ALBERT C. RITCHIE, GOVERNOR. 749

vising official, if any such official has been employed by the
County prior to the passage of this Act. All overhead ex-
penses and charges incident to general supervision and
engineering service furnished by the State Roads Commis-
sion shall be paid from the maintenance funds derived from
the taxes imposed by Sections 178 and 212 of Article 56
aforesaid. The State Roads Commission, in the execution
of the construction, reconstruction, and maintenance of
county roads and municipal streets shall purchase in the
county or municipality concerned all materials and supplies
which can be obtained in that county or municipality at
prices comparable with the market elsewhere.

7C. In the execution of the work of construction, re-
construction and maintenance of county roads and munici-
pal streets, the State Roads Commission shall first employ
the personnel theretofore employed by the County Com-
missioners or other duly constituted public road or street
authorities of the several counties and municipalities, pro-
vided, in the judgment of the State Roads Commission,
such personnel can be effectively and economically em-
ployed; and in the event any employee shall be found by
the Commission to be incompetent or inefficient or his em-
ployment not economically justified, then it shall be the
right of the State Roads Commission, in its discretion, to
discharge him. The State Roads Commission shall also
have the right to employ replacement or additional person-
nel, in order to carry out the purposes of this Act, after
giving due consideration to any recommendations made by
the County Commissioners or other duly constituted road
authorities, and to discharge such employees when incom-
petent, inefficient or when their employment is not eco-
nomically justified.

7D. The State Roads Commission is authorized and em-
powered, in its discretion, to expend all or any part of the
fund to be allocated to Maryland under the provisions of
the Federal Highway Act (commonly known as the Post
Road Fund) upon any one or more major construction or
reconstruction highway or bridge projects in the State. In
the event the State Roads Commission shall expend, in
whole or in part, the portion of the said Post Road Fund
which would have been distributed to a particular County
on a mileage basis as heretofore, upon any such major
project outside of that County, then the State Roads Com-
mission in that event is authorized and empowered to ex-
pend in that County to carry out the purpose of this Act,