J. MILLARD TAWES, GOVERNOR                               979

Peace and Trial Magistrates of the State and by all other public offi-
cials of the State and of any political subdivision thereof to be evi-
dence of the Public Local Laws of Talbot County in existence at the
time of compilation.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the Board of County
Commissioners of Talbot County be and it is hereby authorized and
directed to make an appropriation to provide for the publication of
said Code; and it further is authorized to provide for the sale and
distribution of said Code.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
June 1, 1960.

Approved April 28, 1959.

CHAPTER 653
(House Bill 538)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Sections 659, 661,
663, 665, 672 and 673 of Article 66C of the Annotated Code of
Maryland (1957 Edition), and to repeal Sections 664, 666, 667, 668,
AND 669 and 672 of the same Article, title "Natural Resources",
sub-title "Strip Mining", relating generally to the conservation
and improvement of areas of land affected in the mining of bitumi-
nous coal by the open pit or stripping method.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Sections 659, 661, 663, 665, 672 and 673 of Article 66C, of the
Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition), title "Natural Re-
sources", sub-title "Strip Mining", be and they are hereby repealed
and re-enacted, with amendments, to read as follows:

659. Before any operator shall hereafter engage in open pit mining
of bituminous coal within the State, he shall register with the Bureau
of Mines of this State by filing a certificate on a form to be pro-
vided by the Bureau, and giving information sufficient to identify
the operator [, and an estimate of the number of acres of land that
the operator will affect by open pit mining during one year immedi-
ately following the date of filing] and the area his operations will
affect. Contemporaneously with and as a part of said registration,
the operator shall file with the Bureau of Mines a bond on a form
to be prescribed and furnished by the Bureau, payable to the State
and conditioned that the operator shall faithfully perform all of the
requirements of this sub-heading. The bond shall be in the amount
of [one hundred dollars ($100.00)] three hundred dollars ($300.00)
per acre [based upon the number of acres of coal which the operator
estimates will be stripped by open pit mining,] not to exceed four

Explanation: Italics indicate new matter added to existing law.

[Brackets] indicate matter stricken from existing law.
CAPITALS indicate amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken out of bill.