320 LAWS OF MARYLAND.

any further assistance provided for in this subtitle for State-
aided roads until such repairs have been made; and any five
taxpayers of such county may apply to the Circuit Court of
said county for a writ of mandamus to compel such board to
make such repairs as aforesaid; and when such application is
made, the Court, upon a rule to show cause or otherwise, in
such manner as the Court shall prescribe, shall ascertain and
determine whether such road as aforesaid is in a proper state
of repair, and it may issue a mandamus requiring the said
board to make the necessary repairs, and may also, in its dis-
cretion, allow to the attorney of the applicants a reasonable
counsel fee, to be paid by said county, and the Circuit Court of
any county were the powers conferred upon the State Roads
Commission or its predecessor have been, or are about to be
exercised, shall have original jurisdiction of any cause of
action or complaint which may be brought by the State Roads
Commission, the County Commissioners for such county, or any
person or corporation aggrieved, for a violation or contem-
plated violation of any of the provisions of this subtitle or
contract thereunder with respect to any road or roads within
such county; and process against said State Roads Commis-
sion may be served upon any member or officer of said Com-
mission.

SEC. 46. In any county in which the control of the public
roads is now or may hereafter be vested in any body other than
the Board of County Commissioners, said body shall have all
the powers and privileges conferred by this subtitle on the
Board of County Commissioners and be subject to all the duties
and obligations imposed by the terms of this subtitle upon the
Board of County Commissioners of the respective counties of
the State.

SEC. 47. Nothing in this subtitle shall be taken to alter,
abridge, or in any way affect the present method of road con-
struction or repair by the respective counties, at their own
expense or otherwise, as now authorized by law.

SEC. 48. The sum of two hundred thousand dollars annually,
or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated,
out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated,
for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this subtitle,
heretofore under the authority of the State Geological and
Economic Survey, as said Commission is referred to and
described in Section 19 of this Article, and in so far as proper
and lawful contracts may have been duly entered into and
made by the said State Geological and Economic Survey under
the powers heretofore conferred upon it; and that from and
after the passage of this Act transferring the powers and
duties set forth in this subtitle to the State Roads Commission,