The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1918-05-24

BY CHARLES w. CLAGETT

! passed by the last Legislature.
1t was introduced by Mr.. Wills, al
able farmer of Kent County and 1T:
avowed purpose is TO restore the sheer
industry to Maryland.
Its general provisions are as follows
On or before the first of July, 1918
and each wear thereafter the owner OF
every dog six months old shall apply tt
the County Treasurer or Justice OF
the Peace in his County for license
for each dog owned or kept by him.
The application shall be accompanied
by a fee of 81 90 for male and 81 0C
for female dogs.
The license shall be issued upon q
form prepared by the County Commiss-
toner's, shall be dated and numbered
and contain a description of the dog
licensed. The owner OF the dog shall
be given at the same time metal tag,
with the same number as the license
and the year, imprinted upon it. This
must be affixed to a collar, furnished
by the owner and kept on the dog at all
times except when hunting with an at
tendant of the kennel If the tag is
lost a new one will be given upon the
| production of the license and the pay
ment of twenty-five cents. The license
is good until the first day of July en-
sueing. All dogs reaching the age of
six months must be Immediately
| licensed.
Justices of the Peace are required to
| make returns to the County Treasurer
| monthly and return>to him the license
| books with the stubs properly filled out
before the first day of July of each
year.
For the services rendered by the
Justice of the Peace he is allowed to
retain twenty-five cents for each license
issued.
Any person may kill any dog, whether
licensed or not, which he sees worrying
or killing poultry or live stock, or at
lacking human, without liability. ANY
licensed dog entering any field or yard
is declared private nuisance and the
owner or tenant of such field or yard or
his servant may kill the dog without
liability.
The money from the licenses shall be
kept in a separate fund and used to
pay damages for the injury or killing
by dogs Of sheep. poultry or other livt
stock. When such injury or killing
occurs any Justice Of the Peace Is
authorized to appoint three disinterested
persons as appraisers, who togethe'
~. ~ ,cl,, al dow
in writing the kind and number of stock
or poultry killed or injured and the
amount of the damage and that they
believe the same to have been destroyed
oriniured by dogs. The Commissioners
shall review the report and allow such
damages as they deem fair out of tht
dog fund
If the owner of the dog or dogs doing
the damage are known, the Commas
toner's are required to notify the owner
to kill them Immediately, and if he
does so, he shall be exempt from al
further liability, but if he neglects Il
do so he shall be liable to the Commiss
toner's to the same extent as for
negligence or malicious obstruction o.
property. Any money in the dog func
at the end of each fiscal year in eXces:
of $1,000 shall be used by the Commiss
toner's for the schools or roads.
The violation of any provision of the
act is misdemeanor, carrying fins
of not less than So and not more THAI
1926 or imprisonment in Jail for NOR.
than 80 days or both. The act applies
to the entire state except the City o
Baltimore.
Upon refexion it will be seen tina
although the violation of any provision
of.the act, like failure to procure
license, subject the owner or keeper t,
fine or Imprisonment, yet the provis
ion which@will have more to do with it
enforcement is that one which declare:
that any unlicensed dog entering an!
field or pard is private nuisance anc
the owner or tenant or servant may Kill
the same while in such field or yarc
without financial liability. A man may
risk fine and imprisonment, but no
many will be willing to risk the lives OF
their dogs to save dollar.
Under the state wide game law there
will also be wardens in every county
and very considerable part of then
duties will be the enforcement of the
dog law.
This act was passed as war legisla-
ton, with the hope that more farmers
would raise sheep, knowing that fund
had been created to pay for the losses
sustained by dogs. The act follows
very closely the Pennsylvania law
which has worked successfully.