reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MA Gen L ch 160 § 23 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 23 - Certificate of Facts of Subscription

Section 23. When the amount of capital stock named in the agreement of association has been subscribed in good faith by responsible persons, and ten per cent of the par value of each share has been actually paid in cash to the treasurer, the directors, clerk and treasurer shall annex to the agreement of association their certificate setting forth these facts, and that it is intended in good faith to locate, construct, maintain and operate the railroad upon the route fixed, shall also annex to said agreement the certificate of publication specified in section sixteen, and the several certificates fixing the route, shall present the same for inspection to the department, and shall at the same time deposit in the office of the department the report of the engineer and the map.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 24 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 24 - Certificate of Compliance; Filing; Certificate of Incorporation

Section 24. When it is shown to the satisfaction of the department that the requirements of this chapter preliminary to the incorporation of a railroad corporation have been complied with, the clerk of the department, upon its order, shall annex to the agreement of association a certificate stating that such requirements have been complied with. The directors shall thereupon file the agreement of association, with all the certificates annexed thereto, in the office of the state secretary, who, upon the payment to him of a fee, the amount of which shall be determined annually by the commissioner of administration under the provision of section three B of chapter seven, said state secretary, shall receive and preserve the same in form convenient for reference and open to public inspection, and shall thereupon issue a certificate of incorporation substantially in the following form:  COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.  Be it known that whereas (names of the subscribers to the agreement of association) have associated themselves with the intention of forming a corporation under the name of the (name of the corporation), for the purpose of locating, constructing, maintaining and operating a railroad (description of the railroad as in the agreement of association), and have complied with the statutes of this commonwealth in such cases made and provided: Now, therefore, I, , secretary of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, do hereby certify that the persons aforesaid, their associates and successors, are legally established as a corporation under the name of the (name of the corporation), with all the powers and privileges, and subject to all the duties, liabilities and restrictions, set forth in all general laws which now are or hereafter may be in force relating to railroad corporations.  In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my official signature, and affixed the great seal of said commonwealth, this day of , in the year .  The state secretary shall sign the certificate of incorporation, and cause the great seal of the commonwealth to be thereto affixed, and such certificate shall have the force and effect of a special charter. The state secretary shall also cause a record of the certificate of incorporation to be made, and such certificate, or such record, or a certified copy thereof, shall be conclusive evidence of the existence of such corporation.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 25 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 25 - Change in Amount of Capital Stock; Change of Gauge

Section 25. If the capital stock fixed in the agreement of association is found to be insufficient for the construction and equipment of the railroad, the corporation at a meeting called therefor may, subject to section forty-seven, increase the same, from time to time, to the amount necessary for those purposes. It may, at a meeting called therefor, reduce the amount of the capital stock, but not below the limit prescribed in section fourteen. It may, also, in like manner, change the gauge to the other authorized gauge; but a corporation organized to construct its railroad on a gauge of three feet shall not change such gauge to four feet eight and one half inches without complying with all provisions of law relative to the capital stock of railroads of the broad gauge; and the fact that such provisions have been complied with shall be shown to the satisfaction of the department, and endorsed by its clerk upon the certificate of such change of gauge before it is filed in the office of the state secretary. A certificate of the increase or reduction of capital or change of gauge shall, within thirty days thereafter, be filed in the office of the state secretary.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 26 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 26 - Limit Upon Time to Acquire Certificate of Incorporation

Section 26. The agreement of association, and all proceedings thereunder, including the fixing of the route, shall be void, unless the certificate of incorporation is issued within one year after the time the route is fixed as provided in section twenty or twenty-one.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 27 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 27 - Limit Upon Time to Construct Railroad

Section 27. If a corporation does not begin the construction of its railroad and expend thereon at least ten per cent of the amount of its original capital stock within two years after the date of its certificate of incorporation, and does not complete and open its railroad for use within four years after said date, its corporate powers and existence shall cease.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 28 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 28 - Narrow Gauge Railroads; Paid-Up Capital Stock

Section 28. A corporation which has a railroad of the gauge of three feet shall not begin running its trains, until its paid-up capital stock is equal to one half of its cost, including equipment.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 29 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 29 - First Meeting of Incorporators; Notice; Waiver of Notice

Section 29. Upon the issue of such certificate of incorporation, the first meeting of the incorporators shall be called by a notice signed by a majority of the directors; and such notice shall state the time, place and purposes of the meeting. A copy of such notice shall, seven days at least before the day appointed for the meeting, be given to each incorporator or left at his residence or usual place of business, or deposited in the post office, postage prepaid, and addressed to him at his residence or usual place of business, and another copy thereof, and an affidavit of the clerk that the notice has been duly served, shall be recorded with the records of the corporation. If all of the incorporators shall in writing waive such notice, and fix the time and place of the meeting, no notice shall be required.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 30 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 30 - Adoption of By-Laws; Election of Directors

Section 30. At such first meeting, or at any adjournment thereof, the incorporators shall organize by the adoption of by-laws, and by the election, by ballot, of not less than five directors. The clerk appointed by the directors under section fifteen shall make and attest a record of the proceedings until the clerk has been chosen and sworn, including a record of such choice and qualification.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 31 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 31 - Managing Officers

Section 31. The business of every corporation shall be managed and conducted by a president, a board of not less than five directors, a clerk, a treasurer and such other officers and such agents as the corporation by its by-laws shall authorize.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 32 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 32 - Selection of Officers; Treasurer's Bond; Clerk's Qualifications and Duties; Terms of Office; Vacancies

Section 32. The directors shall be elected annually by the stockholders by ballot, and the president shall be elected annually by and from the board of directors, and the treasurer and the clerk annually by said board. Every director, unless the by-laws otherwise provide, shall be a stockholder. The treasurer may be required to give a bond for the faithful performance of his duty in such sum and with such sureties as the by-laws may prescribe. The clerk, who shall be a resident of the commonwealth, shall be sworn, and shall record all votes of the corporation in a book to be kept for that purpose. The officers of a corporation shall hold office for one year and until their successors are qualified. All other agents and officers shall be chosen or appointed, and all vacancies filled, in the manner prescribed by the by-laws, or, in default of such by-law, by the board of directors.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 33 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 33 - Stockholders' Meeting

Section 33. There shall be an annual meeting of the stockholders, and the time and place of holding it, and the manner of conducting it, shall be fixed by the by-laws. All meetings of stockholders shall, unless the by-laws otherwise provide, be held in the commonwealth; and shall be called, and notice thereof given, in the manner provided in the by-laws of the corporation; or, if the by-laws make no provision therefor, shall be called by the president, and a written notice, stating the place, day and hour thereof, given by the clerk, at least seven days before such meeting, to each stockholder by leaving such notice with him or at his residence or usual place of business, or by mailing it, postage prepaid, and addressed to each stockholder at his address as it appears upon the books of the corporation. Unless the by-laws otherwise provide, a majority in interest of all stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum, but if at any annual meeting or at any other meeting held for the purpose of electing officers less than a majority of the stock is represented, no election of officers shall take place.  Notices of all meetings of stockholders shall state the purposes for which the meetings are called. No notice of the time, place or purpose of any regular or special meeting of the stockholders shall be required, if every stockholder, or his attorney thereunto authorized, by a writing filed with the records of the meeting, waives such notice.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 34 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 34 - Special Meetings

Section 34. A special meeting of the stockholders shall be called, and a written notice thereof, stating the time, place and purpose of the meeting, given by the clerk, upon written application of three or more stockholders entitled to vote, and holding at least one tenth of the capital stock.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 35 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 35 - Voting by Corporation Upon Its Own Stock

Section 35. A railroad corporation shall not, directly or indirectly, vote upon any share of its own stock.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 36 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 36 - Voting Rights of Stockholders

Section 36. Stockholders entitled to vote shall have one vote for each share of stock owned by them. Stockholders may vote either in person or by proxy. No proxy dated more than six months before the meeting named therein shall be accepted, and no such proxy shall be valid after the final adjournment of such meeting.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 37 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 37 - Meetings of Directors

Section 37. Meetings of the board of directors may be held within or without the commonwealth. Any meeting of the board of directors shall be a legal meeting without notice, if each director, who is absent, by a writing filed with the records of the meeting, waives such notice.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 38 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 38 - Certificate

Section 38. Each stockholder shall be entitled to a certificate, which shall be signed by the president and by the treasurer of the corporation, or by such other officers as may be authorized by the by-laws, shall be sealed with its seal, and shall certify the number of shares owned by him in such corporation; but when any such certificate is signed by a transfer agent or transfer clerk and by a registrar and the registrar is not the same person, partnership, association, trust or corporation as the transfer agent or transfer clerk, the signature of the president or of the treasurer or of the other officers authorized by the by-laws, or the seal of the corporation, or any or all of such last-mentioned signatures and such seal upon such certificate may be facsimile, and such certificate shall be as valid and effectual for all purposes as if signed by such president, treasurer or other authorized officer, or sealed with the seal of such corporation, as the case may be.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 39 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 39 - Assessment; Failure to Pay Assessment

Section 39. The directors may from time to time assess upon each share such amounts, not exceeding in all one hundred dollars on a share, or the price fixed under section fifty of chapter one hundred and fifty-nine, as they think proper, and may direct the same to be paid to the treasurer, who shall give notice thereof to the subscribers. If a subscriber has made no payment upon his shares, the directors, thirty days after an assessment has become due, may declare them forfeited, and may transfer them to any responsible person who subscribes for them and pays the assessments then due. If a subscriber neglects, for thirty days after notice from the treasurer, to pay an assessment upon his shares, the directors may order the treasurer, after giving notice of the sale, to sell such shares by public auction to the highest bidder, and, upon the payment by him to the corporation of the unpaid assessments, of interest to the date of sale and of the charges of sale, the shares shall be transferred to him. If within thirty days after the sale the purchaser does not make said payment to the corporation, the sale shall be cancelled, and the subscriber shall be liable to the corporation for the unpaid assessments, interest thereon and charges of sale. If the amount so paid by the purchaser to the corporation is more than the amount for which the shares were sold, the subscriber shall be liable to the purchaser for the deficiency; if it is less, the purchaser shall be liable to the subscriber for the surplus.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 40 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 40 - Collection of Assessment

Section 40. If a subscriber neglects to pay his assessment for thirty days as provided in the preceding section, the directors may elect to proceed at law against said delinquent subscriber to recover all amounts due and payable by him with interest. If a judgment rendered in an action against a subscriber remains unsatisfied for thirty days, all amounts previously paid by him shall be forfeited to the company and the directors may offer such shares for sale as provided in said section.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 41 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 41 - Increase of Capital Stock; Purposes

Section 41. A railroad corporation, for the purpose of building a branch or extension, or of aiding in the construction of another railroad, or of taking stock in a grain elevator corporation in the organization of which it is an associate, or of erecting and operating grain elevators within the commonwealth, or of building depots, or of abolishing grade crossings, or of making permanent investments or improvements, or of funding its floating debt, or of refunding its funded debt, or for the payment of money borrowed for any lawful purpose, or for other necessary and lawful purposes, may, from time to time, in accordance with sections forty-seven and forty-eight, increase its capital stock or bonds beyond the amounts fixed and limited by its agreement of association or its charter, or by any special law.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 42 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 42 - Corporation Consolidated With One in Another State; Unauthorized Capital Stock Increase

Section 42. If a railroad corporation owning a railroad in this commonwealth and consolidated with a corporation owning a railroad in another state increases its capital stock, or the capital stock of such consolidated corporation, except as authorized by this chapter or chapter one hundred and fifty-nine, without authority of the general court, or without such authority extends its line of railroad, or consolidates with any other corporation, or makes a stock dividend, the charter and franchise of such corporation shall be subject to forfeiture.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 43 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 43 - Issue of Preferred Stock

Section 43. A railroad corporation organized under the laws of this commonwealth, or organized under the laws of this commonwealth and of any other state or states may, by vote of two thirds in interest of its common stockholders, at a meeting duly called therefor, with the approval of the department, issue and from time to time increase preferred stock of one or more classes for any lawful purposes for which railroad corporations are authorized to issue or increase their capital stock. Each class of preferred stock shall be entitled to the preferences and rights and shall be subject to the restrictions and limitations fixed by such vote, as approved by the department. Such stock shall be issued subject to all the provisions of the laws of this commonwealth governing the issue of capital stock by railroad corporations.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 44 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 44 - Designation of Preferred Stock; Filing of Record of Proceedings; Contents of Certificate

Section 44. Each class of preferred stock issued under authority of the preceding section shall be designated by a name approved by the department to distinguish it from all other classes of stock of the corporation. A certified copy of the vote creating, and of the order of the department approving the creation of, any class of preferred stock shall be filed in the office of the department and in the office of the commissioner of revenue. Every certificate of stock issued by a railroad corporation after the approval by the department of the creation by it of preferred stock shall contain a reference to all votes creating preferred stock and a brief description of the respective preferences, rights and restrictions of each class of said stock.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 45 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 45 - Voting Power of Preferred Stock; Amount of Stock

Section 45. Any preferred stock issued under authority of section forty-three shall have the same voting power as the common stock, except that, in any case, there may be such limitations of the voting power of the preferred stock as the department approves and finds to be consistent with the adequate protection of the public interest. The aggregate amount at par of preferred stock of all classes issued by a railroad corporation shall at no time exceed twice the amount at par value of its outstanding common stock, and no class of preferred stock shall be created which is not, in a manner approved by the department, made subordinate in respect to dividends or to participation in the proceeds of liquidation to the preferences of every previously created class of preferred stock.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 46 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 46 - Offer of Preferred Stock to Common Shareholders

Section 46. Upon any issue of preferred stock the new shares shall, unless the common stockholders shall, with the approval of the department, otherwise provide, first be offered to the common stockholders in the manner prescribed in sections fifty and fifty-one of chapter one hundred and fifty-nine, including the holders of such of its evidences of indebtedness outstanding as on their face entitle the holders thereof to participate in the right to subscribe to such shares; and any shares of the preferred stock which shall not have been duly subscribed and paid for by the common stockholders or their assigns and by holders of such evidences of indebtedness, and all of the preferred shares, if the common stockholders so determine and the department approves, may be sold in the manner and subject to section fifty-one of chapter one hundred and fifty-nine, or in any other manner, at not less than par, which the department may approve. In case of any increase in the common stock of the corporation, holders of preferred stock shall be entitled to have offered to them shares of the new stock in the manner provided in sections fifty and fifty-one of chapter one hundred and fifty-nine, whenever the vote creating such preferred stock as approved by the department shall so provide.
MA Gen L ch 160 § 49 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 160 - Railroads|Section 49 - Exchange for Registered Bonds

Section 49. At the request of the owner or holder of any coupon bonds lawfully issued, the railroad corporation issuing them may issue registered bonds in exchange therefor, upon such terms and under such regulations as its directors may prescribe, and with the consent and approval of the trustees, if any, to whom a mortgage or pledge has been executed; and such registered bonds shall, with the exception of the coupons, correspond in all respects with the coupon bonds for which they are exchanged, and shall be in conformity with all laws authorizing the issue of said coupon bonds. Such exchange shall not affect a mortgage or pledge given as security for the payment of such coupon bonds, and such mortgage or pledge shall remain in full force as security for such registered bonds; and the coupon bonds shall be cancelled and destroyed at the same time that the registered bonds are issued in exchange therefor.