468 LAWS OF MARYLAND.

during his absence and shall perform such duties as shall be
required of him by the Mayor and City Council.

SEC. 116. Said Mayor and City Council shall have full
power and authority to establish and maintain a Police De-
partment, to be composed of a Chief of Police and Assistant
Chief of Police, and such number of patrolmen or policemen
as said Mayor and City Council may deem necessary, said
officers and members of said police department to be appointed
and their duties to be fixed, defined and regulated as herein-
after provided; and shall also have power and authority to
establish and maintain a Fire Department, to procure fire en-
gines and other apparatus for the extinguishment of fires, and
to provide engine houses for keeping and preserving same, and
said fire department shall be composed of a chief of the Fire
Department, and such number of firemen as the said Mayor
and City Council may deem necessary, the officers and mem-
bers of said fire department to be appointed and their duties
to be fixed, defined and regulated as hereinafter provided.

At the first meeting of the said Mayor and City Council
after their qualification, or as soon thereafter as possible, it
shall be the duty of the councilman, who may be elected as
Police and Fire Commissioner, to prepare and present to the
Mayor, in writing, his recommendations of persons for ap-
pointment, both in said police and fire departments, based on
the integrity of character, physical and intellectual capacities
of the applicants for such positions; and the said Mayor and
City Council shall, upon receiving such recommendations, se-
lect therefrom proper persons to fill such positions in the de-
partments respectively, as may be by them deemed wise and
necessary; and upon the failure or refusal of said Police and
Fire Commissioner to present said recommendations at the
second regular meeting of the said Mayor and City Council,
they shall, thereafter, proceed to elect proper persons to fill
such positions; provided, however, that so far as it may be
practical and consistent with good order, discipline and im-
provement of the public service, it shall be the duty of said
Police and Fire Commissioners to prefer, in recommendations
to said Mayor and City Council, for appointment to the Police
and Fire Departments, respectively, those men who have
proved themselves capable, good and efficient in the perform-
ance of their duties, and the said Mayor and City Council shall
give due weight to such recommendations; provided, however,
that the Chief of Police and Chief of Fire Department shall
have the power to temporarily suspend any subordinate officer
or members of their departments, respectively, for reasons sat-
isfactory to the said Chief of Police and Fire Department, as