HERBERT R. O'CONOR, GOVERNOR. 511

tion 58 of said Article, relating to the division and/or
combination of Soil Conservation Districts.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Mary-
land, That a new section be and it is hereby added to Article
2A of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1939 Edition), title
"Agriculture", sub-title "Soil Conservation Districts", said
new section to be known as Section 58A, to follow immediately
after Section 58 of said Article, and to read as follows:

58A. (Division or Combination of Districts. ) Any dis-
trict or districts organized under the provisions of this sub-
title may be divided, or combined with any other district or
districts, or divided and combined with any other district or

districts, in the following manner:

%

A. At least twenty-five (25) land-occupiers of each district
to be affected by the proposed division and/or combination
shall sign and file with the State Soil Conservation Committee
a petition requesting that the district or districts, as the case
may be, and the operations thereof, be divided, - or combined, or
divided and combined, in the manner requested. The Commit-
tee shall prescribe the form for such petitions, which shall be
as nearly as may be in the form described in this sub-title for
petitions to organize a district. The Committee may conduct
such public meetings and public hearings upon such petition
as may be necessary to assist it in the consideration thereof.
The Committee may define in more detail the boundaries out-
lined in the petitions for the districts proposed to result from
the division and/or combination.

B. Within sixty (60) days after such petition has been filed
with the State Soil Conservation Committee, it shall give due
notice of the holding of a referendum, and shall supervise and
conduct such referendum, and issue appropriate regulations
governing the conduct thereof. Each occupier of land lying
within the district or districts to be affected shall be entitled
to vote; and only such land-occupiers shall be entitled to vote.
The State Soil Conservation Committee shall make provision
on the referendum for each land-occupier to vote (1) on
whether or not he approves of the proposed division, if any, of
the district in which his land is located, and (2) on whether
or not he approves of the proposed new district in which his
land will be located under the proposed combination, if any.
No informalities in the conduct of such referendum or in any
matters relating thereto shall invalidate said referendum or
the result thereof if notice shall have been given substantially
as herein provided and said referendum shall have been fairly
conducted.