PROCEEDINGS FOR PREVENTING, AND CORRECTING ABUSES OF THE
POWER OF CORPORATIONS, AND FOR THE FORFEITURE OF THEIR
CHARTERS.

Legal proceed- ings against corporations.	176. Whenever the attorney general of the state, or the state's attorney for the city of Baltimore, or for any county in this state, shall be authorized by the gov- ernor to institute proceedings against any corporation incorporated under the laws of this state to ascertain whether such corporation has been guilty of such mis- use, abuse or nonuser of its corporate powers and franchises as by law would authorize and make proper the forfeiture of its charter, corporate powers and franchises, the attorney general or state's attorney, so authorized, shall -file in the court hereafter designated,
Petition.	a petition in the name of the state, setting forth fully and in detail, the alleged abuse, misuse or nonuser, by reason whereof the said forfeiture is sought, and upon the filing of such petition, the court in which it is filed,
Rule to show cause.	or any judge thereof, shall lay a rule requiring the said corporation to show cause, within such time as the judge may deem proper, why a decree of forfeiture should not issue as grayed in said petition, a copy of which rule and of the petition shall be served on the said corporation by a day to be therein limited, which shall be served as other process against such corpora- tions is directed to be served.
Answer by cor- poration.	177. The said corporation, by the day named in said order, unless further time be granted by the court, shall file an answer to such petition, fully setting forth all the defenses upon which it intends to rely on resisting such application, which shall be verified by the affir- mation or affidavit of some officer of the said corpora- tion.