PENITENTIARIES. EMPLOYMENT OF CONVICTS. § 1. As amended, convicts may be em- § 3. As amended, title of Act includes ployed in manufacture of crushed preparing of cement, crushed rock and other road material. rock, etc. § 2. As amended, surplus, cement, crushed rock and other road ma- (SENATE BILL No. 159. APPROVED JUNE 26, 1917.) AN ACT to amend an Act entitled, "An Act authorizing and empowering the employment of convicts and prisoners in the penal and reform atory institutions of the State of Illinois in the manufacture of tile and culvert pipe for road drainage purposes, and in the manufacture of machinery, tools and appliances for the building, maintaining and repairing of the wagon roads of the State and for preparing road building and ballasting material, upon the requisition of the State Highway Commission," approved May 18, 1905, in force July 1, 1905, by amending the title and by amending sections one (1) and two (2) thereof. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That an Act entitled, "An Act authorizing and empowering the employment of convicts and prisoners in the penal and reformatory institutions of the State of Illinois in the manufacture of tile and culvert pipe for road drainage purposes, and in the manufacture of machinery, tools and appliances for the building, maintaining and reparing [repairing] of the wagon roads of the State and for preparing road building and ballasting material, upon the requisition of the State Highway Commission," approved May 18, 1905, in force July 1, 1905, be, and the same is hereby amended by amending the title and by amending sections one (1) and two (2) to read as inserted at length herein. § 1. The Department of Public Welfare of the State of Illinois is authorized and empowered, to employ convicts and prisoners in the penal and reformatory institutions of the State, in the manufacture of tile and culvert pipe suitable for draining the wagon roads of the State. and in the preparation of road building and ballasting material, includ ing cement, crushed rock, and any and all other road building material. Such tile[,] culvert pipe, cement, crushed rock, road building and ballasting material to be furnished free for use on the State aid roads of the State. Said convicts and prisoners may also be employed in the manufac ture of road machinery, tools and necessary appliances for the building. maintaining and repairing of the wagon roads of the State; such tile. culvert pipe, road building and ballasting materials, road machinery, tools, appliances, to be placed upon railroad cars and forwarded to proper destinations, to be used as hereinafter provided. § 2. The commissioners of highways, in any township in counties under township organization, or the commissioners of highways or boards. of county commissioners in counties not under township organization. may make application to the State Highway Commission for such road building material, tile, culvert pipe, cement, crushed rock and other road building material, road making machinery, tools and other appliances, is may be needed or required by them for the construction, improvement or repairing of the wagon roads in their respective townships or road listricts, and where, by agreement of the commissioners of highways, n counties under township organization, or the commissioners of highways or boards of county commissioners in counties not under township organization, as the case may be, with the city council of any city, or the board of trustees of any village, within the limits of such town, iny gravel, rock, macadam or other hard road is extended within or hrough the corporate limits of such city or village, then for the construction, improvement or repairing of so much of said road as lies within the corporate limits of such city or village, Provided such extension within such city or village shall be of the same cost and kind of material as the road outside such city or village, obligating themselves to use such material, according to rules and regulations formulated ind approved by the State Highway Commission. Any surplus of road building materials, prepared by such convicts or prisoners, may be sold to counties, cities, towns and villages of the State, for road and street purposes, at cost. § 3. The title of this Act is hereby amended to read as follows: 'An Act authorizing and empowering the employment of convicts and prisoners in the penal and reformatory institutions of the State of Illinois, in the manufacture of tile and culvert pipe for road drainage purposes, the preparation of cement, crushed rock and other road buildng and ballasting materials, the manufacture of machinery, tools and appliances for the building, maintaining and repairing of the wagon roads of the State. APPROVED June 26, 1917. (SENATE BILL No. 349. APPROVED JUNE 14, 1917.) AN ACT providing for the creation of a commission to be known as the Illinois Pension Laws Commission, and defining the powers and duties of such commission. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That there is hereby created a commission to be known as the Illinois Pension Laws Commission, to consist of four members, one of whom shall be a representative of one of the public pension funds of this State heretofore created by law, the other three of whom shall be persons not interested in any of the said ension funds and one of whom shall be a person versed in financial affairs, one a person of actuarial experience, and one a person of legal attainments who shall be chairman of the commission, all of whom shali be appointed by the Governor to hold office as members of said commis sion until the convening of the Fifty-first General Assembly, at which time said commission shall go out of existence. § 2. It shall be the duty of said commission to further investigate the operation of all pension laws heretofore enacted in this State; to gather all further available information as to the present and probable future cost of maintaining the funds created by said laws and to collect all further available information in regard to the operation of similar laws in other states and countries. The commission shall report the results of its investigations together with any recommendations it may see fit to make, to the Governor not later than December first, 1918, for transmission to the Fifty-first General Assembly. § 3. The commission shall have power to call upon the Insurance Department and all other departments of this State for such assistance as it may require, and to employ one or more actuaries, a clerk, a stenographer, and such other assistance as it may require. It shall also have power to examine the books of all present public pension funds now existing by law, to compel the production of all books and papers belonging to any of said funds, to administer oaths and to take the testimony of all witnesses necessary for the purposes of this Act. § 4. The expense of said commission, including a reasonable per diem to the members thereof not to exceed ten dollars per day for time actually spent in such investigation, shall be paid out of funds to be appropriated for that purpose upon vouchers drawn upon the Auditor of Public Accounts, properly itemized and certified to by the chairman of the commission and approved by the Governor. APPROVED June 14, 1917. PLATS. PLATS-VACATION. § 1. Amends section 6, Act of 1874. § 6. Vacation of plat-approval (SENATE BILL No. 162. or rejection. APPROVED JUNE 22, 1917.) AN ACT to amend an Act entitled: "An Act to revise the law in relation to plats," approved March 21, 1874, in force July 1, 1874, as subse quently amended, by amending section six (6) thereof. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That an Act entitled: "An Act to revise the law in relation to plats," approved March 21, 1874, in force amended by amending section six (6) thereof; so that the said section July 1, 1874, as subsequently amended, be, and the same is hereby when amended, shall read as follows: at any time before the sale of any lot therein, by a written instrument. § 6. Any such plat may be vacated by the owner of the premises to which a copy of such plat shall be attached, declaring the same to be vacated. Such instrument shall be approved by the city council or village or county board (as the case may be) in like manner as plats of subdivisions. Such council or board may reject any such instrument which abridges or destroys any public rights in any of its streets or alleys. Such instrument shall be executed, acknowledged or proved, and recorded in like manner as plats of subdivisions; and being duly recorded, shall operate to destroy the force and effect of the recording of the plat so vacated, and to divest all public rights in the streets, alleys and public grounds, and all dedications laid out or described in such plat. When lots have been sold, the plat may be vacated in the manner herein provided by all the owners of lots in such plat joining in the execution of such writing. APPROVED June 22, 1917. PRACTICE. SERVICE OF PROCESS-NON-RESIDENTS. § 1. Amends section 13, Act of 1872. 13. Provides that thirty days must intervene. (HOUSE BILL No. 771. APPROVED JUNE 26, 1917.) AN ACT to amend an Act entitled, "An Act to regulate the practice in courts of chancery," approved March 15, 1872, in force July 1, 1872, as subsequently amended, by amending section 13 thereof. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That an Act entitled, "An Act to regulate the practice in courts of chancery," approved March 15, 1872, in force July 1, 1872, as subsequently amended, be and the same is hereby amended by amending section 13 thereof to read as follows: § 13. The notice required in the preceding section may be given at any time after the commencement of the suit, and shall be published at least once in each week for four successive weeks, and no default or proceeding shall be taken against any defendant not served with summons, or a copy of the bill, and not appearing, unless thirty days shall intervene between the first publication, as aforesaid, and the first day of the term at which such default or proceeding is proposed to be taken. APPROVED June 26, 1917. (HOUSE BILL No. 171. APPROVED JUNE 26, 1917.) AN ACT to amend section 28 of an Act entitled, "An Act to provide for the regulation of public utilities," approved June 30, 1913, in force January 1, 1914. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That section 28 of an Act of the General Assembly entitled, "An Act to provide for the regulation of public utilities," approved June 30, 1913, in force January 1, 1914, be and the same is hereby amended so as to read as follows: § 28. No franchise, license, permit or right to own, operate, manage or control any public utility, except common carriers engaged in interstate commerce and except telegraph or telephone companies engaged in interstate commerce, shall be hereafter granted or transferred to any grantee or transferee other than a corporation duly incorporated under the laws of this State. No public utility shall be in any manner exempt from the provisions of this Act because or by virtue of the fact that it may be or may have been incorporated or organized under the laws of another state, or of the United States, or of a foreign country. APPROVED June 26, 1917. RAILROAD CROSSINGS. § 1. Amends section 58, Act of 1913. § 58. Control of by the State Public Utilities Commission. (SENATE BILL No. 408. FILED JUNE 29, 1917.) AN ACT to amend an Act entitled, "An Act to provide for the regulation of public utilities," approved June 30, 1913, in force January 1, 1914, as subsequently amended, by amending section fifty-eight (58) thereof. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: That an Act entitled, "An Act to provide for the regulation of public utilities," approved June 30, 1913, in force January 1, 1914, as subsequently amended, be, and the same is hereby amended by amending section fifty-eight (58) thereof to read as inserted at length herein. § 58. No public road, highway or street shall hereafter be constructed across the track of any railroad company at grade, nor shall the track of any railroad company be constructed across a public road, highway or street at grade, nor shall the track of any railroad company be constructed across the track of any other railroad or street railroad company at grade, nor shall the track of a street railroad company be constructed across the track of a railroad company at grade, without having first secured the permission of the commission: Provided, that this section shall not apply to the replacement of lawfully existing roads, highways and tracks. The commission shall have the right to refuse its permission or to grant it upon such terms and conditions as it may prescribe. The commission shall have power to determine and prescribe the manner, including the particular point of crossing, and the terms of installation, operation, maintenance, use and protection of each such grade crossing. The commission shall also have power, after a hearing, to alter or abolish any grade crossing, heretofore or hereafter established, when in its opinion the public safety requires such alteration or abolition; or to require a separation of grades at such crossing; or to require a separation. of grades at any proposed crossing where a proposed public highway may cross the tracks of any railroad or railroads; and to prescribe, after a |