ART. 4.] CITY OF BALTIMORE. 589

shall be the owner or owners thereof at the time of the con-
demnation, or who shall be parties to such proceeding in per-
sonam, nor to any person or persons claiming under him, her
or them; provided, however, that when the condemnation shall
be provided for by ordinance, the Mayor and City Council of
Baltimore may determine, and in the ordinance providing for
the condemnation declare, that an interest for a fixed and
limited period of time will suffice for the purpose or purposes
for which the property is to be acquired, and under such cir-
cumstances, only such interest shall be condemned and ac-
quired.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take
effect from the date of its passage.

Approved March 10, 1908.

CHAPTER 163.

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact with amendments, section 15 of
article 4 of the Code of Public Local Laws of Maryland, title
"City of Baltimore," sub-title "Charter," relating to the
awarding of municipal contracts.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Mary-
land, That section 15 of article 4 of the Code of Public Local
Laws of Maryland, title "City of Baltimore," sub-title "Char-
ter," relating to the awarding of municipal contracts be, and
the same hereby is repealed and re-enacted with amendments
so as to read as follows:

15. All bids made to the Mayor and City Council of Balti-
more for supplies or work for any purpose whatever, unless
otherwise provided in this article, shall be opened by a board,
or a majority of them, consisting of the Mayor, who shall be
president of the same, the Comptroller, City Register, City
Solicitor, and the President of the Second Branch, which board,
or majority of them, shall, after opening said bids, award the
contract to the lowest responsible bidder, provided, however,
that whenever alternative bids are invited for two or more dif-
ferent things, then the said board shall have power and au-
thority, in its discretion, after all bids have been opened, to
select the particular thing which shall be adopted, and
thereupon the said board shall award the contract to the
lowest responsible bidder for and upon the particular thing
so selected, and any recommendations which may be made
by any department, sub-department, municipal officers not
embraced in a department, special commission or board as