ALBERT C. RITCHIE, GOVERNOR.                  247

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of
Maryland, That Sections 21 and 22 of Article 88A of the
Annotated Code of Maryland (1929 Supplement), title "State.
Aid and Charities, " sub-title "Mother's Relief, " be and the
same are hereby repealed and re-enacted, with amendments, so
as to read as follows:

21. Any mother of a child or children under the age of
fourteen (14) years, whose husband is dead or permanently
incapacitated, and who is unable to support it or them and
maintain her home, may present a written application or
petition for relief to the County Commissioners of the county
wherein she resides, or to the Supervisors of City Charities of
Baltimore City. Such application or petition shall be verified
in such manner and shall contain such information as the said
County Commissioners or Supervisors of City Charities of
Baltimore City may prescribe.

The child or children for whose benefit the relief is granted
must be living with the mother of such child or children. The
relief shall be granted only when, in the absence of such
relief, the mother would be required to work regularly away
from her home and children, and when, by means of such
relief she will be able to remain at home with her children,
except, that she may be absent for work a definite number of
days each week, to be specified in the order giving relief, when
such work can be done by her without the sacrifice of health
or the neglect of home and children.

A mother shall not receive such relief who lias not re-
sided in the county where the application is made, or in the
City of Baltimore, at least three years before making such
application. Whenever any child shall arrive at the age of
fourteen (14) years, the relief granted to the mother for such
child shall cease; provided, that if a child of fourteen (14)
years of age be ill or is incapacitated for work or is regularly
attending school, the mother shall receive the funds for its
care, during such illness or incapacity for work or during
attendance at school, until such child is sixteen years of age,
It shall be the duty of the Supervisors of City Charities of
Baltimore City and the County Commissioners of the respec-
tive counties to investigate every application for relief made
in Baltimore City or in any of the counties, respectively, to
hear all witnesses for applicants and to carry out the pro-
visions of this sub-title.