Theodore R. McKeldin, Governor                    1133

County where the property is located, and each person having any
claim whatsoever against said property shall file his, her or its claim
with said Commission on or before the expiration date mentioned
in said notice, at which time any and all persons will be heard and
their rights determined by the Commission, which said hearing shall
be final. From and after payment to the proper parties of the agreed
purchase price, or other amounts found to be due by the Commission
as aforesaid, the Commission shall be authorized to take possession
of, maintain and operate said system, whether private or municipal,
as part of its general system, and from the date of such payment all
properties along the line of any water main or sewer of the system
as acquired shall stand in the same relation, bear the same benefit
assessment, and be subject to the same regulations and penalties as
though the system so acquired had been constructed and put into
operation by the Commission under the provisions of this sub-title;
provided, however, that no building or premises actually connected
in an adequate manner with the said acquired system at the time of
its purchase shall be required to pay any connection charge. When-
ever there is in existence a privately owned water supply or sewerage
system which in the judgment of the Commission is unfit, as a whole
or in part, for incorporation with the Commission's system, the Com-
mission shall disregard the existence of said system or unfit part
thereof and extend its system to serve the area tributary to the exist-
ing system or unfit part thereof, and all the provisions of this sub-
title relating to systems constructed by the Commission shall apply
to said extension. Any municipality whose system is acquired by the
Commission, whether by purchase or condemnation, is hereby au-
thorized to use the amount paid to it for said system for the purchase
or redemption of any bonds or debt which may be outstanding against
the same or the Commission may as a part of the purchase price of
said system, assume the payment of any such outstanding bonds.
The Commission shall not purchase any existing water mains, sewers,
or systems, in whole or in part, which are improperly constructed
or are not of sufficient capacity or were constructed without proper
authority from the State Department of Health since the passage
of the law requiring the same.

894. After the passage of this sub-title, whenever the county or
the property owners or residents of any locality in a District shall
desire a water supply, sewerage or drainage system, or part thereof,
to be constructed in that county or locality, and the Commission shall
decide that it is inexpedient or impracticable at that time, owing
to the remoteness from its general system or other causes, to build
such system, such county or persons may build and operate said
system at its or their own expense, but it shall be constructed under
plans and specifications prepared by the Commission and under its
supervision, and its maintenance and operation shall be under the
general control of the Commission; and no such system or part
thereof, or no water main, sewer, water purification or sewage treat-
ment plant, or no connection with any of them, shall be constructed
or installed except as in this section provided, and any violation of
this provision shall be a misdemeanor punishable under Section 89?
of this sub-title. All construction and operating records, including
cost records, shall be filed with the Commission, which shall be em-
powered at any time to take over said system or part thereof, or said
water main, sewer, storm water drain, water or sewage treatment