HERBERT R. O'CONOR, GOVERNOR. 291

County Commissioners of Allegany County are hereby di-
rected, first, to call for competitive bids for said bonds at
public sale and to that end to give notice of said sale by
advertisement once in each of two successive weeks next pre-
ceding the date fixed for such sale, in such newspapers or
periodicals as may be determined upon by said County Com-
missioners of Allegany County. Said notice of sale shall state
that the County Commissioners of Allegany County will be in
readiness at a certain time or on a certain day within the
week following the last publication of said notice to receive
sealed bids for said bonds at such place and under such cir-
cumstances and in accordance with such regulations as may
be described in said notice by the County Commissioners of
Allegany County. Said notice shall contain a brief descrip-
tion of the bonds offered for sale and shall also recite the
terms and conditions of sale as the same may be determined
by the County Commissioners of Allegany County in its dis-
cretion; said notice may state the interest rate which said
bonds will bear, or the bidders may be requested to name a
rate or rates of interest upon which their bids are based;
said notice shall require each bidder to accompany his bid
with a certified check in an amount equal to not less than five
per cent. (5%) of the same bid for said bonds, to evidence the
good faith of said bidder, and said check to be held as liqui-
dated damages in the event of the failure of such bidder to
comply with the terms of his bid if accepted. Said notice of
sale shall also state that said bonds shall be awarded by the
County Commissioners of Allegany County to the highest re-
sponsible bidder or bidders therefor, for cash, as determined
by said County Commissioners of Allegany County, if the
prices bid are adequate in the judgment of said County Com-
missioners, and that said County Commissioners of Allegany
County reserves the right to apportion said bonds so offered
between any two or more bidders who have made the same
bid for said bonds where such bid is the highest received.
And said notice of sale shall finally contain the clear state-
ment that the County Commissioners of Allegany County
reserves the right to reject any and all bids. All of said bids
shall be filed [with the Clerk of the County Commissioners
of Allegany County, and at the time and place advertised
they shall be opened by said Clerk in the presence of the Board
of County Commissioners, and said Clerk shall make a tabu-
lation of all bids received for the consideration of said Board.
Said Board shall thereupon determine the highest responsible
bidder or bidders for said bonds in the manner prescribed
in said notice of sale and shall then determine, in its abso-
lute discretion, whether said price so bid is adequate and
whether it is for the best interests of the County that said