§ 300. Commissioner of charities and support and maintenance of poor; office. The commissioner of charities shall have charge of the support and maintenance of the poor within the city and shall execute and administer the provisions of this charter, the ordinances of the common council, and the laws of the state, relative to the relief of the poor within the city. Except as herein otherwise provided, he shall have the same powers, duties and liabilities as overseers of the poor in the towns of Niagara county, in all matters pertaining to the support and maintenance of the poor in said city, and as to those matters the city shall be regarded as a town of said county. The commissioner of charities shall keep his office at such place as the common council shall direct.

§ 301. Bond of commissioner of charities. The commissioner of charities shall, before entering upon the duties of his office, give a surety bond to the said city of Lockport in such penal sum as may be fixed by the common council, not less than four thousand dollars, and the common council may at any time when it shall deem the best interests of the city require it, by a written notice to be served on said commissioner of charities, require him within a time named in said notice, not less than ten days after the service of the same, to give such further and additional surety bond or bonds to said city in such penal sum or sums, and with such sureties and conditions, as the common council may deem necessary to protect the interests of the city, and thereupon said commissioner of charities shall within the time so limited give such additional bond or bonds.

§ 302. Duties of commissioner of charities; itemized and verified accounts. It shall be the duty of the commissioner of charities personally to investigate the character, habits, location of residence, settlement, condition and necessities of all applicants for assistance and relief, the results of which shall be recorded in a proper book to be kept for that purpose. He shall not allow or pay any bill, account or claim for supplies furnished by any dealer, merchant or other person, unless the claimant, his agent or legal representative annex thereto an affidavit of such claimant, agent or representative stating that the bill or account is

just and correct, that the items charged therein and specified in each accompanying order for supplies or relief have been in fact and good faith furnished by the claimant to the person named in the order and to no other person, and that no part thereof has been paid or satisfied, and that there are no offsets thereto; nor for compensation, expenses or services, unless the affidavit shall state that the account is just and correct and that no part thereof has been paid or satisfied, and there are no offsets thereto. He shall take up and preserve all orders, bills, accounts and vouchers of his expenditures and payments, and exhibit the same with his books and files to the common council whenever directed so to do.

§ 303. Reports of commissioner of charities to common council; examination of reports. The commissioner of charities shall report to the common council at its first meeting in January, April, July and October in each year, a detailed statement of all his receipts and disbursements for the three months next preceding that in which such report is made, showing the money on hand at the beginning and end of the quarter, the date and amount of each order or payment for temporary relief, and the person to whom made. or given, and all his other disbursements in like detail. Said report shall be verified by his oath taken before some proper officer, that the same is and the items thereof are, correct to the best of his knowledge and belief. If said report is not sufficiently explicit the common council may call for a further report, which the commissioner of charities shall immediately furnish. Upon receiving said report the common council shall refer it to some proper committee, which shall proceed without delay to carefully investigate and examine said report and the vouchers thereof, and the books of said commissioner of charities; and for that purpose the committee shall have power to send for persons and papers, and examine said commissioner of charities and any other person or persons, under oath, in respect to any matter or thing in the premises. Such committee shall report to the common council, favorably or adversely, in whole or in part, with its reasons and recommendations, and the common council shall thereupon proceed to consider and audit the account of said

commissioner of charities; and shall have all the powers, duties and responsibilities of a board of town auditors, in the premises. The affidavits annexed to said commissioner of charities' report or to any of said bills, accounts or vouchers, shall not be conclusive upon the common council in case it shall appear that any claim or item in said report is illegal, unjust or improper, in whole or in part, but in such case such item or portion thereof shall be disallowed, and said commissioner of charities and his sureties shall be liable for the amount thereof. The common council shall cause each of said reports of the commissioner of charities to be published in full, except the names of the persons to whom orders for temporary relief were given, as a part of the proceedings of the meeting at which the same is made.

§ 304. Estimate of amount required for relief of poor. The common council shall, at some regular meeting thereof in the month of September in each year, make an estimate of the sum which it shall deem necessary for the temporary relief and support of the poor in said city for the ensuing fiscal year, and to supply any deficiency in the preceding year, and shall cause such estimate to be laid before the board of supervisors of Niagara county at its then next annual meeting. The board of supervisors shall cause the said sum to be levied and collected in said city in the same manner and together with other taxes by it levied therein, and such sum shall be retained by the city treasurer on his settlement with the county treasurer, and paid over to the commissioner of charities from time to time as the common council may direct.

Mechanicville, Saratoga County.

(Note.-Commissioner of public safety, elected by the people at large for a term of two years, at a salary of $300.)

Chapter 170, Laws of 1915

TITLE II.

City Officers; Powers and Duties Generally.

§ 10. Terms of officers; city council. The officers of said city shall be as follows: The mayor, elected by the people at large, for a term of two years; the commissioner of accounts.

elected by the people at large, for a term of four years; the commissioner of finance, elected by the people at large, for a term of two years; the commissioner of public works, elected by the people at large, for a term of two years; the commissioner of public safety, elected by the people at large, for a term of two years. The terms of office prescribed by this section are subject to the special provisions of this charter relating to the terms of the officers first chosen. Said mayor and commissioners shall constitute the council of said city.

§ 17. The commissioner of public safety. He shall have charge and supervision of the sanitary, health, charity and correction departments, and shall make all rules and regulations for the conduct thereof, not in conflict with the laws of the state or ordinances of the city. He shall provide in all ways possible for the peace, safety, health, care, comfort and protection of the inhabitants of the city, and of their property, and shall recommend ordinances when advisable or necessary, to the council for such purposes. The health officer of the city shall be under his authority. He shall be the inspector of all plumbing, weights and measures, and he shall impartially enforce all laws and ordinances appertaining to his department. He shall receive a salary of three hundred dollars a year, payable monthly.

Middletown, Orange County.

(Note.- Board of charities composed of mayor and supervisors, ex officio.)

Chapter 572, Laws of 1902.

TITLE XI.

Of the Commissioners of Charities.

§ 204. The mayor and supervisors of said city shall compose the commissioners of charities of said city. They shall have the general care, management, administration and supervision of the charities of the city and shall appoint an overseer of the poor who shall give a bond to the city in such penalty, in such form

and with such sureties as the commissioners may prescribe and approve, for the faithful discharge of his duties.

§ 205. The overseer of the poor, subject to the regulations and supervision of the commissioners, shall possess all the powers and authority of overseers of the poor in the several towns of Orange county, and be subject to the same duties, obligations and liabilities; he shall have power to examine under oath any person applying for relief.

§ 206. If, after providing for the temporary relief of the city's poor, there is a surplus in the excise fund it may by a vote of the common council be devoted to the payment of the indebtedness on account of the purchase of a city hall site; and if, on November first of any year, there is a surplus to the credit of the excise fund and the city of Middletown is still a part of the Orange county poor district, said surplus shall be applied to the payment of the city's share of the money to be raised for the county poor fund. The common council of said city shall certify to the board of supervisors of Orange county that the city's excise fund is sufficient to pay all or any portion of the city's quota of the county poor fund, and on the receipt of such certificate, the supervisors of Orange county shall deduct from the sum apportioned to said city for county poor purposes the amount specified in said certificate, and instead of being raised by tax such amount shall be paid from the excise fund.

§ 207. If at any time, after paying for the support of the city's poor and the city's share of the Orange county poor fund, there shall still be a balance in the excise fund, said balance may, by vote of the common council, be applied to the redemption of any tax certificates issued for schoolhouse purposes that may be outstanding and if there be no such certificates, then it shall be used to pay whatever annual appropriation is made for the maintenance of Thrall hospital and it may be used for such other public purposes as the common council may direct.

§ 208. All acts and parts of acts inconsistent with the provisions of this title of this act are expressly repealed.

§ 209. Said commissioners of charities shall have the same powers to make application to the county superintendents of the