the board may be authorized by it to examine the books, contracts, records, documents and memoranda or the physical property of any company under the board's supervision and shall be entitled to full access thereto. But no such officer or employee shall divulge any fact or information which may come to his knowledge during the course of such an examination unless so directed by the board or by the court, or so authorized by law. SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon its passage. [Approved June 6, 1914. ASSESSMENT OF APPROPRIATIONS UPON GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANIES. appropriations electric com 1887, 382, § 4. 1895, 463, § 1. SECTION 136. All sums of money annually appropri- Assessment of ated by the general court for the salaries and expenses of upon gas and the board, their clerks and employees, shall be apportioned panies. by the tax commissioner among the several gas and elec- 1885, 314, § 6. tric companies; and, on or before the first day of July in 1891, 351. each year, he shall assess upon each of said companies its share of said sums, in proportion to its gross earnings for 1904, 429; 435, the year last preceding the year in which the assessment 1909, 490, Part is made; and such assessments shall be collected in the same manner as taxes upon corporations are collected. BALANCE TO BE CARRIED TO NEXT YEAR. 1899, 365. R. L. 121, § 4. § 1. III, § 9. carried to next 1904, 435, § 2. SECTION 137. Of the amount so assessed and collected Balance to be any balance remaining on the thirtieth day of November year. in any year, and all forfeitures collected under the provisions of section one hundred and forty-seven and all fees collected under the provisions of sections one hundred and seventy-seven and one hundred and ninety-one during the year, shall be carried forward to the next year and shall be taken into account in making an appropriation for that year. GENERAL DUTIES OF THE BOARD. 1885, 314, § 8. 6; 385, §§ 7, 10. 197 Mass. 558. SECTION 138. The board shall have the general super- General duties vision of all gas and electric companies and shall make all of board. necessary examination and inquiries and keep itself in- 1887, 382, §§ 1, formed as to the condition of the respective properties R. L. 121, § 5. owned by such corporations and the manner in which 11 Op. A. G. they are conducted with reference to the safety and convenience of the public, and as to their compliance with the provisions of law and the orders, directions and requirements of the board. 81.] Size of paper for official letters established. Time of taking effect. Regulation of purity of gas. 1885, 314, § 11. 197 Mass. 558. R. L. 121, § 6. Acts of 1913, Chapter 702. An Act to facilitate the Filing of Official Letters. SECTION 1. For the purpose of facilitating the filing of official letters, such letters from the several departments of the commonwealth and from officials of counties, cities and towns therein shall be written or printed, so far as may be practicable, on paper having a width of eight and one-half inches and a length of eleven inches. SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on the first day of October, nineteen hundred and thirteen. [Approved May 26, 1913. REGULATION OF PURITY OF GAS. SECTION 139. The board shall, from time to time, ascertain the degree of purity that can reasonably be required in gas made and supplied by corporations, persons, firms or unincorporated associations engaged in the manufacture or sale of gas, and shall report to the general court when, in its opinion, any change in the law relative thereto is desirable. Annual report to general court. 1885, 314, § 14. 1886, 346, § 2. 1888, 350, § 2. See 1905, 211,$1. R. L. 121, § 7. 1911, 293. ANNUAL REPORT TO GENERAL COURT. SECTION 140. The board shall annually, on or before the first Wednesday in January, transmit to the secretary 1887, 382, $$ 2, 6. of the commonwealth a report to the general court of its doings, with such suggestions as to the condition of affairs or conduct of corporations and companies which are under its supervision as may be appropriate, with such abstracts of the returns required by section one hundred and fortysix as it considers expedient, but including the names and addresses of the principal officers and of the directors, and an abstract of the accidents reported to it under the provisions of section one hundred and sixty-four. Recommenda tions for legislation. 1893, 144. Amended. 1910, 452. Revised Laws, Chapter 18, § 6. on SECTION 6. State boards and commissions shall annually, or before the first Wednesday in January, deposit with the secretary of the commonwealth such parts of their annual reports which are required to be made to the governor and council or to the general court as contain recommendations or suggestions for legislative action, such recommendations or suggestions to be accompanied by drafts of bills embodying the legislation recommended, and the secretary shall forthwith transmit them to the governor and council or to the general court. Revised Laws, Chapter 9, § 7. ments. 1863, 219. G. S. 4, § 2. 1877, 248, 1885, 369. 1896, 258. 1901, 257. SECTION 7. There shall be printed annually, before the assem- Public docubling of the general court or as soon thereafter as possible, the 1857, 40, § 2. number of copies of documents and reports hereinafter specified, the same to be numbered in a series to be called public documents. Said reports shall be as brief as possible without omitting any 1878, 264, § 1. facts or information required by law to be contained therein. [No 1880, 193, § 1. 1881, 293, § 1. maps, plans, photogravures, wood cuts or other pictorial illustra- P. S. 4, 7. tions shall be introduced unless specially authorized by the gen- 1889, 440, § 7. eral court or either branch thereof or, if the cost does not exceed 1894, 393, § 7. five hundred dollars, with the previous approval of the secretary 1897, 243. of the commonwealth, acting as supervisor of state printing, and of the auditor of accounts; but said reports may include abstracts or compilation of the statutes relative to the subject matter of the respective reports.] They shall be transmitted to the general court through the office of the secretary of the commonwealth. No more copies than is herein provided for shall be printed at the expense of the commonwealth or be paid for out of any contingent fund, or out of the earnings of any department or institution which are the property of the commonwealth; and no bill for printing any larger number shall be approved by the auditor or paid out of any funds belonging to the commonwealth. Of the board of gas and electric light commissioners, thirtyfive hundred copies. 1889, 440, § 7. 1894, 393, § 7. 1895, 463, § 2. 1902, 228, § 8; §7; 470, § 2. 1903, 291; 390. 1904, 209; 388, §§ 1, 2; 410. 1905, 138; 275. 230; 269; 438, Gas and elec tric light. 1908, 444. Unless otherwise expressly provided, all the reports of permanent Amended. state officers, boards and commissioners shall be included in the public document series, and one thousand copies of each of said reports shall be printed. The number of copies of any report to be printed in any one year may be decreased by agreement between the officer, board or commission making such report and the secretary of the commonwealth. Acts of 1910, Chapter 268. An Act relative to the Annual Preparation and Printing of a List of State Officials and their Employees with their Salaries or Compensation. Lists of officials and employees of the com monwealth to SECTION 1. Every department, commission, bureau or board of the commonwealth, shall, on or before the fifteenth day of July in the year nineteen hundred and ten, and on or before the fifteenth be furnished day of July in every year thereafter, prepare and furnish to the and council, etc. to the governor Amended. 1911, 43. Auditor to verify lists, etc. governor and council lists of all the officials and employees of the commonwealth employed in or by such department, commission, bureau or board on the first day of July preceding, for whose services money has been paid from the treasury of the commonwealth. The said lists shall be arranged by divisions of the several departments, commissions, bureaus or boards, when such divisions exist, and shall give the name, residence, designation, rate of compensation and the date of election or appointment of every such official and employee, and any increase in the rate of salary or compensation for the year preceding; and also the aggregate amount of all money paid for services or salaries to any official or employee, not otherwise shown upon the list, for the year beginning with the first day of July in the year preceding that in which the list is prepared. It shall be the duty of the auditor of the commonwealth to verify the said lists, the compensation and the said aggregate amounts from the pay roll. The said lists and aggregate amounts shall be printed at the expense of the commonwealth as a document of the commonwealth, before the first day of October in the year in which they are furnished, and the said document shall contain [the complete data and facts called for by this act] a summary by departments, commissions, bureaus and boards of the total number of officials and employees employed in or by every such department, commission, bureau and board and the total amount paid for services by every such department, commission, bureau and board from the treasury of the commonwealth, and, respectively, the whole number of such officials and employees, and the whole amount paid for services in a grand total; and a summary by every such department, commission, bureau and board of the total number of such officials and employees and the total amount paid for services for the year nineteen hundred and ten, and for each and every year thereafter. SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon its passage. [Approved February 11, 1911. Violations of law. 1887, 382, §§ 2, 6. 197 Mass. 558. VIOLATIONS OF LAW. SECTION 141. If a corporation, person, firm or unin1885, 314, § 12. corporated association which is engaged in the manufacture and sale or distribution and sale of gas or electricity violates or neglects to comply with the provisions of law, or violates or refuses or neglects to comply with any lawful order of the board, the board shall give notice thereof in writing to such corporation, person, firm or unincorporated association, and to the attorney-general for his action. ENFORCEMENT OF ORDERS OF BOARD. of orders of 1887, 382, § 2. SECTION 142. The supreme judicial court or the su- Enforcement perior court shall have jurisdiction in equity, upon the board. application of the board, to enforce its lawful orders and 1885, 314, § 13. all provisions of law relative to cities, towns, corporations R. L. 121, § 9. or persons engaged in the manufacture and sale or distri- 197 Mass. 558. bution and sale of gas or electricity. OFFICE OF COMPANY WHERE WORKS LOCATED. 1896, 426. works located. 1887, 382, $2, 6. R. L. 121, § 28. SECTION 143. Gas and electric companies shall have an Office of comoffice in a city or town in which their works are located pany where and, unless otherwise authorized by the board, shall keep 1886, 346, § 1. in said office all the books and papers which are required by law to be kept within the commonwealth, and also such books as may be required to show their receipts, expenditures, indebtedness and financial condition; and shall at all times, upon application, submit their books to the inspection of the board and its duly authorized employees. The board shall have authority from time to time, Board to have by its members or by its duly authorized employees, to ex-books, records, amine all books, records, contracts, documents, papers and etc. memoranda of such corporations, and shall have free access thereto for such purpose at any and all reasonable times. FORM OF BOOKS AND ACCOUNTS PRESCRIBED. free access to and accounts 1886, 346, § 2. 1887, 382, §§ 2, 6. R. L. 121, § 29. SECTION 144. Gas and electric companies shall keep Form of books their books and accounts in a form to be prescribed by prescribed. the board, and the accounts shall be closed annually on the thirtieth day of June, so that a balance sheet of that date can be taken therefrom. Manufacturing companies in which the manufacture of gas or electricity is a minor portion of their business shall be required to keep accounts of the expenses and income of their gas or electric business only. FORM OF STATION RECORDS PRESCRIBED. prescribed. R. L. 121, § 30. SECTION 145. Gas and electric companies and manu- Form of facturing companies or persons engaged in the manufac- station records ture or sale of gas or electricity shall keep such records 1896, 356, 480, of their work at their manufacturing station, and in respect to their distributing plant, as the board may from time to time require. Said records shall be in such form as the board may prescribe. |