CULLERS OF DRY FISH. OATH. YOU solemnly swear, that you will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent on you as a Culler of Dry Fish, for the town of the ensuing year, according to your best skill and judgment. So help you God. 1784 C. 30, Sec. 14. There shall be annually chosen, in every sea port to on within this Commonwealth, where fish is made and cured, or sold, at the annual March or April meeting, a suitable number of skilful and disinterested persons, inhabitants of such town, to be cullers of fish; and any persons who shall cull fish without being chosen and sworn, shall forfeit five pounds for every quintal of fish by him culled, and such cullers, in culling fish shall have regard to the contract between the buyer and the seller, with respect to the season of the year wherein such fish is eured. Sec. 15. Every person chosen into the office of a culler of fish, shall, before he enters on the duties of his office, be sworn as other town officers are, to the faithful discharge of his trust. When it shall so happen that the sworn cullers cannot be obtained, then it shall and may be lawful for the buyer and seller to agree upon some meet person to be a culler in such case: Provided, he be first sworn faithfully to discharge the trust. Every master or commander of any ship or other vessel, who shall take on board any fish, in order to transport the same beyond sea, without having the same first surveyed or culled by a person duly appointed and under oath, shall pay a fine of six shillings for each quintal so received or taken on board. Sec. 18. The above penalties go half to the Com monwealth, and half to him who shall inform and sue for the same Sec. 15. FEES. One penny half penny, for every quintal surveyed or culled, to be paid by the pur chaser. HEALTH COMMITTEE. *1797 C. 16, Sec. 11. Each town or district within this Commonwealth may at their meeting, held in March or April, annually, or at any other meeting legally warned for the purpose, when they shall judge it necessary, choose and appoint a health committee, to consist of not less than five nor more than nine suitable persons, or one person to be a health officer, whose duty it shall be to remove all filth of any kind whatever which shall be found in any of the streets, lanes, wharves, docks, or in any other place whatever within the limits of the town to which such committee or health officer belongs, whenever such filth shall, in their judgment, endanger the lives or the health of the inhabitants thereof: And all expenses whereof to be paid by the person or persons who placed it there, if known; or if not, by the town by which said committee or health officer is appointed. And whenever any filth as aforesaid shall be found on private property, said committee or health officer shall notify and order the owner or occupier thereof, after twenty four hours' notice, to remove the same, at their own expense, and in case said owner or occupier shall neglect to remove such filth from his or her property, after the expiration of the time aforesaid, he or they so offending shall *Repealed as to Boston, 1799 C. 10, Sec. 18.-Salem, 1799 C. 14.-Marblehead, 1801 C. 43.-Plymouth, 1809 C. 63, and others substituted. See also for Charlestown, 1818 C. 12; also, for Lynn 1821 C. 21. * See page 66. Their duty respecting the quarantine law, sep page 75. pay a fine of one hundred dollars, to be sued for and recovered, with costs of suit, by said committee or health officer, before any court proper to try the same, for the use of the poor of the town in which such offence is committed: And said owner or occupier as aforesaid shall be liable and obliged to repay to said town all cost and charges which the said committee or health officer may have incurred in removing the filth from his or her property; and in case of refusal to pay the same, he or they may be sued in the same way as is provided in this act for the recovery of fines as aforesaid. FIRE AND FIREWARDS. 1796 C. 88, Sec. 1. Each town in this Commonwealth, in their March or April meeting annually wherein the qualified voters shall think it expedient to choose firewards, shall hereafter have power to elect such number of suitable persons to be firewards therein as shall be deemed necessary; and each person so elected shall be notified thereof within three days, and shall, within three days after being so notified, enter his acceptance or refusal of the said office with the town clerk; and if any person being so elected, and notified shall neglect to enter his acceptance or refusal as aforesaid, he shall forfeit and pay ten dollars, unless excused by the town; and the town shall have power to elect another in his place, in case of such neglect or refusal; and when any fire shall break out in any town, wherein firewards, shall be appointed, they shall immediately attend thereat and carry with them a suitable staff or badge of their office. Sec. 2. When any fire shall break out in any town, the firewards thereof who shall be present at the place in immediate danger, or any three of them, and where no firewards shall be appointed, a major part of the selectmen present; or in their absence, two or three of the civil officers present, or in their absence two or three of the chief military officers of said town present, shall have power to direct the pulling down or demolishing any such house or building as they shall judge necessary to be pulled down or demolished in order to prevent the further spreading of the fire; and during the continuance of any fire the said firewards or officers, as the case may be, shall have power to require assistance for extinguishing the same and for removing any furniture, goods or merchandize from any building on fire, or in danger thereof, and to appoint guards to secure the same; and also assistance for pulling down or demolishing any house or building as the case may require; and further to suppress all tumults and disorders. And the said firewards, selectmen or officers, as the case may be, shall have authority to direct and appoint the stations and operations of the enginemen with their engines, and of all other persons for the purpose of extinguishing the fire and preventing its increase; and if any person shall refuse or neglect any order given by said firewards or officers in the premises, the person so offending shall forfeit and pay for each offence ten dollars. Sec. 3. If the pulling down or demolishing of any house or building, by the directions aforesaid, shall be the means of stopping the said fire; or if the fire stop before it come to the same, then every owner of such house or building shall receive a reasonable compensation and be paid for the same by the inhabitants of the town in which the fire shall happen; and it shall be the duty of the qualified voters in such town, to grant such sum or sums of money as shall be thought necessary and proper by the selectmen of the same town, and of the assessors to assess the same: Provided always, That when it shall be adjudged fit that the house or building where the fire shall first begin and break out should be pulled down or demolished to prevent the further spreading and increase of the same fire, then the owner of such house or building shall receive no compensation for the same. Provided also, That if any person shall think him or herself aggrieved by the doings of the town, selectmen or assessors, thereof in estimating, voting or assessing such sum or sums, he or she shall have a right to appeal, and complain to the next Court of General Sessions of the Peace to be holden in the county, and the said court thereon shall have power, on a consideration of all the circumstances of the case, to confirm said doings of said town, selectmen or assessors, or to alter the same in such manner, as the said court shall judge proper; and in either case to award legal costs, as the justice of the case may require; and the collectors, to whom the said assessments shall be committed to collect shall have the same powers, and be subject to the same duties, as in the collection of other town taxes, as well in collecting an assessment so confirmed or altered, as in cases wherein there shall be no appeal. Sec. 4. That if any person shall in such case of fire, plunder, purloin, embezzle, convey away or conceal any furniture, goods or chattels, rights or credits, merchandize or effects of the inhabitants whose houses or buildings shall be on fire or endangered thereby, and said inhabitants shall be put upon removing the same, and shall not restore or give notice thereof to the owners (if known) or to one of the firewards of the town, or bring them into such public place as shall be assigned by the selectmen of the town, within two days after public notice shall be posted in some public place in the town by the selectmen thereof for that purpose; the person or persons so offending, and being thereof convicted shall be deemed guilty of larceny, and punished accordingly. Sec. 6. The several fines or forfeitures aforesaid shall be two third parts thereof to the use of the poor of the town where the offence shall be committed, and the other third thereof to him or them who shall inform and sue for the same; and shall be recover |