56                               LAWS OF MARYLAND                        [CH. 25

with respect to any week shall be paid with respect to such week an
allowance for dependents of two dollars for each of but not more
than four of such individual's children, stepchildren, or legally
adopted children, who at the beginning of the individual's current
benefit year were being wholly or mainly supported by such indi-
vidual and were under sixteen years of age, but in no event shall
such allowances be paid for more than the number of weeks of
benefits allowable to the individual for total unemployment. Depen-
dent's allowances shall be in addition to the unemployment benefits
otherwise payable [, but] provided that the total of such unemploy-
ment benefits and allowances for dependents shall not exceed $46
in any one benefit week and further provided that no dependency
allowance shall be payable with respect to any week unless an unem-
ployment benefit is also payable with respect to such week. An indi^
vidual's number of dependents shall be determined as of the day
with respect to which he first files a valid claim for benefits in any
benefit year, and shall be fixed for the duration of such benefit year.
No person who has been determined to be a child of one individual
on the beginning date of such individual's benefit year shall be
deemed to be a child of any other individual whose benefit year
starts within one year thereafter. Provided, it shall be presumed that
the father or stepfather is wholly or mainly supporting his children,
stepchildren, or adopted children, who are a part of the household
maintained by him, unless the contrary is shown to the satisfaction
of the Executive Director. Dependents' allowances shall be regarded
as benefits for the purpose of computing contribution rates under
the terms of Section 8 (c) of this article.

8(c) Each employer shall pay contributions with respect to em-
ployment during any fiscal year prior to July 1, [1960] 1964, as re-
quired by this article prior to July 1, [1960] 1964, and each employer
shall pay contributions at the standard rate of two and seven-tenths
(2.7) per cent of wages paid by him during the fiscal year beginning
July 1, [1960] 1964, and during each fiscal year thereafter with re-
spect to employment occurring after June 30, [1960] 1964, except
as otherwise provided herein.

(1) The Executive Director shall maintain an experience-rating
record for each employer. Nothing in this article shall be construed
to grant to any employer or to individuals performing services for
him prior claims or rights to the amounts paid by the employer into
the fund.

Except as required by paragraph (i) of this sub-section, benefits
paid shall be charged against employer experience-rating records as
hereafter specified.

If the claimant earned 75 percent or more of his base period wages
from the principal base period employer, all benefits paid to such in-
dividual shall be charged against the experience-rating record of his
principal base period employer (as defined in sub-section (c) (7) of
this section). If the claimant earned less than 75 percent of his base
period wages from the principal base period employer, all benefits
paid to such individual shall be charged on a prorata basis to all base
period employers. The percentage of the charge to each base period
employer shall be in the same proportion as the amount of wages paid
to the claimant by each such employer is to the total amount of wages
received by the claimant during the base period, and shall be com-
puted as a whole number without decimals.