ART. 56.] TELEGRAPH AND EXPRESS COMPANIES. 941

transaction of such business, or if any express or transportation
company, or any person, firm, partnership, association or corpora-
tion, shall do the business of transporting or forwarding any article
of trade or traffic for profit or hire within this State, or shall open
any office or offices for the transaction of such business, without
having first obtained a license to transact such business as afore-
said, the company, person, firm, partnership, association or cor-
poration so offending shall be subject to a penalty of one thousand
dollars, to be recovered by suit in the name of the State of Mary-
land, in any court in this State having jurisdiction over said
claims; and one-half of said penalty, when recovered, shall be
paid into the treasury of the State, and the other half of the said,
penalty shall be paid to the informer.

1872, ch 355 1874, ch. 370.

107. Any person acting as agent for any telegraph company,
or express or transportation company, firm, partnership, associa-
tion or corporation, in violation of the preceding section, shall be
guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be h'able to indictment theref or,
and on conviction in any court having jurisdiction shall be fined,
not exceeding five hundred dollars.

Ibid.

108. Any telegraph company, express or transportation com-
pany, person, firm, partnership, association or corporation, pro-
posing to do the business of telegraphing for profit or hire, within,
the limits of any single county in this State, or within the limits,
of the city of Baltimore, or proposing to do the business of trans-
porting or forwarding for profit or hire, within the limits of any
single county in this State, or within the limits of the city of
Baltimore, any article of trade or traffic, or any package or parcel
of goods of any sort, shall pay to the clerk of the circuit court for
the county in which said business is proposed to be done, or to
the clerk of the court of common pleas of Baltimore city, if
the said business is proposed to be done in said city, the sum of
twelve dollars for a license to do said business for one year, or a
proportionate part of said sum for any fractional part of a year, not
less than one month; and all licenses so issued shall be made to
expire on the first day of May next succeeding the date of their
issue.