ART. 33] COUNSEL——BOUNDARIES. 911

Prince George's, Queen Anne's, St. Mary's, Somerset, Talbot and Wor-
cester counties.

1904, art. 33, sec. 123. 1896, ch. 202, sec. 114 B.

125. The boards of supervisors of elections for the several counties
shall have power to employ an attorney, who shall also be the attorney
for the judges of election, whether acting as such or as registration
officers, to receive such compensation as shall be allowed by the county
commissioners upon the approval of the circuit court. In the city of
Baltimore the board of supervisors of elections shall biennially appoint
same practising member of the bar of Baltimore city to act as general
counsel for the said board and for the officers of registration and judges
of election appointed by them, in all matters and proceedings pertaining
to their duties, and to appear for and defend the said judges of election
at the hearing of all petitions which may be filed against them as officers
of registration under the provisions of this article. For his services
such counsel shall receive an annual salary of twelve hundred dollars,
to be paid in equal quarterly instalments by the mayor and city council
of Baltimore. He may be removed and other counsel may be appointed
in his place at the discretion of said board, and whenever petitions
filed against officers of registration and pending before more than one
of the judges of the supreme bench of Baltimore city at the same time,
he may appoint, with the approval of the board of supervisors, as many
additional counsel as may be necessary to assist him in trying said
petitions, who shall each be paid such sum, not exceeding one hundred
and fifty dollars in any one year, as he shall certify, with the approval
of the board of supervisors, to be a reasonable and proper compensation
for their respective services; provided, that the whole number of counsel
retained at any one time, including himself, shall in no case exceed
the number of judges then engaged in hearing such petitions.

Services of counsel held to be such as the county commissioners were

required to pay for under this section. Hence, mandamus will issue. Anne

Arundel Co. v. Melvin, 107 Md. 534.

Ibid. sec. 124. 1896, ch. 202, sec. 117. 1904, ch. 254.

126. The boundaries of the election districts of the counties and of
the wards of Baltimore city shall remain as now established by law,
but before the first general registration held under this article, and
before every subsequent general registration, or whenever in the judg-
ment of the board of supervisors of elections of Baltimore city it shall
be deemed expedient, it shall be the duty of said board to divide and
establish precincts in the said wards, as in the judgment of said board
shall best promote the convenience of voters; provided, that no precinct
upon the basis of the registry of voters in use at the election in the next
year preceding that in which such precincts are divided and established
shall contain over four hundred and fifty registered voters in the city.
In dividing and establishing precincts in the city of Baltimore, the
new precincts shall conform to the boundaries of the legislative and