the purpose of paying or retiring any bonds theretofore issued by either of said companies or corporations so consolidated, or for any purpose and to the amount authorized by the laws of the state under which either of said companies or corporations so consolidated was organized, and secure the same by a mortgage upon its real or personal property, franchises, rights and privileges, whether within or without this state, and subject to the remedies for the enforcement of the same under the laws of either of said states. Nothing in this act contained shall authorize the execution. of any such mortgage without the consent of the stockholders as now required by the laws of this state, nor compel any bondholder to accept payment in whole or in part of any bond or bonds held by him or to surrender the same before they shall become due. (As amended by chap. 362 of 1891.)

§ 73. Creditors' rights not to be impaired.-The rights of all creditors of, and all liens upon the property of, either of such corporations, parties to such agreement and act, shall be preserved unimpaired, and the respective corporations shall be deemed to continue in existence to preserve the same, and all debts and liabilities incurred by either of such corporations shall thenceforth attach to such new corporation, and be enforced against it and its property to the same extent as if incurred or contracted by it. No actions or proceedings in which either of such corporations is a party shall abate or be discontinued by such agreement and act of consolidation, but may be conducted to final judgment in the names of such corporations, or such new corporation may be, by order of the court, on motion substituted as a party.

8 74. Assessment of property of new corporation. The real estate of such new corporations, situate within this state, shall be assessed and taxed in the several towns and cities where the same shall be situated in like manner as the real estate of other railroad corporations is, or may be taxed and assessed, and such proportion of the capital stock and personal property of such new corporation shall in like manner be assessed and taxed in this state, as the number of miles of its railroad situate in this state bears to the number of miles of its railroad situate in the other state or states.

§ 75. Stock of municipal corporation, how represented.— At any meeting of the stockholders of any railroad corporation to consider any agreement or proposition to consolidate or lease,

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the commissioners or other officers of any municipal corporation holding or having charge of any of the capital stock of such railroad corporation shall represent such municipal corporation, and may act and vote in person or by proxy on all matters relating to such consolidation or lease in the same manner as individual stockholders. (As amended by chap. 546 of 1893, § I.)

§ 76. Foreclosure of mortgages made by (consolidated) railroads partly in the State.-Whenever a railroad corporation of this or of any other state or states whose line of road lies partly in this state and partly in another state or states, shall have executed a mortgage upon its entire line of railroad, and a sale of the entire line of road under such mortgage shall have been or may hereafter be ordered, adjudged and decreed by a court of competent jurisdiction of the state or states, or by a court of the United States sitting within the state or states in which the greater part of such line of railroad may be situated, upon the confirmation of such judgment or decree, and of the sale made thereunder, by the supreme court of this state or by the circuit court of the United States in the judicial district in which some part of such line of road is situated, such sale shall operate to pass title to the purchaser, of that part of the line of railroad lying in this state, together with its appurtenances and franchises, with the same force and effect as if the judgment or decree under which such sale is had, had been made by a court of competent jurisdiction of this state. Such judgment or decree and sale may be so ordered, adjudged, decreed or confirmed in any action or proceeding heretofore or hereafter brought in the supreme court, or in a court of the United States sitting in this state, for the foreclosure of such mortgage, or in aid of an action for that purpose in such other state or states, if it shall appear that such confirmation is for the interest of the public and of the parties, due and lawful provision being made for and in respect of any

liens upon that part of the line of road or other property sold situate in this state, and for such costs, expenses, and charges which may appear to be just and lawful. If a receiver of the entire line of such railroad shall have been, or may hereafter be appointed by such court of competent jurisdiction of the state in which the greater part of the line of railroad is situated, or by a court of the United States sitting in such other state, such receiver may perform, within this state, the duties of his office not inconsistent with the laws of this state, and may sue and be

sued in the courts of this state. (As amended by chap. 356 of 1896, § 1.)

§ 77 Powers of corporations organized to acquire and operate railroads partly in the state.-A railroad corporation created under the laws of the state or states in which the greater part of the line of its railroad may be situated, as a railroad corporation created under the railroad law, or under article one of the stock corporation law in this state, for the purpose of taking title to, and operating, the line of road as so sold, under a judgment or decree of a court of this state, or of a court of the United States sitting in this state, for the foreclosure of a mortgage, with its franchises and appurtenances, may hold, possess and operate not only those parts of the railroad lying in other states, but also that part of the line of such railroad lying in this state, and shall be subject to the duties and liabilities to which such corporation was, by the laws of this state, subject, and to such further or other duties and liabilities as are now or may hereafter be imposed by law upon railroad corporations of this state, and the provisions of the stock corporation law concerning reorganization of corporations shall apply to, and in respect of, every such successor railroad corporation. An exemplified copy of the certificate or certificates of incorporation under and by virtue of which any such corporation is created in any other state, and a certified copy of the judgment or decree of any court sitting in any other state, under which said railroad. shall have been sold, and a certified copy of the order or judgment or decree of confirmation and approval required by the preceding section, or of the order, judgment or decree of the court of this state, or of the United States in this state, which decreed the sale, confirming the same, shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state for this state, and in the office of the county clerk of the county where its principal business office in this state is or shall be located. (As amended by chap. 454 of 1895, § 1, and chap. 356 of 1896, § 2.)

78. Lease of road.-Any railroad corporation or any corporation owning or operating any railroad or railroad route within. this state, may contract with any other such corporation for the use of their respective roads or routes, or any part thereof, and thereafter use the same in such manner and for such time as may be prescribed in such contract. Such contract may provide for the exchange or guaranty of the stock and bonds of either of

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such corporations by the other and shall be executed by the contracting corporations under the corporate seal of each corporation, and if such contract shall be a lease of any such road and for a longer period than one year, such contract shall not be binding or valid unless approved by the votes of the stockholders owning at least two-thirds of the stock of each corporation which is represented and voted upon in person or by proxy at a meeting, called separately for that purpose upon a notice stating the time, place and object of the meeting, served at least thirty days previously upon each stockholder personally, or mailed to him at his post-office address, and also published at least once a week, for four weeks successively, in some newspaper printed in the city, town or county where such corporation has its principal office, and there shall be indorsed upon the contract the certificate of the secretaries of the respective corporations under the seals thereof, to the effect that the same has been approved by such vote of the stockholders, and the contract shall be executed in duplicate and filed in the offices where the certificates of incorporation of the contracting corporations are filed. The road of a corporation cannot be used under any such contract in a manner inconsistent with the provisions of law applicable to its use by the corporation owning the same at the time of the execution of the contract. Such contract shall be executed by the corporations, parties thereto, and proved and acknowledged in such manner as to entitle the same to be recorded in the office of the clerk or register of each county through or into which the road so to be used shall run. Nothing in this section shall apply to any lease in existence prior to May 1, 1891. (As amended by chap. 676 of 1892 and chap. 433 of 1893, § 2.)

$79. Lessees of railroad may acquire stock therein.-Any railroad corporation created by the laws of this state, or its successors, being the lessee of the road of any other railroad corporation, may take a surrender or transfer of the capital stock of the stockholders, or any of them in the corporation whose road is held under lease, and issue in exchange therefor the like additional amount of its own capital stock at par, or on such other terms and conditions as may be agreed upon between the two corporations; and whenever the greater part of the capital stock of any such corporation shall have been so surrendered or transferred, the directors of the corporation taking such surrender or transfer shall thereafter, on a resolution electing so to do, to be

entered on their minutes, become ex-officio the directors of the corporation whose road is so held under lease, and shall manage and conduct the affairs thereof, as provided by law; and whenever the whole of such capital stock shall have been so surrendered or transferred, and a certificate thereof filed in the office of the secretary of state, under the common seal of the corporation to whom such surrender or transfer shall have been made, the estate, property, rights, privileges and franchises of the corporation whose stock shall have been so surrendered or transferred, shall thereupon vest in and be held and enjoyed by the corporation, to whom such surrender or transfer shall have been made, as fully and entirely, and without change or diminution, as the same were before held and enjoyed, and be managed and controlled by the board of directors of the corporation, to whom such surrender or transfer of such stock shall have been made, and in the corporate name of such corporation. Where stock shall have been so surrendered or transferred, the existing liabil ities of the corporation, and the rights of the creditors and of any stockholder not surrendering or transferring his stock, shall not be affected thereby.

§ 80. Consolidation and lease of parallel lines prohibited.No railroad corporation or corporations owning or operating railroads whose roads run on parallel or competing lines, except street surface railroad corporations, shall merge or consolidate, or enter into any contract for the use of their respective roads, or lease the same, the one to the other, unless the board of railroad commissioners of the state or a majority of such board shall consent thereto. (As amended by chap. 676 of 1892.)

§ 81. Mortgagee may purchase at foreclosure sale.-Any mortgagee of the property and franchises of any railroad corporation may become the purchaser of the same at any sale thereof under the mortgage, upon foreclosure by advertisement, or under a judgment, or decree, or otherwise, and hold and use the same, with all the rights and privileges belonging thereto or connected therewith for the period of six months, and convey the same to any railroad corporation.

§ 82. Certificates of stock, may be issued after foreclosure in certain cases. If any person or corporation shall be entitled to certificates of stock subscribed to and paid for in any railroad corporation whose property and franchises have been sold under mortgage foreclosure, and such certificates have not been issued