606 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 502

"Roads and Streets", be, and the same is hereby repealed and
re-enacted, with amendments, to read as follows:

589. The County Commissioners of Baltimore County shall,
after the passage of this Act, annually on or before the first
day of January, appoint as Baltimore County Roads Engineer
a man having the degree of civil engineer and experience in
bridge and road building, or a man who has had at least ten
years' experience in road and bridge building, in a supervisory
and executive capacity, in charge of important road and bridge
work. The Baltimore County Roads Engineer shall be directly
answerable to the County Commissioners of Baltimore County
for the faithful and efficient discharge of his duties and it shall
be the duty of said County Commissioners to remove him from
office and he shall be removable from office by them for neglect
of duty, inefficiency, dishonesty and for any other cause,
matter or thing whatsoever which in the opinion of said
County Commissioners necessitates his removal for the better,
more efficient or more economical administration of county
affairs relating to roads. But the Baltimore County Roads
Engineer shall not be removable from his office by the County
Commissioners except after written charges preferred against
him and an opportunity to be heard in his defense afforded '
him. Hearings in regard to removal of the Roads Engineer
from office shall be public, and there shall be no appeal from
the decisions of the County Commissioners thereon. When-
ever a vacancy exists in the office of the Roads Engineer, the
County Commissioners of Baltimore County shall immediately
fill the same.

The Baltimore County Roads Engineer shall be responsible
to the County Commissioners for the proper expenditure of all *
money collected, by levy or otherwise, for county road and
bridge purposes. He shall have power to employ so many and
such mechanics and laborers as he may think necessary for the
proper construction, care and maintenance of the county
roads and fix the wages thereof. He shall have power to ap-
point so many and such assistants, inspectors, foremen and
clerks as he may think necessary and fix their salaries, subject
to the approval of said County Commissioners. He shall have
power to arbitrarily discharge any of his employees or ap-
pointees, without the consent of the County Commissioners^
but whenever any one appointed by him and whose salary has
been approved by the County Commissioners is discharged by
him, he shall immediately notify said County Commissioners
in writing of his action and of his reason or reasons therefor.
He shall make no purchase except on a written and signed
requisition filed with him in duplicate. One copy shall be
retained in his office. When the amount of the purchase does
not exceed $250 he shall make the same and immediately pre-