J. MILLARD TAWES, GOVERNOR                             1409

to provide for licensing and regulation in Washington County of
persons conducting closing-out sales of businesses, as defined, to
provide for restraining notations, to establish penalties for viola-
tions, and relating generally to the control and regulation of clos-
ing out sales in Washington County.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That new Sections 167A to 167-1, inclusive, be and are hereby added
to the Code of Public Local Laws of Washington County (1957
Edition, being Article 22 of the Code of Public Local Laws of Mary-
land), title "Washington County", to follow immediately after Sec-
tion 167 thereof, and to be under the new sub-title "Closing-Out
Sales", and to read as follows:

Closing-Out Sales
167 A.

For the purposes of this sub-title, (1) "closing-out sale" shall mean
and include any sale in connection with which there is any repre-
sentation by the person conducting such sale that the sale is being
conducted, or is required or compelled to be conducted, for reasons
of economic or business distress, inability to continue business at
the same location, or the age or health of the owner or owners of
the business, and the term "closing-out sale" shall include but not
be limited to, all sales advertised, represented, or held forth under
the designation of "going out of business", "discontinuance of busi-
ness", "selling out", bankruptcy sale", "liquidation", "lost our lease",
"must vacate", "forced out", "removal", or any other designation
of like meaning; and (2) "person" shall mean and include individuals,
partnerships, voluntary associations, and corporations.

167B.

(a)  No person shall advertise or offer for sale in Washington
County a stock of goods, wares, or merchandise under the descrip-
tion of closing-out sale, or a sale of goods, wares, or merchandise
damaged by fire, smoke, water, or otherwise, unless he shall have
obtained a license to conduct such sale from the Board of County
Commissioners of Washington County. The applicant for such a
license shall make an application therefor, in writing and under oath
at least 14 days prior to the opening date of sale, showing all the
facts relating to the reasons and character of such sale, including
the opening and terminating dates of the proposed sale, a complete
inventory of the goods, wares, or merchandise actually on hand in
the place where such sale is to be conducted, and all details necessary
to locate exactly and identify fully the goods, wares, or merchandise
to be sold.

(b)  If the County Commissioners of Washington County shall be
satisfied from said application that the proposed sale is of the char-
acter which the applicant desires to advertise and conduct, they shall
issue a license, upon the payment of a fee of $100 $25 therefor, to-
gether with a bond, payable to the county in the penal sum of $1,000,
conditioned upon compliance with this sub-title, to the applicant au-
thorizing him to advertise and conduct a sale of the particular kind

mentioned in the application. Any merchant who shall have been
conducting a business in the same location where the sale is to be
held for a period of not less than one year, prior to the date of holding