818 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 277

SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That the State Roads
Commission shall, immediately after the going into effect of
this Act, and not later than May 1, 1924, by using the same
ratio which the public road mileage of the respective counties
bears to the entire public road mileage in the counties of the
State, ascertain each county's proportionate part of the pro-
ceeds to be derived from the sale of the bonds or certificates
of indebtedness to be dated June 15, 1924, and herein appro-
priated for the construction of lateral roads, and shall immedi-
ately and not later than May 1, 1924, notify the County Com-
missioners of the several counties of the amount, thus ascer-
tained, which has been appropriated from the proceeds of the
sale of bonds to be dated June 15, 1924, to each of the coun-
ties, respectively, for lateral road purposes. It shall thereupon
be the duty of the proper authorities of each county to provide,
by assessing a tax upon the taxable basis of said county or by
borrowing upon the faith and credit of said county or by spe-
cial assessments and benefits assessed upon the property espe-
cially benefited by said road, or by levying a tax upon the prop-
erty within a special assessment district created for the pur-
pose, or by a combination of two or more of these methods, or
by any manner which in their discretion is lawful and equit-
able, for the raising, during said year, of a sum of money equal
to the proportionate amount appropriated to said county as
aforesaid. The duty of raising the said amount to be furnished
by each of said counties is hereby made mandatory upon the
proper authorities of the respective counties and subject to en-
forcement by mandamus at the instance of the State Roads
Commission. Full power and authority is hereby granted to
the County Commissioners or other lawfully constituted author-
ities of each and every county to raise said money in any of
the ways hereinbefore set out, and in case they decide to raise
the same by borrowing upon the credit and faith of the county,
they are authorized to issue the bonds or certificates of indebt-
edness of said county to the extent of the amount so needed,
upon such terms and conditions and with such rate of inter-
est, and with such dates of maturity as to them may seem best.
The Lateral road money raised by each and every county as
hereinbefore provided shall be paid to the State Roads Commis-
sion at such times and in such amounts, and under such guar-
antees as the State Roads Commission shall from time to time
determine. If the County Commissioners of any county shall
have fixed the county tax levy for such county for the year
1924 prior to May 1, 1924, and said Board of Commissioners