468

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

location of said road and the reason he or they have for opening,

altering or closing the same ; and counter petitions may be pre-

sented to the Road Directors at any time within fifteen days

after the expiration of the twenty days' notice above provided

for; and when any petitions are so presented, the said Road

Directors shall appoint a clay when the petitioners and counter

petitioners shall be head, and shall consider the same and such

testimony as may be adduced before them, and shall determine

the case in such manner as in their opinion shall be right and

proper. Whenever the Road Directors decide it is expedient

that a road be opened under the provisions of this section, they

To contract
with owner

may contract with the owner or owners of the land through

or owners.

which the road is intended to be run for the right of way neces-

sary for such roads, if he, she or they be competent, and in case

the said Road Directors shall so contract, they shall cause a

plat of said road to be made by the Roads Engineer and filed

and recorded in the office of the clerk of the Circuit Court

for Allegany County, which said plat shall be referred to and

shall be part of the Land Records of said county, and the lands

so contracted for shall be conveyed to said Road Directors and

shall become henceforth the property of the county, in the same

manner and to the same extent as other county roads and no

further ; and whenever the Road Directors shall deem it expe-

dient that examiners should be appointed to view grounds for

the purpose of opening, altering or closing a road, they shall

appoint three persons as examiners, who shall be freeholders

in the county and not interested in or holding land through

which the road is proposed to be opened, altered or closed, but

the appointment of the examiners shall not prevent the Road

Directors from contracting with the owner or owners as above

Appointment

provided ; or said Road Directors may proceed to condemn the

of Road Ex-
aminers.

lands that may be necessary for the laying out of new public

roads or for altering of existing public roads under the provi-

sions of Sections 248 to 253, both inclusive, of Article 23 of the

Code of Public General Laws, title "Corporations," and any and

all amendments thereto.

216L. The examiners appointed under the preceding section,

Oath

before they proceed to act as such, shall take an oath to exe-

prescribed.

cute the trust reposed in them faithfully and without favor,

affection, or partiality, which oath shall be endorsed on the

order of appointment; said examiners or a majority of them

shall give notice of the time and place of meeting by publish-

ing the same once a week for two successive weeks in some

newspaper or newspapers published in Allegany County and

by causing a copy of the same to be delivered to the owner or