ALBERT C. RITCHIE, GOVERNOR.                1137

within the corporate limits aforesaid the Commissioners of
Cambridge are hereby authorized and empowered to acquire
whatever land and property shall be necessary for the making
of any necessary public improvement, and the Commissioners
of Cambridge are hereby authorized and empowered, if it
should be found expedient and best, to exchange land or prop-
erty owned or to be acquired by the Commissioners of Cam-
bridge for land or other property necessary to be obtained and
owned by another or others, and any lands or property here-
tofore acquired for the said purposes by the Commissioners of
Cambridge, the Act or Acts of the Commissioners of Gam-
bridge in acquiring such land or property is hereby ratified and
confirmed, and the Commissioners of Cambridge are hereby
authorized and empowered^ to acquire any of said property by
purchase, if possible to do so by agreement with the owners of
such property, and if not possible, to so acquire the said prop-
erty by purchase, then by condemnation proceedings, said con-
demnation proceedings to be in the form and in the manner
provided by Article 33A of the Code of Public General Laws
of Maryland, title "Eminent Domain. "

SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take
effect from and after the 1st day of June, 1931.

Approved April 17, 1931.

CHAPTER 448.

A1ST ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 87
of Article 27 of the Annotated Code of Public General Laws
of Maryland (1924 edition), title "Crimes and Punish-
ments, " sub-title "Desertion of Wife or Child, " and to add
thereto five additional sections, to follow immediately after
Section 87 of said Article and to be known as Sections 87A,
87B, 87C, 87D and 87E, enlarging the sentence from one
to three years and making the period of probation of the
defendant three years, and empowering the State's Attorney
for the City of Baltimore to investigate and to inquire into
complaints having to do with the desertion or non-sup-
port of a wife or minor child; to require witnesses other
than the accused person to appear before him; to notify the
accused of his right to appear and to produce evidence; and