ALBERT C. RITCHIE, GOVERNOR.                1367

to take over the same, and said commission thereupon without
any further procedure, shall acquire and take over any such
and all county roads, turnpikes or sections thereof or interests
or rights therein, as in its judgment may be necessary or proper
for the purpose of this Act, and with full power to widen,
relocate, change or alter the grade or location thereof; and said
commission shall have full power so to take over and take
possession of any county road or abandoned turnpike, and to
accept by gift or surrender, and to acquire by purchase or con-
demnation, any and all existing turnpikes or any sections there-
of, or any rights or interests therein, subject to any outstand-
ing occupation, use or franchise of any electric railway com-
pany or other public service corporation; and thereafter all
highways, however acquired hereunder, shall be State high-
ways and shall be constructed, improved and maintained by
said commission for the State and at its expense, except as
provided in Section 3.

6. The said commission, when about to construct any high-
way, shall advertise for at least two weeks in one or more news-
papers published in each county in which the highway lies,,,
and for three consecutive issues in at least one daily news-
paper published in Baltimore City, for sealed proposals for
the construction of said highway, accurately describing the
same and stating the time and place for opening said pro-
posals, and reserving the right to reject any and all proposals;
said proposals shall be publicly opened at the time specified in
said advertisement, and the contract for such work or for the
supplies and materials required for such construction or for
the supplies and materials required for such construction
shall be awarded by the commission to the lowest responsible
bidder, unless in the opinion of said commission the interests
of the State shall be better served by awarding the contract to
some other bidder, when this may be done; but said commis-
sion shall not be required so to advertise for proposals or to
award any contract for any work or for any materials or sup-
plies for any amount less than five hundred dollars ($500) in
the aggregate, or where the interests of the State shall be better
served by purchasing cement without advertising for bids.
The construction and improvement of all State highways or
parts thereof shall be under the supervision and subject to the
approval of the said commission, in accordance with plans and
specifications prepared by the chief engineer and approved by
said commission. In all cases where the contract for work and: