JOHN WALTER SMITH, ESQ., GOVERNOR.

293

the sums as above stated, per week, for and during the terms
of their respective lives, under and by authority of an Act of
the General Assembly of Maryland, chapter four hundred and
fifty-nine, Laws of Maryland, eighteen hundred and eighty-six,
entitled an Act to define a fund of money now in the hands,
or which, under existing laws, may come into the hands of
said Board of Police Commissioners for the city of Baltimore,
and to provide for its application, approved April 7, 1886.
SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That this Act shall take effect
from the date of its passage.
Approved April 8, 1902.

CHAPTER 189.
AN ACT to provide indexes of certain land records of the
annexed district of Baltimore City.

WHEREAS, Prior to the year 1850 and subsequent to the
year 1888 the land records of those portions of Baltimore city

CHAP. 189.

which in the year 1888 were annexed to the city of Baltimore
in accordance with the provisions of chapter 98 of the Acts
of the General Assembly, passed at the session of 1888, are in
the custody of the clerk of the Superior Court of Baltimore
City, kept in his office in said city, but the land records of the
said district so annexed during the period between the years
1851 and 1888 are in the office and custody of the clerk of
the Circuit Court of Baltimore County, and kept in his office
at Towson, Maryland, by reason of which condition great
inconvenience, loss of time and expenses is caused to the
searchers of the said records, and the said city of Baltimore
has not in the office of any official of the said city any record
whatever of the transfers of land in said district during the
said interval, and the said records at Towson contain the dedi-
cation of many public ways and other matters of public no
less than private importance, and it is desirable that a more
approved system be established ; therefore,
SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of

Preamble.

Maryland, That the clerk of the Superior Court of Baltimore
City is hereby authorized to prepare a set of indexes, upon
the block system, or general index plan, now in use in his
office, as may appear to be most practicable, for the land
records covering the period between the years 1851 and 1888.
SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That for the purpose of

Set of
ndexes to be
prepared.

accomplishing such work it shall be the duty of the clerk of
the Circuit Court of Baltimore County to permit free access
to all records in his custody without charge therefor, and to
place all reasonable facilities at the disposal of the said clerk
of the Superior Court of Baltimore City, and his assistants.

Free access
given
to record.