702 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 139

the date of said levy, less any annual payment that may have
been made thereon. The Commission, however, in estimating
said cost for the purpose of extinguishment may add thereto
a reasonable margin to protect itself against possible changes
in the cost of construction and loss of interest. All sums
received under such plan of extinguishment shall be pre-
served intact by said Commission less the payment of the
proportion of interest and sinking fund properly chargeable
to the amount so received and used for future construction;
and provided, further, that any property owner, whose prop-
erty is classified under business or industrial, or sub-division,
may, at his option, at any time during the life of said assess-
ment or benefit charge, extinguish the same by payment in
cash of an amount which, if put at interest at three and a half
per cent., compounded annually, would yield an annuity equal
to the annual assessment for the period for which said assess-
ment has yet to run. The Commission shall at any time per-
mit a connection with a water main or sewer by a property
owner whose property does not abut on said water main or
sewer and who has not previously thereto paid a benefit charge
for the construction of said water main or sewer, provided
said Commission shall classify said property and determine a
front-foot charge to be paid by said property owner as though
his property abutted upon said water main or sewer; and in
the event of such connection being made said property owner
and said property, as to all charges, rates and benefits shall
stand in every respect in the same position as if the said prop-
erty abutted upon a water main or sewer. Said benefit charge
shall be payable at the office of the Commission immediately
upon being levied and shall be in default after sixty days from
that date; and said benefit charge and any judgment obtained
as a result of the default of the payment thereof shall bear
interest at the rate of one per cent, a month from and after the
time said benefit charge is in default.

The annual benefit charges as above specified shall be a first
lien upon the property against which they are assessed subject
only to prior State and County taxes, and no such charge shall
continue as a lien for a period longer than two years from the
date upon which same became in default unless the said lien is
reduced to record in the Office of the Circuit Court of the
County within which the respective properties are situated, as
follows:

At any time within the said two years the Commission shall
file its bill on the Equity side of said Court against all persons