1158 LAWS OF MARYLAND [CH. 396

shall, where the hearing is in Baltimore City, be the same as
allowed by the courts of Baltimore City for the attendance
of witnesses in cases before them, and where the hearing is
in any of the counties, shall be the same as allowed by the
circuit court of the county in which the hearing takes place,
for attendance of witnesses before it, and the disbursements
made in the payment of such fees shall be duly audited in
accordance with a due and satisfactory method of auditing
and bookkeeping, and shall be included in and paid in the
same manner as is provided for the payment of other expenses
of the commission. Upon request of any party to proceedings
before the commission, the commission shall issue subpoenas
to compel the attendance of witnesses and compel the pro-
duction of pertinent testimony, documents, accounts or other
records at hearings before the commission and at depositions
to be taken by such party. Any such party shall have the
right to take depositions within or without the State of Mary-
land as now provided by law. It shall be the duty of every
public officer, without exacting or receiving charge or fee of
any kind, to furnish to the commission, upon its application,
a certified copy of any document, or part thereof, on file in
his office, and no public officer shall be entitled to receive
from the commission any fee for entering, filing, docketing
or recording any document required or authorized by law to
be filed in his office.

(b) If a person subpoenaed to attend before the commission
or a commissioner fail to obey the command of such subpoena,
without reasonable cause, or if a person in attendance before
the commission or a commissioner shall, without a reasonable
cause, refuse to be sworn or to be examined, or answer a
question, or to produce a book or paper when ordered to do
so by the commission or a commissioner, or to subscribe or
swear to his deposition after it has been correctly produced
in writing, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and may be
prosecuted therefor in any court of competent criminal juris-
diction.

(c) If a person in attendance before the commission or a
commissioner refuse, without reasonable cause, to be ex-
amined, or to answer a legal and pertinent question, or to
produce a book or paper when ordered to do so by the com-
mission or commissioner, the commission or commissioner may
apply to any judge of the supreme bench of Baltimore City or
of the circuit court for any county, upon proof by affidavit
of the fact, for a rule or order returnable in not less than two
nor more than five days, directing such person to show cause
before the judge who made the order, or any other judge
aforesaid, why he should not be committed to jail; upon the