52 TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL REPORT

April 30, 1957

Mr. W. Andrew Seth, Clerk
Circuit Court for Cecil County
Elkton, Maryland

Dear Mr. Seth:

You ask whether or not you should proceed to carry
out the Order of the Circuit Court for Cecil County,
dated February 28, 1957, which directs you to con-
tract for the work of compiling and installing a mod-
ern system of indexing of the Land Records of Cecil
County, from May 1, 1918 through December 31,
1956, without first securing approval for the expen-
diture from the Comptroller's office.

Article 17, Section 2 of the Annotated Code of
Maryland reads as follows:

"The clerk of the Circuit Court for each of the
several counties is hereby authorized and direct-
ed, under the supervision and subject to the ap-
proval of the Judges of the Circuit Court for
the County, to change the system of indexing
of the Records of his Office, and to index, or
cause to be indexed, or re-indexed, according to
some modern and accurate system, the records
now on file in his office, and from time to time,
to continue such system of indexing with regard
to the current volume of work resulting from
the usual course for business of his office. For this
purpose, the said Clerk of the Circuit Court for
the County is hereby authorized to contract for
the work compiling said indexes, and for the in-
stallation of such modern system of indexing,
and the verification of said indexes when made,
and to purchase all books, racks, shelves and
other equipment necssary for the purpose, and
from time to time thereafter, to purchase the
necessary books, racks, shelves and other supplies
and equipment to provide for the continuation