wit: Whenever the same shall be one plotted upon any city, town, borough or other public plan; two, plotted upon any private plan, used, displayed or recorded for the alienation of abutting lots; three, legally opened; four, dedicated as such way, either expressly or impliedly; five, mentioned, described or referred to in any instrument affected by this act as any of the above classes of ways; six, physically existing, defined or open, or used as such way in each case, irrespective of whether the same be included in any other of the above cases. And the word "alien" means any sale, gift, grant, conveyance, devise, descent, mortgage or lease of land or real estate, and the derivatives of the word alien have meanings in conformity therewith. Section 2. Whenever any land, tract of ground, or other real estate has been or shall be aliened or agreed to be so aliened, and such land, tract of ground or real estate is, in fact, bounded by, contiguous or adjacent to, any way as above defined, such alienation or agreement shall be construed to include, with the abutting lot, the soil or bed of such way to such extent as hereafter defined, to wit: Where the alienor owns or did own the land on both sides of such way, the same shall be included to the center thereof; where the alienor owns or did own on but one side of such way, all of such way as he does or did own shall be included, whether more or less than half. The side lines in such included way shall be determined, in the case of waters, water-ways and courses, by extending the side lines on the fast land from their intersection with the side of such water, on a line at right angles with the thread of such water, and in all other classes of ways by projecting the side lines of the abutting lot, in a straight line and on the same course such lines held immediately before intersecting the side of such way. Section 3. This act shall not apply to any alienation where the way has been expressly excluded or reserved to the alienor: Provided further, This act shall not apply to such portions of any way, the fee of which is vested in the Commonwealth: Provided also, That this act shall not extinguish or affect any public or private easements in such ways, which have been or shall be created. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Executive Department, Harrisburg, April 16, 1903. I file herewith with my objections, in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, House bill No. 449, entitled "An act to determine the boundaries of abutting lots in adjacent highways, private ways and waters." This act is very inartificially drawn. It contains such incomprehensible phrases as "and the word alien means any sale, gift, grant, conveyance, devise, descent, mortgage or lease of land or real estate, and the derivatives of the word alien have meanings in conformity therewith." And "whenever real estate is in fact bounded by contiguous or adjacent to any way as above defined," and, "the side lines in such included way shall be determined in the case of waters, water ways and courses by extending * * * the side lines on the fast land from their intersection with the side of such water on a line at right angles with the thread of such water, and in all other classes of ways by projecting the side lines of the abutting lot in a straight line and on the same course such lines held immediately before intersecting the side of such way." The bill also makes disposition of "the soil or bed of such way." These words are not at all legal terminology, and it is impossible to gather the legal effect of the bill should it become a law. SAML. W. PENNYPACKER. No. 5. To provide for the payment of the expenses of the maintenance and instruction of children committed to the Industrial Schools, or institutions of like character, which are not under State control, by the counties from which they have been sent, and providing a method for determining the amount due and collecting the same from said counties. Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That whenever a child shall be or heretofore shall have been committed to any industrial school, or other institution of like character, or shall have become an inmate thereof, whose parents or guardian are not of sufficient ability to pay the expense of instructing and maintaining such child, such maintenance and instruction shall be paid by the county from which such child shall have been received: Provided, however, only that the actual cost of maintaining and instructing such child shall be paid, and in no event shall such per capita maintenance and instruction exceed the amount of per capita cost of maintenance and instruction of inmates of the the House of Refuge. And provided also, That the treasurer of such industrial school, or other institution of like character, shall transmit an account quarterly to the commissioners of such county or counties as may have become indebted for the maintenance and instruction of inmates in such industrial school, or other like institution, which account shall be signed by said treasurer and sworn or affirmed to by him, and attested by the superintendent of the department of such industrial school, or other institution of like character, in which such inmates may be living. It shall be the duty of said commissioners, immediately upon receipts of said accounts, to order the treasurer of their respective counties to pay the same. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Executive Department, Harrisburg, April 16, 1903. I file herewith in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, with my objections, Senate bill No. 507, entitled "An act to provide for the payment of the expenses of the maintenance and instruction of children committed to the industrial schools or institutions of like character which are not under State control by the counties from which they have been sent, and providing a method for determining the amount due and collecting the same from said counties." This bill is almost identical in language with House bill No. 584, which became a law on the 15th day of April, 1903. SAML. W. PENNYPACKER. No. 6. To amend an act, entitled "An act to exempt from taxation public property used for public purposes, and places of religious worship, places of burial not used or held for private or corporate profit, and institutions of purely public charity," approved May fourteen, one thousand eight hundred and seventyfour, so as to include all assessments for paving, sewers, water-pipe, and other municipal charges. Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That section one of an act, approved May fourteen, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, entitled "An act to exempt from taxation public property used for public purposes, and places of religious worship, places of burial not used or held for private or corporate profit, and institutions of purely public charity," which reads: "All churches, meeting houses, or other regular places of stated worship, with the grounds thereto annexed necessary for the occupancy and enjoyment of the same; all burial grounds not used or held for private or corporate profit; all hospitals, universities, colleges, seminaries, academies, associations and institutions of learning, benevolence or charity, with the grounds thereto annexed and necessary for the occupancy and enjoyment of the same; and all court houses and jails, with the grounds thereto annexed, be and the same are hereby exempted from all and every county, city, borough, bounty, road, school, and poor tax: Provided, That all property, real or personal, other than that which is in actual use and occupation for the purposes aforesaid and from which any income or revenue is derived, shall be subject to taxation, except where exempted by law for State purposes, and nothing herein contained shall exempt same therefrom," be amended so that the same shall read as follows: All churches, meeting-houses, or other regular places of stated worship, with the grounds thereto annexed, necessary for the occupancy and enjoyment of the same; all burial-grounds not used or held for private or corporate profit, be and the same are hereby exempted from all and every county, city, borough, bounty, road, school, and poor tax, including all assessments for paving, laying of sewers or water-pipe, and all and every municipal charge or imposition levied or imposed by virtue of the taxing power: Provided, That nothing herein contained shall exempt from taxation any property, real or personal, other than that which is in actual use or occupation for the purposes aforesaid, or any such property, even if in actual use and occupation, from which any income or revenue is derived. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Executive Department, Harrisburg, April 21, 1903. I file herewith, with my objections, in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, House bill No. 70, entitled "An act to amend an act, entitled 'An act to exempt from taxation public property used for public purposes and places of religious worship places of burial not used or held for private or corporate profit and institutions of purely public charity,' approved May fourteen, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, so as to include all assessments for paving sewers, water pipe and other municipal charges.” The purpose of this bill is stated in the title to be to amend the act of May 14, 1874, which is an act to exempt from taxation certain descriptions of property "so as to include all assessments for paving, sewers, water pipe and other municipal charges." the words of the title the sole purpose of the bill is to extend the exemption. One of the provisions of the. bill, however, is to subject to taxation "all hospitals, universities, colleges, seminaries, academies, associations and institutions of learning, benevolence, or charity, with the grounds thereto annexed and necessary for the occupancy and enjoyment of the same." These institutions have heretofore been exempt from such taxation. There is no reference to this important provision in the title of the bill as required by the Constitution. Many of these charities are not self-sustaining and their existence is only maintained through appropriations made in their behalf by the State. It may then well be questioned whether it is wise to subject them to such taxation. For these reasons the bill is not approved. SAML. W. PENNYPACKER. No. 7. To validate deeds of conveyance which have been made by committees of lunatics and habitual drunkards. Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That no grant, bargain and sale, enfeoffment, deed of conveyance, or other assurance of lands, tenements and hereditaments, whatsoever, made, executed and delivered by any committee of a lunatic or habitual drunkard, in pursuance of any order of court of common pleas of this Commonwealth, to bona fide purchasers for a valuable consideration, prior to June first, one thousand nine hundred and one, shall be deemed, held or adjudged invalid or defective, or insufficient in law, by reason of any informality or omission in giving notice to the wife of a lunatic. or habitual drunkard, and the next of kin capable of inheriting the estate, of the application to such court for the sale of such land. But all and every such grant, bargain and sale, enfeoffment, deed of conveyance, or other assurance, so made and executed as afore said, shall be as good, valid and effectual in law for transferring, passing and conveying the estate, right, title and interest of such lunatic and habitual drunkard in and to the lands and tenements and hereditaments mentioned in the same, as if all the requisites and particulars of such application had been made. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Executive Department, Harrisburg, April 21, 1903. I file herewith in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, with my objections, House bill No. 104, entitled "An act to validate deeds of conveyance which have been made by committees of lunatics and habitual drunkards." This bill belongs to a class of legislation which is always looked upon with disfavor. It is an effort to cure by subsequent legislation defects in conveyances due to a failure to comply with the law as it existed at the time the conveyances were made. It is evidently intended to provide for a specific case, since while the language is general it is confined to conveyances made prior to the first of June, 1901. If the legislation be desirable there would seem to be no reason for limiting it to a period prior to that date. It is in all probability special legislation under the guise of a general law. The matter may be safely left to the determination of the court which made the decree. For these reasons the bill is not approved. To repeal an act approved the twentieth day of March, Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred seventy-two, entitled "An act to prohibit the granting of license for the sale of intoxicating liquors in the township of Snyder, in the county of Jefferson," and submitting the same to the voters of said township and the borough of Brockwayville, in said township. Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That the act of the General Assembly, approved the twentieth day of March, Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, entitled "An act to prohibit the granting of license for the sale of intoxicating liquors in the township of Snyder, in the county of Jefferson," including the borough of Brockwayville, be and the same is hereby repealed. Section 2. Provided said repeal shall not go into effect unless a majority of the duly qualified voters of said township and borough, aforesaid, shall vote in favor of said repeal at an election to be held as provided for in section three of this act. Section 3. The same shall be submitted to a vote of the duly qualified electors of said township and borough, at an election to be held on the Tuesday next following the first Monday of November, |