the passage of this act to appear in said proceedings and defend therein. Sec. 3. This bill shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved April 20, 1917. CHAPTER 448.-H. F. No. 318. An act to establish state forests. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota: Section 1. Certain lands specified as state forests.-The state school and other public lands owned by the State of Minnesota, included within the following described limits: Townships 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67 and 68 N, Ranges 7 east to 14 west inclusive; Townships 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67 and 68 N., in ranges 15 and 16; Townships 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69 and 70 N., in ranges 17 and 18; Townships 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69 and 70 N., in range 19, and townships 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70 and 71 in ranges 20 and 21; are hereby established as state forests, under the designation of Minnesota state forests. Said lands are hereby placed under the jurisdiction and control of the state forestry board, to be managed, as other state forests are managed by the said board, on forestry principles for timber production, and for such other uses as are not inconsistent therewith. The net revenue therefrom shall be used for the purposes for which the lands were granted to the state. Sec. 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved April 20, 1917. CHAPTER 449.-H. F. No. 329. An act requiring interurban and suburban railway companies to provide toilet facilities in passenger cars. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota: Section 1. Sanitary toilet facilities required on interurban cars. The railroad and warehouse commission may upon a hearing, order the installation of sanitary toilet facilities in any interurban and suburban car operating in regular service under its jurisdiction, and failure of any company or corporation owning and operating such car to comply with such order, shall subject it to a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00). This act shall not apply to cars running between the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis nor to any such interurban or su burban cars operated over a distance of less than eighteen miles beyond the city limits of either of said cities. Sec. 2. Right to regulate given to local authorities.-The authorities of any municipality through which such cars are or may be operated shall have the right to regulate the closing of such closet within such municipalities. Sec. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after the first day of June A. D. 1917. Approved April 20, 1917. CHAPTER 450.-H. F. No. 347. An act abolishing dower and curtesy and statutory interest in lieu of dower and curtesy in all lands conveyed prior to January 1, 1902, and limiting the time for the commencement of actions for the recovery of estates in dower or by the curtesy or estates in lieu of dower or by the curtesy, and limiting the time for the commencement of actions by any person claiming as heir of any person who has conveyed land claimed as a homestead at the time of the conveyance where such conveyance was made prior to January 1, 1902. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota : Section 1. Certain estates abolished.-All inchoate estates in dower and curtesy, and all inchoate estates or statutory interests in lieu of dower and curtesy, are hereby abolished in all lands in this state which have been conveyed prior to January 1, 1902, by the husband or wife of the one entitled to such inchoate dower or curtesy, or statutory interest, by a conveyance in writing. Sec. 2. Actions not to be maintained. No action for the recovery of real property, or of any right therein, or the possession thereof, shall be maintained by any person having any estate in dower or by the curtesy or any estate or statutory interest in lieu of dower or by the curtesy therein, or by anyone claiming, by, through or under any such person, where it appears that the husband and wife of such person conveyed such real property, or any interest therein, by a conveyance in writing, prior to the first day of January, 1902; and no action shall be maintained for the recovery of real property, or of any right therein, or the possession thereof, by any person claiming as heir of any person who has conveyed land claimed as a homestead at the time of the conveyance and where such conveyance was made prior to January 1st, 1902, unless such action shall be commenced on or prior to the first day of December, 1917, and notice thereof filed for record at the time of the commencement of said action in the office of the register of deeds in the county where said real property is situate. Sec. 3. This bill shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved April 20, 1917. CHAPTER 451.-H. F. No. 444. An act to legalize certain proceedings heretofore taken for the drainage of lands in certain cases. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota : Section 1. Certain drainage proceedings legalized.-Where the county board of any county of this state, or the judge of any of the district courts of this state, in pursuance of chapter 230 of the laws of 1905 and the acts amendatory thereof or supplemental thereto, has located and established or attempted to locate and establish any ditch, drain, or water course wholly within any country of this state, or partly within two or more counties thereof, and it has been determined by resolution adopted by said board or order made by said judge, that such ditch. drain or water course will be of public utility and promotive of or be conducive to the public health, and that the benefits or estimated benefits to be derived from the construction thereof are greater than the total cost, including damages awarded, and such ditch, drain or water course has been actually constructed, in accordance with the plans and specifications filed by the engineer therein, or of the contract made in accordance with such plans and specifications, or the county has entered into a contract or contracts for the construction thereof, and the county auditor has, or the county auditors, as the case may be, or any of them, have executed and filed in the office of the register of deeds the tabular statement provided for in said act, making assessments for the cost of the location, establishment and construction of the same within such county against the lands, corporations and roads benefited thereby, and the time for appeals has expired and no appeals have been taken therefrom or from any such proceedings, or if such appeals have been taken that the same have been determined before the passage of this act, then the said proceedings and all assessments or liens so levied or attempted to be assessed or levied for the actual cost of such work, including damages awarded, are hereby legalized and declared to be valid and in full force and effect until paid, in the time and manner set forth in said act and amendments thereto. Sec. 2. Not to effect the right of appeal.-This act shall not apply to or affect the right of appeal from such proceedings, as now provided by law, or any actions or appeals now pending in which the validity of said proceedings is called in question. Sec. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved April 20, 1917. CHAPTER 452-H. F. No. 569. An act to prohibit the placing of obstructions, and authorizing the removal thereof, which interfere with seining in the waters within this state or within the waters of the St. Croix river, including that part thereof known as Lake St. Croix, the waters of the Mississippi river below the mouth of the St. Croix river, including that part thereof known as Lake Pepin. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota: Section 1. Prohibiting obstructions interfering with seining in certain rivers. No person shall place, maintain or cause to be placed or maintained in any place which has been or shall be used or prepared for seining in the waters within this state or in the waters of the St. Croix river, including that part thereof known as Lake St. Croix, the waters of the Mississippi river below the mouth of the St. Croix river, including that part thereof known as Lake Pepin, any obstructions, except lawfully constructed docks or boat landings, or licensed fishing nets legally set, or buoys or boats properly stationed or anchored, which will in any manner interfere with, hinder or prevent such seining or the use of operation of seines in such places by persons duly licensed to operate such seines in any of such waters; and any person or persons so licensed to operate such seines shall for such purpose have the full right to remove any and all such obstructions from such places in any of such waters, and in case it becomes necessary in operating such seines to remove duly licensed fishing nets legally set no damage shall be done thereto and such fishing nets shall be immediately reset by such person or persons as soon as said seines have been drawn. Sec. 2. Penalty for violation.-Any person or persons who shall violate any of the provisions of this act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than $25.00 nor more than $100.00 or by imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not less than thirty days nor to exceed ninety days. Sec. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved April 20, 1917. CHAPTER 453-H. F. No. 610. An act to provide for consolidation of certain school districts in connection with villages and cities of the fourth class. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota: Section 1. Consolidation of school districts.--When an incorporated village or a city of the fourth class contains two or 758 [Chap. more school districts of any kind situated wholly or in part within the corporate limits of such village or city, when only one of such districts maintains a state high school, such districts may be consolidated and form one district in the manner hereinafter provided. Sec. 2. State superintendent of education to consider advisability of consolidation.-Whenever a petition signed by at least one hundred legal voters residing within the proposed consolidated district shall be presented to the state superintendent of education requesting that the said districts be united to form one district, and requesting the said state superintendent to call an election within the proposed consolidated district to vote upon the consolidating of such districts, the state superintendent of education shall make proper inquiry as to advisability of such proposed consolidation and if he shall deem it for the best interests of education therein, he shall order an election to determine the question of such proposed consolidation to be held within the proposed consolidated district. Notice of such election shall be given by posted and published notice as required by law for the consolidation of school districts. Such election shall be conducted in the same manner as are annual school elections in independent districts. The vote shall be by ballots which shall read "For Consolidation" or "Against Consolidation." Sec. 3. Certifying election. The officers of such election. shall certify and make return of the result of the election to the county auditor of each county in which any part of any of said districts lies. If a majority of the legal votes cast at such election shall be in favor of consolidation, such districts shall be consolidated, and the state superintendent of education shall make an order setting forth such fact and shall file the same with the auditor of each county in which the districts so united are located. Sec. 4. Existing indebtedness.-Nothing in this act shall be construed to transfer the liability of existing indebtedness from the district or territory against which it was originally incurred. Sec. 5. State aid.-A consolidation formed under this act shall not entitle the district to any of the state aid for consolidated schools unless the district and its schools conform in all respects to the provisions for consolidated schools under chapter 238, General Laws of 1915. Sec. 6. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved April 20, 1917. |