of Onondaga, Erie and Essex, may by a vote of a majority of the members thereof, by resolution, determine to acquire the rights and franchises of any individual corporation, lawfully entitled to exact a toll or charge for walking, riding or driving over any plank-road or turnpike, or a bridge within such county, erected over an unnavigable stream. Upon the adoption of such resolution, the board of supervisors shall acquire such rights, franchises and property by purchase, if able to agree with the owners thereof, and otherwise by condemnation in the name of the county. Any turnpike, plank-road or bridge corporation may, by the affirmative vote of stockholders owning a majority of the stock thereof, expressed in writing or at a special meeting of the stockholders of such corporation held upon written notice of at least ten days to all the stockholders thereof, authorize its board of directors or trustees, to dispose of the rights, franchises and property of such corporation within a county, pursuant to this act for a specified sum; and thereupon the board of directors or trustees of such corporation may convey and sell such rights, franchises and property to the county accordingly.

§ 2. The board of supervisors of such county may borrow money for the acquisition of such rights, franchises and property, and may issue the bonds or other evidences of indebtedness of the county therefor, but such bonds or other evidences of indebtedness shall not bear a rate of interest exceeding five per centum per annum and shall not run for a longer period than twenty years and shall not be sold for less than par.

§ 3. Except in the counties of Rensselaer, Albany and Columbia, the amount of such bonds in whole or in part together with the interest thereon may be apportioned by the boards of supervisors upon the towns, cities and villages constituting separate highway districts, in which such plank road, turnpike or bridge is located, in such proportions as the boards may deem just and the amount so apportioned to each municipality for the payment of the principal and interest of such bonds shall be annually levied and collected at the same time and in the same manner as money for other county charges.

In the counties of Rensselaer and Columbia the boards of supervisors, in making up the annual tax budget of the counties, shall each year levy and assess upon and against the taxable property in said counties, in addition to the amounts levied and assessed for other county charges, an amount sufficient to pay the interest falling due and payable on the said bonds during such year, and also an amount sufficient to pay the proportion of the principal of said bonds which one year bears to the number of years fixed at the time during which said bonds shall run from their issue to maturity. The amount raised by tax in each year for the payment of the principal of said bonds shall be preserved intact by the county treasurers of said counties until said bonds mature and are payable, and, upon the maturity of said bonds, said county treasurers shall pay the same in full out of the moneys so raised by annual tax therefor and shall thereupon take back said bonds with receipt for the payment thereof and deliver them to the boards of supervisors of said counties for cancellation. Said county treasurers shall deposit at interest the said moneys yearly raised by tax for payment of the principal of said bonds in such bank or depository as shall be designated by the boards of supervisors of said counties, and the amount realized from the interest thereon shall be used for the purposes of the said counties under the direction of the said boards of supervisors. (Amended by L. 1901, chap. 168, L. 1904, chaps. 111 and 456.)

4. A plank-road, turnpike or bridge acquired pursuant to this act shall become part of the highway system of such county, and of the towns, cities and villages in which the same is located, and shall thereafter be repaired and maintained in the same manner as the other highways and bridges therein.

$ 5. When a plank-road, turnpike, tollroad, or bridge is partly in one county and partly in another, the board of supervisors of the said counties shall act together, in the manner prescribed above, and determine the amount to be paid to said plank road, turnpike, tollroad, or bridge company, by each county, and such amount against each county, after such determination, shall be paid by each county.

CHAPTER VIII.

Motor Vehicles.

L. 1904, chap. 538, known as the "Motor Vehicle Law," reads as follows:

Section 1. Subdivision 1. Short title.-The short title of this act shall be the "motor vehicle law." Except as otherwise herein provided, it shall be controlling, (1) upon the registration and numbering of motor vehicles and chauffeurs, (2) on their use of the public highways, and (3) on the penalties for the violation of any of the provisions of this act.

Subdivision 2. Definitions.-The words and phrases used in this act shall, for the purposes of this act, unless the same be contrary to or inconsistent with the context, be construed as follows: (1) "motor vehicle" shall include all vehicles propelled by any power other than muscular power, excepting such motor vehicles as run only upon rails or tracks, provided that nothing herein contained shall, except as provided by subdivision four of section three of this act, apply to motor cycles, motor bicycles, traction engines or road rollers; (2) "public highways" shall include any highway, county road, state road, public street, avenue, alley, park, parkway, driveway or public place in any city, village or town; (3) "closely built up" shall mean, (a) the territory of a city, village or town contiguous to a public highway which is at that point built up with structures devoted to business, (b) the territory of a city, village or town contiguous to a public highway not devoted to business, where for not less than one-quarter of a mile the dwelling houses on such highway average less than one hundred feet apart, and also (c) the territory outside of a city or village contiguous to a public highway within a distance of one-half mile from any post office, provided that for a distance of at least one-quarter of a mile within such limits the dwelling houses on such highway average less than one hundred feet apart, and provided further that the local authorities having charge of such highway shall have placed conspicuously thereon signs of sufficient size to be easily readable by a person using the highway, bearing

the words "Slow down to ten miles," and also an arrow pointing in the direction where the speed is to be reduced; (4) "local authorities" shall include all officers of counties, boroughs, cities, villages or towns, as well as all boards, committees and other public officials of such counties, boroughs, cities, villages or towns; (5) "chauffeur" shall mean any person operating a motor vehicle as mechanic, employe or for hire.

§ 2. Subdivision 1. Filing statement.-Every person hereafter acquiring a motor vehicle shall, for every vehicle owned by him, file in the office of the secretary of state a statement of his name and address, with a brief description of the vehicle to be registered, including the name of the maker, factory number, style of vehicle and motor power, on a blank to be prepared and furnished by such secretary for that purpose; the filing fee shall be two dollars.

Subdivision 2. Registration and record. The secretary of state shall thereupon file such statement in his office, register such motor vehicle in a book or index to be kept for that purpose, and assign it a distinctive number.

Subdivision 3. Registration seal.-The secretary of state shall forthwith on such registration, and without other fee, issue and deliver to the owner of such motor vehicle a seal of aluminum or other suitable metal, which shall be circular in form, approximately two inches in diameter, and have stamped thereon the words "Registered motor vehicle, No. New York motor vehicle law," with the registration number inserted therein; which seal shall thereafter at all times be conspicuously displayed on the motor vehicle, to which such number has been assigned.

Subdivision 4. Owners previously registered.-If the vehicle has been previously registered, the certificate issued thereon shall be returned to the secretary of state and in lieu thereof such secretary shall issue to said owner a registration seal containing the number of such previous registration, upon payment of a fee of one dollar. Upon the sale of a motor vehicle the vendor, except a manufacturer or dealer, shall, within ten days, return to the secretary of state the registration seal affixed to such vehicle.

Subdivision 5. Display of registration number.-Every motor vehicle shall also at all times have the number assigned to it by the secretary of state displayed on the back of such vehicle in such manner as to be plainly visible, the numbers to be in Arabic numerals, black on white ground, each not less than three inches in height, and each stroke to be of a width not less than half an inch, and also as a part of such number the initial letters of the state in black on white ground, such letters to be not less than one inch in height.

Subdivision 6. Registration by manufacturers or dealers.-A manufacturer of or dealer in motor vehicles shall register one vehicle of each style or type manufactured or dealt in by him, and be entitled to as many duplicate registration seals for each type or style so manufactured or dealt in as he may desire on payment of an additional fee of fifty cents for each duplicate seal. If a registration seal and the corresponding number shall thereafter be affixed to and displayed on every vehicle of such type or style as in this section provided, while such vehicle is being operated on the public highways, it shall be deemed a sufficient compliance with subdivisions one, three, five and eight of this section, until such vehicle shall be sold or let for hire. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to apply to a motor vehicle employed by a manufacturer or dealer for private use or for hire.

Subdivision 7. Fictitious seal or number.-No motor vehicle shall be used or operated upon the public highways after thirty days after this act takes effect which shall display thereon a registration seal or number belonging to any other vehicle, or a fictitious registration seal or number.

Subdivision 8. Unregistered vehicle not to be operated.—No motor vehicle shall be used or operated upon the public highways after thirty days after this act takes effect, unless the owner shall have complied in all respects with this section, except that any person purchasing a motor vehicle from a manufacturer, dealer or other person after this act goes into effect shall be allowed to operate such motor vehicle upon the public highways for a period of five days after the purchase and delivery thereof, provided that during such period such motor