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traversing more than one county, and act in like manner as provided in chapter eight of this act in the manner of established drains.

CHAPTER VIII.

Freeholder to

tion, object of.

er to examine

drain.

assessments.

ESTABLISHED DRAINS.

SECTION 1. Whenever a drain, or any portion thereof, needs make applica cleaning out, straightening, deepening, widening or extending, any five freeholders of the township or townships in which such drain is situated, one or more of whom shall be owners of land liable to an assessment for benefits in the cleaning out, deepening, widening, straightening or extending, as the case may be, may make application in writing to the county drain commissioner by whom it was constructed, or to his successor Commission in office, setting forth its necessity, and the county drain commissioner shall, as soon as practicable thereafter, go upon the line thereof and carefully examine such drain, and if, in his judgment, the request of the applicants should be granted, he shall fix the per cent of the cost of cleaning out, that the owner or owners of the lands benefited thereby shall be assessed Proviso as to therefor: Provided, That such assessment shall be made according to benefits, and shall be subject to appeal the same as in the first instance, except that in all cases under this section where drains are only cleaned out, the cost thereof may, in the discretion of the drain commissioner, be assessed upon the same per cent fixed for the construction thereof: And provided further, That whenever any such drain shall need straightening, deepening, widening or extending, the same proceedings shall be had throughout in every respect as are provided in this act for the locating and construction of a drain in Application. the first instance. Drains may be cleaned out, deepened, widened, extended or straightened and for any or all such improvements only one application and proceeding will be necessary. It shall not be necessary for the applicants in such proceedings to further describe the drain or drains involved, than by referring to the recorded name or names thereof but a reference to a drain, describing it by its commencement, terminus and general direction shall be sufficient without giving the name of the drain. In cases where a natural water course shall need cleaning out, straightening, deepening or widening, where no valid proceedings have been had to previously establish such water course, it shall be immaterial whether the first proceedings shall be to clean out, lay out, straighten, deepen or widen; but the county drain commissioner shall take such steps as may be necessary to obtain a right of way, as heretofore provided and go on with his proceedings in the manner provided by law.

Further proproceedings.

viso as to

Description.

Commissioner to

of way.

made.

cleaning out

the neglect of

SEC. 2. Such assessment, and the collection, return and Assessment, collection, enforcement thereof shall be made in the same manner, and and return, under the same provisions in this act provided for drain taxes etc how assessed, collected, returned and enforced in the first instance. In case the necessity for such cleaning out arises from the act when the neor neglect of any land owner, said act or neglect shall be taken cessity for into consideration by the county drain commissioner in such arises from assessment. The work of cleaning out such drain shall be the owner to advertised and let, and the contracts therefor awarded and consideration. accepted and paid for as provided for in the first instance: Letting of Provided, That if there is a surplus in any drain fund the Proviso as to county drain commissioner may, in his discretion, without fund. application or advertisement, pay out of the same a reasonable compensation for cleaning out any obstructions that may accumulate in the particular drain for which the fund was raised.

be taken into

contracts.

surplus in

tofore estab

SEC. 3. All drains regularly established, opened or con- Drains herestructed under any provisions of law heretofore existing, shall lished, legal be deemed to be legal drains under this act. All drains drains. Certain drains traversing more than one township, or in which the lands to be under the jurisdicassessed for the construction thereof are situated in more than tion of county one township, and heretofore constructed by the drain com- commissioner. missioners of the adjoining townships acting jointly, shall hereafter be under the jurisdiction of the county drain commissioners; and in all drains traversing more than one county and heretofore constructed by a special commissioner, shall hereafter be under the jurisdiction of the county drain commissioners of the counties traversed by said drain acting jointly, and any drain that has been established for ten years shall be conclusively deemed to have been regularly estab lished, and it shall be the duty of the county drain commis- County drain sioner, where no records of such drains have been preserved, to make certo see that the records of such drains are made in the most tain records. practicable manner in the drain records of their respective counties.

commissioner

widening,

cleaning out

and repairing drains, creeks,

SEC. 4. All the powers conferred by this act for establish- Constructing, ing and constructing drains and for the enforcement of assess ments thereof, shall also extend to and include the deepening, widening and extending of any drains which heretofore have and levees. been laid, or may hereafter be constructed; also to straightening, cleaning out and deepening the channels of creeks and streams, and the constructing, maintaining, remodeling and repairing of levees, dykes and barriers, for the purpose of drainage. The county drain commissioner may relocate or May relocate. extend the line of any drain if the same be necessary, in order to provide a suitable outlet, in which case he shall cause a survey thereof to be made: Provided, That no proceedings affect- Proviso as to ing the rights of persons or property shall be had under this notice. section except upon a like application, notice, hearing and

May vacate.

award prescribed in this act for the construction of drains in the first instance.

SEC. 5. The county drain commissioner may, upon proper application as required in this act, and upon giving five days' notice thereof by posting only, as provided for the letting in the first instance, declare any drain vacated and abandoned if in his judgment the same has ceased to be of public utility: Proviso as to Provided, That private rights of persons acquired by reason of private rights. the location and establishment of such drain shall not be interfered with, or in any way be impaired thereby. The party so applying shall pay all expenses of such vacating and abandonment.

Who to pay expenses.

May be completed, etc.

Money and records to be turned over by township officers to county officers.

SEC. 6. Drains for which an application has been made, or which have been constructed, under [any] the provisions of law heretofore enacted, may be laid, constructed, completed, relaid, cleaned out, widened, deepened or extended, as the case may be, under the provisions of this act.

SEC. 7. Any moneys in the hands of the township treasurer belonging to any township drain fund heretofore constructed or in process of construction shall be turned over by the township treasurer to the county treasurer, and shall be credited to such drain. And the county treasurer shall give his receipt therefor; and any records of drains in the office of any town clerk shall be turned over to the county drain commissioner or county clerk, who shall receipt therefor.

County drain

may appoint

CHAPTER IX.

MISCELLANEOUS.

SECTION 1. Any county drain commissioner shall appoint commissioner one or more deputies whose duty it shall be to act in the place deputies. of the county drain commissioner so appointing them only when under the provisions of this act any drain is to be cleaned Proviso as to out: Provided, That such appointments when made shall be

consent of bondsmen.

Commis

with the consent of the bondsmen of the county drain commissioner and be in writing and filed with the clerk of the county. SEC. 2. Such county drain commissioner and his bondsmen shall be liable for all of the acts and defaults of the deputy liable for acts county drain commissioners when appointed as herein provided.

sioner and

bondsmen

of deputies.

Compensation of deputies.

Books, blanks

SEC. 3. Deputy county drain commissioners shall receive for their compensation the sum of two dollars per day for each day actually and necessarily spent by them in the discharge of their duties as prescribed in section one of this chapter.

SEC. 4. County clerks shall be authorized and it shall be and stationery their duty to procure at the expense of their respective counties the necessary books, blanks and stationery for the use of

to be furnished by clerk.

drain commissioners and each county drain commissioner shall furnish upon request blank applications to any person who may desire to file an application for the locating of any drain.

tion of drain

SEC. 5. Drain commissioners shall receive for their services Compensathree dollars per day for each day actually and necessarily commisspent by them in the discharge of the duties of their office.

sioners.

accounts of

SEC. 6. The accounts of such drain commissioner shall be Auditing verified by the oath of the drain commissioner, and audited by drain commisthe judge of probate, county treasurer and county clerk of their sioners. respective counties acting jointly and endorsed by them or a majority thereof; after which such accounts shall be filed with the county clerk. Drain commissioners shall not draw any orders upon any drain fund in payment for their services until their accounts have been audited and filed as herein provided.

of juries and

SEC. 7. Juries and special commissioners shall receive the Compensation same compensation as the county drain commissioners, and special comnewspaper publishers shall receive legal rates for advertising, missioners. The judge of probate shall receive ten cents per folio for mak- of judge of ing exemplified copies of any proceedings had in the probate probate. court, two dollars for the appointment of special commissioners including the certified copy of the order of their appointment, and three dollars for all services performed in case a jury is had. For all services mentioned in this section the Drain comcounty drain commissioner shall draw orders on the funds of draw orders the several drains for which said services were performed.

missioner to

for services.

blanks.

SEC. 8. It shall be the duty of the Attorney General upon Attorney Genthe passage of this act to revise, or cause the same to be done eral to revise under his supervision, the set of blank forms now in use and required under the provisions of this act, to conform to the said provisions thereof; and it shall be the duty of the Secre- Secretary of tary of State to publish a sufficient number of copies of this fitate to pubact in pamphlet form, with an index thereto, and an annotation of all the supreme court decisions to date relating to drains and drainage, together with an appendix containing a copy of all such blank forms.

lish act.

removing

drain.

SEC. 9. If any person shall wilfully or maliciously remove Penalty for any section or grade stake set along the line of any drain, or grade stake obstruct or injure any drain, he shall be deemed guilty of a or obstructing misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not exceeding one hundred dollars, and the costs of prosecution, or in default of the payment thereof, by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding ninety days.

pear for the

SEC. 10. In all proceedings under this act, when the State Prosecuting shall be an interested party, and liable to be assessed for bene- attorney to apfits, it shall be the duty of the prosecuting attorney of the State. county in which such lands are situated, to represent the interests of the State, and to appear in its behalf, and he shall make To report to a report of his actions in each case to the Commissioner of whom. the State Land Office.

State swamp

be under con

drain commissioner.

SEC. 11. All drains in any organized county of this State land drains to which have been constructed therein partly or wholly by aid trol of county of State swamp lands, or under authority of the board of control having charge of the drainage and reclamation of swamp lands by means of State roads and ditches, shall hereafter be under control of the county drain commissioner of the county or counties where said drain is situated, and may be cleaned out, widened, deepened, extended or relaid by said drain commissioner, upon like petition as is required by section one of chapter eight of this act.

Repealing clause.

Exception as to acquired rights.

SEC. 12. All acts or parts of acts heretofore enacted that are inconsistent with the provisions of this act are hereby repealed, saving all acts done and all rights acquired at the time this act takes effect, and any proceedings had or begun may be carried forward and completed thereunder, the same as they might have done had this act not been passed. This act is ordered to take immediate effect. Approved June 2, 1897.

Section amended.

Election,

and term of office of directors.

[ No. 255. ]

AN ACT to amend the general railroad law relative to meetings of stockholders, being section three of article two of act number one hundred and ninety-eight of the session laws of eighteen hundred and seventy-three, entitled “An act to revise the laws providing for the incorporation of railroad companies, and to regulate the running and management, and to fix the duties and liabilities of all railroads and other corporations owning and operating any railroad in this State," as said act was amended by act number sixty-one of the session laws of eighteen hundred and seventy-five.

SECTION 1. The People of the State of Michigan enact, That section three of article two of act number one hundred and ninety-eight of the session laws of eighteen hundred and seventy-three, entitled "An act to revise the laws providing for the incorporation of railroad companies, and to regulate the running and management, and to fix the duties and liabil ities of all railroads and other corporations owning and operating any railroad in this State," as said act was amended by act number sixty-one of the session laws of eighteen hundred and seventy-five, be amended so as to read as follows:

SEC. 3. At any meeting of stockholders for the election of classification directors, it shall be lawful for the stockholders to classify the directors into three classes, as near as may be, one of which classes shall hold their office one year, one for two years, and one for three years, and until their successors are respectively

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