ALBERT C. RITCHIE, GOVERNOR. 473

public buildings to be lighted, supplied with water or other
conveniences, as they may deem necessary and proper; to estab-
lish and regulate a fire department, and provide such means,
engines, apparatus, measures or materials for the prevention
or extinguishment of fires as they may deem necessary; to per-
mit, under such restrictions as they may deem proper, the
laying of railroad tracks and the running of cars drawn by
horses, steam, electricity or other power thereon; the laying
of gas or water pipes in the public streets, and to construct
and maintain and permit the construction and maintenance of
telegraph, telephone and electric lines therein, and they shall
impose such restrictions and conditions upon the location and
maintenance of gas, electric light and waterworks, pipes, wires,
poles and railroad tracks as shall secure the least possible
public or private inconvenience, and they shall provide for
the enforcement of such restriction and conditions; to con-
tract for periods not exceeding five years with the County Com-
missioners of Montgomery or Prince George's Counties, any
municipal corporation, village or town improvements associa-
tion, any person, association or persons or corporations for
supplying the said town or the inhabitants thereof or for said
town or its said Council supplying such County Commission-
ers, municipality, association, person, persons or corporation,
with water, gas or electricity, or for any other general munici-
pal purpose or purposes, and as to sewers or sewerage not ex-
ceeding ten years; such contracts to be let only after thirty
days' notice, calling for bids for such purpose or purposes, has
been given at least three times during that period in some
newspaper of general circulation in the town, and the Council
may, in their discretion, reject any or all bids, and such con-
tract or contracts shall be awarded by ordinance; to license,
for the purpose of regulation and revenue, all and every kind
of business transacted or carried on in the town, to fix the rate
of license upon the same, and provide for the collection thereof
by suit or otherwise; to license, regulate or prohibit any place
of public amusement or recreation, pleasure parks, picnic
grounds, club houses, theatrical exhibitions, baseball grounds,
bowling alley, billiard or pool rooms, camp-meeting grounds or
public assembly of any kind; to establish markets and regulate
the hours and limits thereof and the mode of dealing in rela-
tion thereto; to control and protect the public grounds and
property of the town; to establish, equip and maintain public
parks and playgrounds; to protect public buildings, churches
and private buildings, trees and fences, from defacement or