720                             LAWS OF MARYLAND                      [CH. 355

(e)    Summons: The Commissioner may issue summons, includ-
ing summons duces tecum, to any person to appear and testify at
any deposition or hearing authorized by this subtitle. Such summons
may be issued with or without the request of any party to a proceed-
ing before the Commissioner, shall be directed to and served by the
sheriff of the county in which the person summoned resides or has a
place of business in the same manner as other civil process, and shall
be returnable to the Commissioner. Upon proof of service of such
summons and noncompliance by the person summoned, the Circuit
Court for the county in which the hearing or deposition is to be
conducted shall issue its order for compliance with such summons
and shall charge the costs of such proceeding to the person summoned.
Failure to obey such order issued by the Circuit Court shall be
punished as contempt.

(f)    Perjury in proceeding. Any willful and false oath or affir-
mation made in any hearing before the Commissioner or in any

application, certificate, deposition or other document filed in a
proceeding to obtain a patent shall be deemed perjury and punished
as such.

(g)    Employees. The Commissioner may appoint such persons
to assist him in the performance of the duties imposed by this
subtitle as may be authorized from time to time in the budget. In
addition, any employees of the Hall of Records may be designated
to assist in the performance of such duties.

15.    Patents generally. .

(a)    Persons entitled to apply. Subject to the provisions of this
subtitle, any person may obtain a patent for vacant land or obtain a
new patent for land theretofore patented, or both, in the manner and
to the extent provided herein.

(b)    Interest before patent. To the extent that any interest of the
State passes or is affected by any proceeding hereunder, such interest
shall not pass or be affected until the actual issuance of a patent;
and no person shall acquire any interest in any land by virtue of
filing an application, the issuance or return of any warrant or
certificate of survey, or at any other time prior to such issuance of a
patent.

16.    Commencement of proceeding for issuance of patent.

(a)    Application required. A proceeding to obtain a patent shall
be commenced by filing with the Commissioner an application for a
warrant to survey vacant land, a warrant to resurvey any land then
owned in fee simple absolute by the applicant, or a warrant to
resurvey any land then owned in fee simple absolute by the applicant
and to add thereto any contiguous vacant land. All other forms of
warrant, including common warrants, special warrants, escheat
warrants, and proclamation warrants are abolished.

(b)    Contents of application. The application shall contain:
(i) The name and address of the applicant;

(ii) The county and election district in which the property for
which patent is sought is located;

(iii) Separate descriptions of any vacant land and any land then
owned by the applicant for which a patent is sought, and the estimated