834 ARTICLE 23.

failure to obey, observe and comply with any such order or provision, shall
be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Whenever the commission shall be of the opinion that a common carrier,
railroad corporation or street railroad corporation, or other corporation,
subject to its supervision, is failing or omitting, or about to fail or omit to
do anything required of it by law, or by order of the commission, or is doing
anything, or about to do anything, or permitting anything or about to per-
mit anything to be done, contrary to or in violation of law or of any order
of this commission, it shall direct the general counsel to the commission to
commence an action or proceeding before one of the judges of the supreme
bench of Baltimore city or in the circuit court of the county in which such
corporation has its principal place of business, or carries on its business in
the name of the commission, for the purpose of having such violations or
threatened violations stopped and prevented, either by mandamus or injunc-
tion. Counsel to the commission shall thereupon begin such action or pro-
ceeding by a petition to and in any of the said courts, as the case may
require, alleging the violation or threatened violation complained of, and
praying for appropriate relief by way of mandamus or injunction. It shall
thereupon be the duty of the court to specify the time not exceeding twenty
days after service of the petition, within which the common carrier, rail-
road corporation or street railroad corporation complained of must answer
the petition. In case of default in answer, or after answer, the court shall
immediately inquire into the facts and circumstances in such manner as
the court may direct, without other or formal pleadings, and without respect
to any technical requirement. Such other persons or corporations as the
court shall deem necessary or proper to join as parties in order to make
its order, judgment or writs effective, may be joined as parties upon appli-
cation of counsel to the commission. The final judgment in any such action
or proceeding shall either dismiss the action or proceedings or direct that a
writ of mandamus or an injunction issue, as prayed for in the petition or
in such modified or other forms as the court may determine will afford the
appropriate relief.

Any corporation, other than a common carrier, which shall violate any
provision of this sub-title, or shall fail to obey, observe and comply with
every order made by the commission under authority of this sub-title, so
long as the same shall be and remain in force, shall forfeit to the State of
Maryland a sum not exceeding one thousand dollars for each and every
offense; every such violation shall be a separate and distinct offense, and
the penalty or forfeiture thereof shall be recovered in an action as pro-
vided in this section.

Every person who, either individually or acting as an officer or agent of
a corporation or person, other than a common carrier, railroad corporation
or street railroad corporation, shall violate any provision of this sub-title,
or fail to obey, observe or comply with any order made by the commission
under this sub-title, so long as the same shall be or remain in force, or
who shall procure or aid or abet any such corporation or person in a viola-
tion of this sub-title, or in a failure to obey, observe or comply with any
such order, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.