ALBERT C. RITCHIE, GOVERNOR. 1119

application is made, or the equity court in the city or county
where a minor to be adopted resides, shall have power to pass
a decree declaring any minor child the adopted child of the
petitioner, upon such reasonable notice to the parent or parents,
guardian or guardians, of such child, if any there be, by sum-
mons, order of publication or otherwise, as the court may order1
to be given, provided that the court passing the decree shall
become satisfied, upon careful investigation, that the best
interests and welfare of such child will be thereby promoted,
and provided further, that the child, if of sufficient intelli-
gence and capacity to give an understanding assent shall so
desire.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take
effect June 1, 1924.

Approved April 9, 1924.

CHAPTER 442.

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact with amendments Section 5 of
Article 12 of the Annotated Code of Maryland, title "Bas-
tardy and Fornication, " providing that the father of an ille-
gitimate child may be required to contribute to its support
until it reaches fourteen years of age.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Mary-
land, That Section 5 of Article 12 of the Annotated Code of
Maryland, title "Bastardy and Fornication, " be and it is
hereby repealed and re-enacted with amendments to read as
follows:

5. Immediately upon the passage of said order, said jus-
tice of the peace shall transmit the original papers and a
transcript of the proceedings had before him to said Circuit
Court or the Criminal Court of the City of Baltimore, as the
case may be, and thereupon, but not before said woman shall
have been delivered, and same proceedings shall be had as in
other criminal cases, and if the accused person shall be found
guilty by the verdict of a jury, or by the Court, if the case be
tried before the Court, the Court shall immediately order such
person to give bond to the State of Maryland in a penalty not
exceeding $500. with good and sufficient securities, conditioned
to pay for the maintenance and support of said child, to the
mother, or to the person having said child in custody, or to
the county or to the City of Baltimore, as the case may be, if