812 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 444

239. The County Commissioners of Montgomery
County are hereby authorized and empowered to levy
annually a tax on all the property of Montgomery County
assessed for County tax purposes an amount sufficient for
for carrying out the following charitable and social relief
functions: extending relief to, and providing for the -care
and maintenance of, indigent persons, including care at
State of other hospitals; providing public work for un-
employed during times of economic emergency; providing
for the care and maintenance of children who are with-
out proper care and guardianship and without adequate
support; and other family welfare and general charitable
and social relief activities.

240. The County Commissioners may from time to
time whenever they deem it advisable (1) in administer-
ing any such function as provided for in Section 239
avail themselves of the services of any existing private
social welfare agency in the county; and (2) consolidate
and place the administration of any and, or all such func-
tions in any public social welfare agency to be established
by the County Commissioners or in any existing private
social welfare agency in Montgomery County to be des-
ignated by said County Commissioners; Provided, That
any social welfare agency so availed of, established, or
designated shall have a qualified professional staff and
adequate standards of administration.

240A. If in carrying out any of such functions as pro-
vided for in Sections 239 or 240, the County Commission-
ers avail themselves of the services of any existing priv-
ate social welfare agency, such public official as the
County Commissioners may designate shall be a member
of the managing board, or any executive committee there-
of, of such agency, and shall keep the County Commis-
sioners at all times informed as to the manner of ex-
penditure of any public funds by such agency, and such
agency shall make an annual report of all its receipts and
expenditures to the County Commissioners.

240B. Any sums derived by the County Commission-
ers from the levy of taxes as provided for in Section 239,
or from any other source, for charitable or social relief
purposes, may be expended by the County Commissioners
through any social welfare agency availed of, established,
or designated under Section 240. All levies and appro-
priations heretofore made by the County Commissioners