168 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 117

the payment to him by the City for life of a sum of money
or monthly installments, equal to one-half of the compen-
sation allowed him at the date of his retirement; provided,
however, that such regular Policeman, Chief, Captain or
Lieutenant shall have served faithfully as a Policeman of
Hagerstown for not less than fifteen years or shall have
been permanently disabled in the discharge of his duty as
a policeman of Hagerstown, and the said Mayor shall in
all cases, before making such retirement, procure and file
among his records a certificate signed by at least two repu-
table physicians of Hagerstown, that the person proposed
to be retired has been thoroughly examined by them, and
that he is incapable of performing active police duty and
that such disability is permanent in its nature. The Mayor
shall have power in his discretion to require any regular
Policeman, Chief, Captain or Lieutenant retired as afore-
said to perform light service in connection with the Police
Department of Hagerstown in or around the headquarters
of the Police Department at such periods as the Mayor
may determine, provided that it shall be certified as afore-
said that such retired Policeman, Chief, Captain or Lieu-
tenant is capable of performing such service.

The Council shall have full power and authority to ap-
propriate and cause to be raised by taxation a sum of
money sufficient to carry out the provisions of and to pay
the salaries or pensions provided for in this section.

The aforegoing provisions of this section shall apply
only to the retirement and pensioning of any such regular
Policeman, Chief, Captain or Lieutenant as may be in the
employ of the City prior to the date that this section shall
become effective, on and after which date all such em-
ployees shall become members of the Employees' Retire-
ment System of the State of Maryland in which the City
now participates. Any such regular Policeman, Chief,
Captain or Lieutenant employed by the City prior to the
effective date of this section shall be privileged to become
a member of the Employees' Retirement System of the
State of Maryland within the period of time prescribed
by and upon compliance with all of the rules and regula-
tions of the Board of Trustees of said system, whereupon
such employee shall be deemed to have waived and for-
feited all rights and benefits under the aforegoing provi-
sions of this section.

55. Whenever any regularly employed driver, tiller or
chauffeur of any of the fire companies of Hagerstown
shall have reached the age of 65 years, he shall be retired,
and if he shall have given meritorious service as such