and the cost of the same. Said report shall be filed with the city clerk. All § 143. Common council to audit accounts. charges and accounts against said city for services rendered, acts done or meals, provisions or supplies furnished under the direction of the commissioner of charities of said city under the provisions of this act, or otherwise, shall be made out in items, duly verified, by the persons entitled to the payment therefor, and presented to the common council at the first regular meeting of said council in each month, for all claims and demands incurred or which may have accrued during the preceding month. All such claims, accounts and charges shall, if approved, be audited by the common council and paid from the poor fund of said city by the chamberlain upon the warrant of the mayor, countersigned by the clerk. § 144. Commissioner not to be interested in purchases. The commissioner of charities shall not, directly or indirectly, furnish to any person, any groceries, provisions, fuel, medicines or property belonging to himself, or in which he shall have an interest or be interested, nor shall he receive any commission upon or for any goods or articles or relief furnished, or on any orders given by him for any such goods or articles of relief furnished, or on any orders given by him for any such goods, articles or relief. For any violation of any provision of this section, said commissioner shall be removed from office by the common council and he shall forfeit to said city a penalty of one hundred dollars for every such violation. Dunkirk, Chautauqua County. (Note.- Board of police and fire commissioners performs usual duties of overseers of the poor.) § 166. Poor department. The board of police and fire commissioners shall constitute the poor department of the city and town of Dunkirk, and shall possess the same powers and authorities vested in overseers of the poor. Elmira, Chemung County. (Note.-Commissioners of public relief appointed by the mayor and common council for a term of two years, without compensation.) Chapter 477, Laws of 1906. ARTICLE XIII. Department of Public Relief. Section 200. Commissioners of public relief, appointment of and terms of office. of. 201. Overseer of the poor, appointment, powers tures. 203. Persons disposing of articles, guilty of a misde meanor. 204. City not liable on account of this act when not otherwise liable. Section 200. There shall be a commission of public relief.- Within thirty days after this act takes effect, the mayor shall nominate and, by and with the consent of the common council, appoint two commissioners of public relief, one of whom shall hold office for the year nineteen hundred and six and until his successor is appointed and qualifies, and the other of whom shall hold office for the years nineteen hundred and six and nineteen hundred and seven and until his successor is appointed and qualifies. After December thirty-first, nineteen hundred and six, the term of office of a commissioner shall be two years. The mayor and the two commissioners shall constitute the commission. The commissioners shall serve without pay. In the month of January in each year, the mayor shall nominate to the common council one candidate for commissioner of public relief. § 201. The commissioners of public relief shall appoint, to hold office during its pleasure, an overseer of the poor, who shall be the executive of said commission, and who shall possess, subject to the general supervision of the commission of public relief, all the powers and authority of overseers of the poor in the several towns of Chemung county, and be subject to the same duties, obligations and liabilities. He shall give a bond to the city in such penalty, in such form, and with such sureties as the commission may prescribe, for the faithful discharge of his duties. The overseer in office when this act takes effect shall serve out the term for which he was appointed. He shall receive such salary or compensation as may be fixed by the common council. § 202. The commission of public relief shall have the general care, management, administration and supervision of the charities the control or government of which belongs or is intrusted to the city; it shall make regulations for the expenditures of public money for the relief of the poor, and have the general supervision of such expenditures, and shall certify such accounts to the city supervisors for audit, as herein before provided. It may investigate local economic conditions that affect the standard of living, and particularly the relations of employer and employed; and it shall be its duty to endeavor so to influence such conditions as to prevent, so far as possible, the increase of poverty. § 203. The city shall continue to be the owner of all articles or supplies furnished to any poor person or applicant until the same are consumed. If any person to whom the same shall be furnished shall sell or exchange the same for money, or intoxicating liquor, or in any way dispose of the same other than in the manner directed, such conduct shall be deemed a misdemeanor. § 204. Nothing contained in this act shall be deemed to make the city liable for the support or relief of any poor person when it is not otherwise so liable. (Note. Fulton, Oswego County. Commissioner of charities appointed by the mayor for a term of two years at a salary fixed by the board of aldermen.) Chapter 63, Laws of 1902. TITLE X. Department of Charities. Section 180. Appointment of commissioner. 181. Powers and duties of commissioner of charities. 182. Monthly report of commissioner. 183. Common council to audit accounts. 184. Commissioner not to be interested in purchases. 185. Penalties. 186. Liquor not to be sold to city poor. Section 180. Appointment of commissioner. On or before the first day of May succeeding the first election under this act, the mayor shall appoint a commissioner of charities, who shall hold his office until the first day of January, nineteen hundred and four. Thereafter, the incoming mayor shall, on, or ten days prior to, the first day of January of each even numbered year, appoint his successor for the term of two years. § 181. Powers and duties of commissioner of charities. Except as provided by this act, the commissioner of charities of the city of Fulton shall, within the city of Fulton, have and exercise the same powers and discharge the same duties to the exclusion of any other officer, as overseers of the poor in towns. The commissioner of charities of the city of Fulton shall also, by virtue of his office, possess all the powers and authority of overseers of the poor of the several towns of the state in relation to the support and relief of indigent persons, the binding out of children, the care of habitual drunkards, the support of bastards and proceedings to charge the fathers and mothers of such bastards, and shall have all such other powers as are conferred on overseers of the poor in the respective towns of the state, and shall be subject to the same duties, obligations and liabilities. It shall be the duty of the commissioner to visit the poor of said city at their several places of abode, and examine into their cir cumstances, and ascertain to what extent they are, or may be, in need and entitled to permanent or temporary relief or medical attendance. No physician other than the city physician shall be employed by the commissioner of charities to attend the poor of said city, unless otherwise authorized or directed by the common council. The commissioner of charities shall have power to administer oaths to, and examine under oath, any person applying to him for relief; and false swearing during such examination shall be deemed wilful perjury. The commissioner shall issue written orders for all meals, provisions and supplies furnished to the poor of said city. The com § 182. Monthly report of commissioner. missioner of charities, at the first regular meeting of the common council in each month, shall under oath report in detail to the common council all expenditures, temporary relief, medical attendance, and allowance made by him as such commissioner during the month preceding, which report shall specify the name and place of abode of each person relieved, the quantity and price per pound, or otherwise as the case may be, of each article furnished or ordered, and from whom obtained; said report shall also contain the names and places of abode of all persons to whom meals or lodgings have been furnished, the number of such meals and lodgings, from whom obtained, or by whom furnished, and the cost of the same. Said report shall be filed with the city clerk. § 183. Common council to audit accounts. All charges and accounts against said city for services rendered, acts done, or meals, provisions or supplies furnished, under the direction of the commissioner of charities of said city, or for medicines furnished by order of the city physician, shall be made out in items, duly verified, by the persons entitled to the payment therefor, and presented to the common council at the first regular meeting of said council in each month, for all claims and demands incurred or which may have accrued during the preceding |