824 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 372

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of
Maryland, That two new sections be added to Article 13
of the Code of Public Local Laws of Maryland, title "Har-
ford County, " sub-title "Circuit Court, " said new sections
to follow section 177 of said Article, to be known as Sec-
tions 177 A and 177 B, and to read as follows:

Sec. 177 A. The Clerk of the Circuit Court for Har-
ford County shall not docket suit or issue process in any
action-at-law until the person or corporation seeking to
docket said proceeding shall first pay to said Clerk Two
Dollars and Fifty Cents ($2. 50) to defray the Clerk's costs
for the docketing of said proceeding and Seventy-Five
Cents ($. 75) additional for each Defendant named in said
proceeding to be paid to the Sheriff of Harford County for
his services in serving the Writ of Summons on the De-
fendant or Defendants named therein.

If the Clerk of the Circuit Court shall docket any pro-
ceeding on the law side thereof without first complying
with the provisions of this Act, he shall forfeit and pay to
said Court the amount of costs due as a result of said
failure upon his part.

Sec. 177 B. Any person entitled to commence an ac-
tion-at-law in the Circuit Court for Harford County, may,
upon the Order of said Court, commence said action with-
out being required to prepay the costs mentioned in Sec-
tion 177 A, upon filing in said Court a statement under oath
in writing, that because of his poverty he is unable to pay
the said costs, and that he believes that he is entitled to the
redress he seeks in such action-at-law, and setting forth
briefly the nature of his alleged cause of action; provided,
however, that any willful false swearing in any oath or
affidavit under the provisions of this section shall be pun-
ishable as perjury under the provisions of the criminal
law now or hereafter in force in Maryland.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act is
hereby declared to be an emergency law and necessary for
the immediate preservation of the public health and safety
and being passed upon a yea and nay vote, supported by
three-fifths of all the members elected to each of the two
Houses of the General Assembly, the same shall take effect
from the date of its passage.

Approved May 17, 1935.