of the poor.

SECTION 14. That as soon as the poor of the county of Juniata shall have been removed to the house of employment of the said county, and the outstanding taxes collected and paid over, the office of overseer of the poor within the said county shall from thenceforth be abolished.

SECTION 15. That the powers conferred and the duties imposed upon the overseers of the poor, in and by "An Act to empower the overseers and guardians of the poor in the several townships, within this Commonwealth, to recover certain fines, penalties and forfeitures, and for other purposes," are hereby conferred and imposed on the supervi sors of the highways in said county of Juniata, and that the justices of

the peace and sheriff within the said county, are hereby required and enjoined to pay to the said supervisors, to be by them applied to the repair of the highways, the aforesaid fines, forfeitures and penalties within the time and in the manner prescribed by the said act, for the ⚫payment thereof in other counties, to the overseers of the poor, and to give notice of the receipt thereof to the said supervisors within the time and in the manner aforesaid, and that for any neglect or refusal to perform any of the duties enjoined on them by the said act, the said justices of the peace and sheriff in the said county shall be subject to all fines, penalties and forfeitures to which the justices and sheriffs in other counties by the said act are subject or liable.

SECTION 16. That the commissioners of said county are hereby autho- Compensation. rized and empowered to pay to the directors a reasonable compensation for

their services, during the term they are employed in erecting any build

ing or buildings aforesaid: Provided, The same shall not, including Proviso. the annual sum allowed them by this act, exceed fifty dollars for any

one year.

SECTION 17. That so much of the laws of this Commonwealth rela- Repeal. ting to the poor, as are by this act altered or supplied, be, and the same are hereby repealed, so far as they affect the county of Juniata.

SECTION 18. That the sheriff of the said county shall in due time Notification by notify the said commissioners of their appointment, and when and where Sheriff. they shall meet for entering upon the duties assigned them by this act, which place of meeting shall be as near the centre of the county as possible.

to a vote of the people.

SECTION 19. That for the purpose of ascertaining the sense of the Erection of citizens of Juniata county, as to the expediency of erecting a poor house, poor house left it shall be the duty of each of the inspectors for the several townships and boroughs at the next general election, to receive tickets, either written or printed, from the qualified voters thereof, labelled on the outside "poor house," and on the inside "for a poor house" or "against a poor house," and if it shall appear on casting up the votes of the different districts at the court house, on the same day that the other returns are made out, that a majority of those who voted are for a poor house, then the foregoing act is to take effect; but if a majority of the votes are found to be against a poor house, the foregoing act to be, and the same is hereby null and void.

SECTION 20. That the sheriff of Juniata county shall cause this act Publication of to be published in all the newspapers printed in said county, at least act.

six weeks previous to the next general election, the expenses of which,

to be paid out of the county treasury.

JOHN S. RHEY,

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APPROVED-The twenty-first day of April, A. D., one thousand

eight hundred and fifty-two.

WM. BIGLER.

Preamble.

Certain act made valid.

Authorized to

construct branches.

No. 243.

AN ACT

Supplementary to an act entitled "An Act for the relief of Martha Taylor, widow of Thomas Taylor, a soldier of the Revolutionary war; to incorporate the Allegheny and Manchester plank road company, and relative to trusts."

WHEREAS, The act of Assembly to which this is a supplement, ap proved on the sixth of May, one thousand eight hundred and fifty, never received the signature of the Speakers of the Senate and House of Representatives respectively; therefore,

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Represen tatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That the said act of Assembly be, and the same is hereby declared to be as valid and effectual as a law, to all intents and purposes, as fully and effectually as if the same had been duly signed by the Speakers of each branch of the Legislature, and that all the acts of the Allegheny and Manchester plank road company, incorporated by virtue of said act to which this is a supplement, done previously to the passage of this act, be, and they are hereby declared good and valid in law, to all intents and purposes.

SECTION 2. That the said Allegheny and Manchester plank road company, are hereby authorized to construct any branch or branches of their road from the main road, as authorized by the act to which this is a supplement, to any point or points on the river Ohio, which the president and managers of said company may deem expedient, with like powers, restrictions, and regulations, as are applicable to other portions of said road.

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APPROVED-The twenty-first day of April, A. D., one thousand

eight hundred and fifty-two.

WM. BIGLER.

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