1322 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 539

of the same from the owner or owners, or upon the failure
to agree, by the condemnation of the same 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 Mary-
land, 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 proceedings, the said authorities may enter upon
and take possession of said property 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 proceedings upon the part of the
defendant. At the time of said payment, however, they
shall give their corporate undertaking to abide by and ful-
fill any judgment on such appearance or further proceeding.

155J The authorities are authorized and empowered to
take over by purchase or condemnation any privately
owned water supply system. Such condemnation proceed-
ings shall be in accordance with the provisions of Section
155I. 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 properties along the lines of
said privately owned systems, so taken over, shall stand
in the same relation, bear the same benefit assessment, and
be subject 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 authori-
ties 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.

155K Said authorities may enter upon any highway
for the purpose of installing, extending, altering, maintain-