206 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 249

5A. Applications for license to marry may only be made,
accepted or received at the offices of the Clerks of the Courts
aforesaid and only during regular office hours. Licenses to
marry may only be issued at said offices and only during said
hours and may be mailed or delivered to either of the contract-
ing parties to the marriage and to no other person. It shall
be unlawful for the Clerks of any of the Courts aforesaid to
pre-date any application for license to marry and in case appli-
cation has been made for a waiver of the forty-eight (48) hour
requirement in the manner provided in Section 5, it shall be
unlawful for any of the Clerks aforesaid to issue or deliver any
license to marry until the order authorizing the Clerk to de-
liver such license has been signed by the judge. For the dura-
tion of the present war and six months after the termination
thereof, any of the foregoing provisions of this section may be
waived by the Clerks of the Courts aforesaid wherever one of
the contracting parties for whom a marriage license is sought
is on active duty as a member of the armed forces or of the
Merchant Marine of the United States and requests such
waiver. No such waiver shall be granted, however, until the
Clerks of the Court aforesaid have required the party applying
for the such waiver, to exhibit his or her credentials and identi-
fication papers and to furnish complete information as to his
or her rank, post where stationed and branch of the armed
forces or of the Merchant Marine to which such party applying
may be attached. The Clerks of the Courts aforesaid shall
record in a book specially provided for the purpose the fact
that such waiver has been requested and allowed and all the rea-
sons therefor including the information required by the Clerks
aforesaid of the party applying. Where such credentials are
presented by one of the parties for whom the said marriage
license is sought, the Clerk shall issue such license to marry
without waiting the time prescribed in the preceding section
or without the necessity of securing an Order of the Circuit
Court, as prescribed therein, provided the said parties apply-
ing for said marriage license have met the other requirements
of this Section. Any Clerk who shall fail to comply with the
provisions of this section shall, upon conviction, be subject
to a fine not exceeding One Hundred ($100) Dollars for the
first offense and in the case of the second and each subse-
quent offense shall be punished by. a fine not exceeding Five
Hundred ($500) Dollars or by imprisonment of not more than
ninety (90) days, or by both.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take
effect June 1, 1945.

Approved March 16, 1945.