1548 LAWS OF MARYLAND.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Mary-
land, That a new sub-Section, to be numbered Second A, be
added to Section 160 of Article 23 of the Code of Public General
Laws, Revision of 1904, title "Corporations," sub-title "Insur-
ance Department,'' to follow immediately after sub-Section Sec-
ond of said Section, and to read as follows:

160-Second A. The Insurance Commissioner may, in his dis-
cretion, upon the request of any life insurance company so re-
porting to him, cause the net value of all or of any number of
the policies in force in such company to be calculated upon a
higher basis of reserve than that prescribed above by the as-
sumption of a lower rate of interest than that prescribed, or
the assumption of a higher rate of mortality by the substitu-
tion of the Actuaries' Table for the American Experience Table
of Mortality or otherwise as the circumstances of the case may
require, provided that in no case shall the net value so ascer-
tained and taken as a basis of reserve be less than that deter-
mined by the standard of valuation above prescribed; and in
every certificate of the valuation of policies issued by the Com-
missioner the basis upon which the valuation is calculated shall
be stated.

SEC. 2. Be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
from and after the date of its passage.

Approved April 16th, 1914.

CHAPTER 822.

AN ACT authorizing the Wicomico Oil and Gas Company, cor-
poration incorporated under the laws of the State of Dela-
ware and licensed to do business in the State of Maryland, its
successors and assigns, to lay gas pipes in the counties of
Somerset, Worcester, Wicomico, Dorchester, Talbot, Kent,
Queen Anne's and Cecil, of the State of Maryland, for the
purpose of conveying, buying, selling, delivering and trans-
mitting natural gas for lighting, heating and other purposes,
and with proper authority, to cross roads, streams, and to
build bridges and buildings and to do such other things as
may be necessary to the accomplishment of the purpose or
purposes named in this bill, and providing for the control by
the State of Maryland of the exercise of the powers contained
in its charter.