WICOMICO COUNTY. 5139

property, either within or outside the municipality, either in fee or as an
easement, for the construction, establishment, extension, alteration, main-
tenance, or operation of any part or appurtenance of said water supply
system, this to be done by the purchase of the same from the owner or
owners, or upon the failure to agree, by the condemnation of the same by
proceedings in the Circuit Court for Wicomico County, as now provided
for condemnation of land by public service corporations in Article 33A
of the Code of Public General Laws of Maryland, and said authorities
may, at the same time, condemn the interest of any tenant, lessee or other
person having an interest in said property. At any time after ten days
after the return and recordation of the verdict or award in said proceed-
ings, the said authorities may enter upon and take possession of said prop-
erty so condemned upon first paying to the Clerk of the Court the amount
of the said award and all costs and taxes to date, notwithstanding any
appeal or further proceeding upon the part of the defendant. At the time
of said payment, however, they shall give their corporate undertaking to
abide by and fulfill any judgment on such appearance or further pro-
ceeding.

1929, ch. 27, sec. 10.

375. The authorities are authorized and empowered to take over by
purchase or condemnation any privately owned water supply system.
Such condemnation proceedings shall be in accordance with the provi-
sions of Section 374. When any such private system is taken possession
of, said authorities may extend or alter and maintain or operate said
system in conjunction with their general system, and thereafter all prop-
erties along the lines of said privately owned systems, so taken over, shall
stand in the same relation, bear the same benefit assessment, and be sub-
ject to the same regulations and penalties as though the system so acquired
had been constructed and put into operation by said authorities; provided,
however, that said authorities may take into account and compensate for
any portion of the cost of constructing the privately owned system that
they may determine to have been paid by properties abutting upon any
portion of said system. Whenever there is in existence a privately owned
water supply system, which, in the judgment of said authorities, is unfit
as a whole or in part for incorporation into the general system established
by said authorities, said authorities may disregard the existence of said
system or unfit part thereof, and extend their system to serve the area
tributary to the existing private system or unfit part thereof, and all the
provisions of this Act relating to systems constructed by said authorities
shall apply to said extensions.

1929, ch. 27, sec. 11.

376. Said authorities may enter upon any highway for the purpose of
installing, extending, altering, maintaining and operating a water supply
system, and may construct or repair in any such highway a water main
or any appurtenance thereof upon the receipt of a permit from the proper