to the highest and best bidder for cash in hand, after having first advertised such sale (such advertisement may include all the lands described in the decree) weekly for two weeks consecutively, in some newspaper published in the county, if there be one, and if no newspaper, then that such advertisement be published in some newspaper of an adjoining county, and if all the lands be not sold on the day as advertised, such sale shall continue from day to day until completed, and said commissioner shall, by proper deeds, convey to the purchaser the lands so sold, and the title to said lands. shall thereupon become vested in such purchaser as against all others whomsoever, saving to infants and insane persons having no guardian or curators, the rights they now have by law to appear and except to said proceedings within twelve months after their disabilities are removed.

SECTION 7. Said suits shall be conducted in the name of Plum Bayou Levee District, and in accordance with the practice and proceedings of chancery courts in this State, except as herein otherwise provided, and that neither attorneys ad litem nor guardians ad litem, nor any of the provisions of section 5877, Sandels & Hill's Digest of the Statutes of Arkansas, shall be required, and that said suits may be disposed of on oral testimony as in ordinary suits at law, and this law shall be liberally construed to give to said assessment and tax lists the effect of bona fide mortgages for a valuable consideration and a first lien upon said lands, railroads and tramroads, as against all persons having an interest therein. Provided, That no informality or irregularity in holding any of the meetings provided for herein or in the description or valuation or assessment of the lands, or in the name of the owners of the number of acres therein, shall be a valid defense to such action. Provided, That in any case where the lands are offered for sale by said commissioner, as provided by this Act, and the sum of the tax due, together

with interest, cost and penalty, is not bid for the same, the said commissioner shall bid the same off in the name of the said board of directors of the Plum Bayou Levee District, bidding therefor the whole amount due as aforesaid, and shall excute his deed therefor, as in other cases under this Act, conveying such lands to such levee board, and such deeds when duly executed, in conformity to the provisions of this Act, and recorded, shall be received as evidence in all cases, showing an indefeasible title in said purchasers, unassailable in either law or equity.

Provided, That at any time within three years after the rendition of the final decree of the chancery court herein provided for, the owner of the lands may file his petition. in the court rendering the decree, alleging the payment of taxes on the said lands for the year for which they were sold, and upon the establishment of that fact the court shall vacate and set aside said decree; and provided, that any landowner shall have the right to redeem any and all lands sold. at such sale within one year thereafter.

And provided, further, actual service of summons shall be had where the defendant is in the county, or where the defendant resides out of the county and there is an occupant upon the land it shall be served upon such occupant.

SECTION 8. At the general election for State and county officers next after this Act and at every other general election thereafter, the voters of this district who shall be entitled to vote under the provisions of this Act, shall elect three directors for said district as hereinafter provided, and said directors shall hold their offices for six years, and until their successors are elected and qualified. That no person shall vote for a director who is not the owner of lands, subject to overflow, and who pays taxes

to the district, except that an owner of a leaseholder interest in such lands for a period of not less than five years shall be entitled to vote if the owner thereof does not vote; the owners of real property shall have one vote for every forty acres of land in the district, subject to taxation thereon as above stated; and any leaseholder shall have one vote for every forty acres of his lease; provided, in no case shall a leaseholder vote if the owner of the fee shall do so, and if a corporation owns such lands, an authorized officer of said lands shall be entitled to vote one vote for it, per forty acres of land subject to taxation, and provided, that any railroad or tramroad in the district shall have one vote for each mile of territory in the district, upon which levee taxes are paid to the district, and the owner of any lot in any town in the district subject to taxation by the levee district, shall be entitled to one vote for each lot.

SECTION 9. The ballots and poll books provided for under this Act shall be returned to the county court, of the respective counties, who shall examine and compare the same and declare the result of the election, and shall direct its clerk to give to such person so declared elected, a certificate of his election (each county receiving and certifying its own election), and each person so elected shall take an oath of office that he will impartially and faithfully discharge the duties of his office.

The said elections shall as far as applicable be governed by the general election law of the State.

SECTION 10. In case of death, removal, failure or refusal to qualify, or other disability of any director named to discharge the duties of his office, the board of directors shall appoint someone in his stead who shall hold office until disability is removed, or until the next general election, and in case such condition should reduce the

board of directors below a quorum then the vacancy in said board shall be filled by the county court of the proper county, or the judge thereof in vacation with the same terms of office as prescribed in this Act.

SECTION II. The voters of each county shall elect the directors for their respective counties and no person except the owner of lands located in the Plum Bayou Levee District subject to taxation hereunder shall be eligible to election as directors of said district.

SECTION 12. Said board of levee directors hereby created, shall organize by electing a president, vice president, a secretary, a treasurer, a chief engineer, and such other officers as may be necessary to carry out the purpose of this Act, and prescribe the duties and fix the salaries of said officers; provided, that no officers except the president and vice president shall be directors; provided, that any officer of the board who is not a member, shall have no vote in said board. Said officers shall be elected for two years after the first annual meeting of said board and biannually thereafter at the regular meeting of said board.

SECTION 13. The said board of directors, and their successors in office, shall be allowed and receive for their services five dollars per diem for time actually engaged in the performance of their duties as such. Provided, That the officers of said board shall receive a salary per annum, in full for their services, and shall not receive a per diem consideration.

SECTION 14. The board of directors shall meet at such times as they see fit, not less, however, than once a year. Said board of directors shall appoint a treasurer, who will keep his office during the pleasure of the board, and to whom shall be paid by the proper collecing officer when called upon by him to do so, all moneys

collected by him under this act.

The treasurer thus provided for in this Act shall give such bond and security for the faithful performance of his duties as may be required of him by the board.

SECTION 15. The said collectors herein provided for shall each give a bond, payable to the board of directors of Plum Bayou Levee District, in a sum equal to double the amount of the tax levied for that part of the said levee district lying within the county for which he is levee tax collector, with good and approved securities. They shall make annual settlements with the treasurer of said board of levee directors on the first (Monday) of February of each year, and at such time they shall also turn over to said treasurer the tax books, showing such taxes as have been paid and such as are delinquent and receive such compensation as the board of directors may determine.

SECTION 16. If at any regular annual meeting of said board of levee directors, they shall decide to do any certain amount of work that year and if the assessment upon betterments accruing to lands in said district to pay for said work be approved by the directors, as herein provided for, then the president of said levee board shall contract for the construction or performance of said work in such parcels or divisions as may be to the best interest of the levee district; said contracts shall be let to the lowest responsible bidder, and to this end the president of the said levee board shall cause a letting of said work to be advertised for thirty days in such newspapers in or out of this State as the board may direct, in the mode prescribed by the board, asking for sealed proposals on each or any item of work so advertised and upon a certain day, therein named, at a certain hour named, in the presence of said board, open and canvass said sealed proposals and award the contract; provided, that any and all