reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MA Gen L ch 161 § 115 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 115 - Railway Service Provided at Cost; Acceptance of Secs. 115 to 128

Section 115. Any company, except the Boston Elevated Railway Company and the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Company, and the successors of either of the said companies, which accepts sections one hundred and fifteen to one hundred and twenty-eight, inclusive, as provided in section one hundred and twenty-six, or has accepted corresponding provisions of earlier laws, shall thereafter furnish service to the public at cost, and shall be subject to said sections, inclusive, with reference to the matters specified therein, but in all other respects shall be subject to the general laws relating to street railway companies. The words ''the company'' as used in said sections, inclusive, shall mean any street railway company which has accepted said sections or corresponding provisions of earlier laws.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 116 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 116 - Cost of Service; Definitions

Section 116. The cost of the service shall include operating expenses, taxes, rentals, interest on all indebtedness as hereinafter defined, dividends on preferred stock, an interest return at the rate of six per cent per annum upon the stock investment as determined by the department under this section and such allowances for depreciation, obsolescence, and losses in respect to property sold, destroyed or abandoned as may be fixed from time to time in the case of each company by the department, and all other expenditures and charges which, under the classification of accounts of the interstate commerce commission and under the laws of the commonwealth, are properly chargeable against income or surplus. The words ''stock investment'' as used in said sections shall mean the capital investment, as hereinafter defined, less the amount paid in for outstanding preferred stock, bonds and other evidences of funded indebtedness. The words ''capital investment'' as used in said sections shall mean the amount of cash or fair value of the property paid in for stock, bonds and other evidences of funded indebtedness and properly expended for capital purposes, such amount to be determined by the department; provided, that if it has approved the issue of any such securities, no further determination in regard to the capital investment represented by such securities shall be necessary.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 117 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 117 - Reserve Fund

Section 117. No company may accept sections one hundred and fifteen to one hundred and twenty-eight, inclusive, until it has provided a reserve fund of not less than six, nor more than twelve per cent, of the gross earnings of the preceding year, except as otherwise provided in this section. Such reserve fund may be provided by the issue of either bonds or stock or preferred stock issued under the laws regulating such issues. The reserve fund shall at all times be kept separate and distinct and shall be used only for the purpose of making up a deficiency of income where the income of the company is insufficient to pay the cost of service as provided in the preceding section. Until so used, the reserve fund may be invested in bonds of the United States, or of this commonwealth or any city or town thereof. The reserve fund shall be fully subscribed for upon acceptance of said sections by the company, but shall be paid in, over a period not exceeding two years, at such times and in such amounts as shall be directed by the department. Any company may furnish a larger reserve fund or increase it with the approval of the department. The reserve fund as originally provided for or as later increased shall be considered the normal reserve fund.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 118 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 118 - Service at Cost; Application to Determine Status of Unfunded Debt

Section 118. Any company desiring to accept said sections shall, at the time of its application to the department to determine the amount of its stock investment, apply to it to determine the status of its then unfunded debt. The department shall thereupon disallow any amount thereof which it deems was improperly incurred. Interest charges upon the debt so disallowed shall be borne by the company and charged to the amount which would otherwise be available as a return upon the stock investment. Interest charges upon the residue of the unfunded debt shall be included in the cost of service. Interest charges upon the unfunded debt incurred by the company after its acceptance of said sections shall be included in the cost of service unless the department determines any portion of such debt to be unreasonable or improper. Interest charges upon any portion disallowed shall thereafter be deducted from the return upon the stock investment.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 119 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 119 - Use of Reserve Fund

Section 119. Whenever the income of the company is insufficient to meet the cost of service as defined in section one hundred and sixteen, the reserve fund shall be used, so far as necessary, to make up the deficiency, but when the income exceeds the cost of the service, the excess shall be transferred to and become a part of the reserve fund.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 120 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 120 - Schedules of Grades of Railway Fare and Transfer Privileges; Public Hearing; Approval or Modification

Section 120. A company accepting said sections shall file with its acceptance a schedule of nine different grades of fare and of transfer privileges. One such grade it shall designate as the initial grade which it desires to establish and which will, in its opinion, enable it to earn income sufficient to meet the cost of service. Four of the other grades shall provide for progressive increases and four for progressive decreases in revenue, and each interval of increase or decrease shall be calculated to increase or decrease the reserve fund by thirty per cent of the normal reserve fund. Within thirty days thereafter, after notice and a public hearing, the department shall either approve the schedule so filed or shall establish a schedule similarly designed in place thereof; provided, that if, during any period of sixty days, more than one company shall file its acceptance of said sections and a schedule of proposed grades of fare, the department shall not be required to approve or establish the grades of fare for any such company until thirty days after it has passed upon all schedules previously filed in accordance with this section. Whenever, by reason of any change in the existing rate of fare, there are less than four grades either above or below the rate of fare then in force, the company shall forthwith file with the department a schedule of additional grades of fare, so that there will always be both above and below the existing rate of fare not less than four grades of fare, and the department shall thereupon, within sixty days thereafter, either approve the schedule so filed or itself establish in lieu thereof the necessary additional grades of fare.  If at any time it shall appear to be in the interest of the public or of the company that the said schedule should be changed either with regard to the method or basis upon which the fares and transfer privileges are established, or because the steps between the different grades are too small or too great, or for any other reason, the company, with the approval of the department, may change the said schedule.  Except as above provided, the department may modify such schedule only after it has been in effect for a period of one year; provided, that no modification of the schedule which diminishes the rate of return on the stock investment shall be continued in effect for a period exceeding four months.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 121 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 121 - Change in Grades of Railway Fare

Section 121. If, as of the last day of any March, June, September or December, the reserve fund shall exceed by thirty per cent or more the normal reserve fund, and during the three preceding months the income shall have exceeded the cost of the service, the company shall, within thirty days thereafter, put into effect the next lower grade of fare adopted as aforesaid; and if, as of the last day of any March, June, September or December, the reserve fund shall be less than seventy per cent of the normal reserve fund, and during the three preceding months the income has been less than the cost of service, the company shall, within thirty days thereafter, put into effect the next higher grade of fare, and the fare shall continue to be decreased or to be increased, if the amount of the reserve fund is above or below said limits, as of such quarterly dates. The company, with the consent of the department, may put into effect the next higher or lower grade of fare at any time when the reserve fund is below or above the normal amount.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 122 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 122 - Improvement Fund

Section 122. The company shall provide an improvement fund of an amount required by the department but not exceeding five per cent of the capital investment. Such fund may be raised by the issue of bonds or stock or preferred stock. It shall be fully subscribed within sixty days after determination of the capital investment of the company, and shall be paid in from time to time, as required, by a plan of gradual improvement to be approved by the department.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 123 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 123 - Sale of Railway Property and Franchise to State or Municipality

Section 123. Any company accepting said sections shall be bound thereby to sell its entire property and franchises as a going concern to the commonwealth or to any city or town at any time for an amount in cash equal to the stock investment, and the amount of cash paid in for preferred stock, and the purchaser shall in addition assume all outstanding bonds, contracts, leases and other liabilities of the company. Said sections shall not affect the right of the commonwealth or of any city or town to acquire at any time, by eminent domain under chapter seventy-nine, the property and franchises of any company accepting said sections.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 124 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 124 - Directors Appointed by Governor; Qualifications; Powers and Privileges

Section 124. The governor, with the advice and consent of the council, shall appoint for terms of three years each three persons to be members of the board of directors of any company which accepts said sections, of whom at least two shall be residents of a city or town served by the company, and none shall be an owner of its stocks or bonds. They shall have and exercise all the power and privileges of the other directors of the company, and shall receive such fees as are paid to the other directors. The by-laws of the company shall be modified so as to permit of the appointment of such persons as directors, and shall also provide for monthly meetings of the board. If any such board shall have an executive committee or a finance committee, or any other standing committee, at least one of the persons appointed by the governor shall be a member of every such committee.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 125 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 125 - Monthly Condition Statements; Supervision and Investigation by Department

Section 125. In order that the department may at all times be in a position to take such action as the public interest requires, the companies shall furnish it each month with such statements as it requires, showing the condition of the reserve fund, the income and expenditures of the previous month and such other information as the department may desire. The commonwealth shall be divided by the department into street railway districts, and for each district within which one or more companies has accepted said sections the department shall appoint one or more resident supervisors for terms of three years, their salaries and expense allowance to be fixed by the department and paid by the company as an operating expense, or, if their duties extend to more than one company, their salaries and expenses shall be apportioned among the several companies in respect to which they act, in such manner as the department may determine. Said supervisors shall keep in constant touch with the operation of the companies and inform the department of all complaints and criticism of the service rendered.  If the department deems any special investigation of any company necessary it may order the same at the expense of the company.  The department may require such changes in the management and operation of any company which has accepted said sections as it deems necessary for the efficient conduct of the business of the company in the public interest.  Any foreign company furnishing electric light or power to any street railway company operating under said sections shall file annually with the department a schedule of all rates charged to all its customers for power where the electricity is furnished by a central plant to others than the said railway company and with such other information in such form as the department requires. The department may prohibit the transmission of electricity for either light or power unless such information is filed as requested and the prices charged therefor are determined by it to be fair and reasonable.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 126 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 126 - Acceptance of Secs. 115 to 128; Commencement of Operations

Section 126. Any company desiring to accept said sections shall apply to the department to determine the amount of its capital investment and of its stock investment, and upon such determination the company may accept said sections by filing with the department its election so to do, authorized by a vote of not less than a majority of its capital stock, and evidence satisfactory to the department that it has provided or will provide the reserve and improvement funds mentioned in sections one hundred and seventeen and one hundred and twenty-two.  The department may permit any company desiring to operate under said sections to begin operations before the determination of its capital investment and of its stock investment; provided, that the company has met all the other requirements of said sections, but no dividends shall be disbursed to the holders of any common stock until after said determination has been made.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 127 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 127 - Disposal of Property No Longer of Service

Section 127. The department may order any company accepting said sections to dispose of any property no longer of service to the company. Any loss thereby incurred it may, with the approval of the department, distribute over such period, not exceeding ten years, as the department shall designate, instead of charging the entire amount of such loss against its earnings or surplus for the year in which such loss may accrue.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 128 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 128 - Return on Stock Investment; State Directors of Railway Company; Petition for Reversal of Orders of Department

Section 128. If a majority of the state directors of a company believe that a particular order or decision of the department would impair the ability of the company to pay the six per cent interest return on the stock investment as provided in section one hundred and sixteen, they shall so advise the department in writing, and if, after reconsideration, the department insists upon the order or decision the company may apply by petition to the supreme judicial court for a reversal or modification thereof. The court may appoint three commissioners to determine the facts and questions at issue, and their report, if confirmed by the court, shall be final.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 129 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 129 - Avoiding or Abolishing Grade Crossings; Eminent Domain

Section 129. For the purpose of avoiding or abolishing a crossing of a railroad by the tracks of a street railway company at grade, the company may purchase or take by eminent domain under chapter seventy-nine land necessary therefor, not exceeding fifty feet in width, outside the limits of a public way; but no land shall be so taken which cannot lawfully be taken for the laying out of a railroad, nor shall it be so taken until a plan on an appropriate scale, showing by metes and bounds the land, and the names of the owners thereof, has, after notice to such owners, and after such public notice and hearing as is required by section seven, been approved in writing by the board of aldermen of the city or the selectmen of the town where such land is situated; nor shall the land of a railroad corporation or of another street railway company be so taken without its consent, except with the approval of the department after notice and a hearing.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 130 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 130 - Construction of Overpasses and Underpasses

Section 130. A company, which has acquired land for such purpose, may construct its railway over or under a railroad, in the manner agreed upon by the companies, or, if they do not agree, in the manner prescribed by the department; but no overhead structure shall be built at a height of less than eighteen feet above the railroad track without the written consent of the department.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 131 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 131 - Structures or Alterations Within Public Way or State Highway

Section 131. The board of aldermen of a city or the selectmen of a town, if a public way, and the department of highways, if a state highway, may authorize structures or alterations within, or partly within, the limits thereof, which are necessary for carrying a street railway over or under a railroad, if such way is not thereby made unsafe for other public travel.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 132 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 132 - Change of Railway Company's Name; Authorization

Section 132. Upon the application of any company, authorized by a vote of two thirds of the shares present and voting at a meeting called therefor, the department may, after public notice and a hearing, authorize such company to change its name.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 133 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 133 - Filing of Certificate of Name Change

Section 133. A certified copy of such authorization and a certificate of the vote of the company, signed and sworn to by the president, treasurer and a majority of the directors, shall be filed in the office of the state secretary. The department shall require public notice to be given of the change so authorized; and upon receipt of proof thereof the state secretary shall grant a certificate of the name which the company shall bear, which, subject to the restrictions of section four, shall thereafter be its legal name.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 134 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 134 - Rights and Liabilities of Railway Company Under New Name

Section 134. A company shall have the same rights, powers and privileges, and be subject to the same duties, obligations and liabilities, under its new name as before its name was changed, and may sue and be sued by its new name; but any action brought against it under its former name shall not be defeated on that account, and, on motion of either party, the new name may be substituted therefor.
MA Gen L ch 161 § 135 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 161 - Street Railways|Section 135 - Authorization of Sale by Receiver of Railway Property; Powers and Duties of Purchaser

Section 135. A receiver of the property of a company may, by order of the court, sell and transfer the railway and property of such company, its locations and franchises, on such terms and in such manner as the court orders. The purchasers from such receiver, and a company organized under the following section, if such railway has been transferred to it, shall hold and possess said railway, all its rights and franchises and all property acquired in connection therewith, with the same rights and privileges and subject to the same duties and liabilities as the original company; but no action shall be brought against such purchasers or such new company, to enforce any liability incurred by said original company, except debts and liabilities owing from said original company to any city or town where the railway is operated and taxes and assessments for which said original company is liable under the laws relating to street railways, which shall be assumed and paid by said new company. This section shall not impair the powers of the holders of an outstanding mortgage to enforce their rights by suit or otherwise.