Chap. 0014 AN ACT FOR SUPPLYING THE TREASURY WITH THE SUM OF TWELVE THOUSAND POUNDS, FOR DISCHARGING THE PUBLICK DEBTS, &c., AND FOR DRAWING IN THE SAID BILLS INTO THE TREASURY AGAIN, AND FOR STATING THEIR VALUE IN DISCHARGING OF PUBLICK AND PRIVATE DEBTS.
*?e it enacted by the Governour, Council .and House of Representatives,
[Sect. 1.] That there be forthwith imprinted a certain number of bills of credit of this province of the same tenor and form with the bills emitted by this court at their sessions in November, one thousand seven hundred and fort}T-one, and at their sessions in May last, aud to be alwa3's valued and taken in all publick payments as the aforesaid bills of the same form and tenor already extant, are or shall be valued and taken, which in the whole cl^ll amount to the sum of twelve thousand pounds and no more; the said > ills to be signed by such committee as shall be chosen by this court for that purpose; and the said committee are
Appropriations of this emission.
£4,000 for wages of officers, soldiers, and seamen, and the treasurer's disbursements.
£1,100 for repairs, &e., at Castle William.
£4,500 for grants, &e.
£1,600 for debts where there is no establishment.
£800 for the representatives.
Surplusage to lie in the treas-
Warrants to express the appropriations.
hereby directed and impowered to take care and make effectual provision, so soon as may be, to imprint the said bills, and to sign and deliver the same to the treasurer, taking his receipt for the same; and the said committee shall be under oath for the faithful [1] performance of the trust by this act reposed in them. And be it further enacted,
[Sect. 2.] That the treasurer be and hereby is impowered to issue forth and emit the said sum of twelve thousand pounds for the necessary support and defence of the government, and the protection and preservation of the inhabitants thereof; vizct]., the sum of four thousand pounds, part of the aforesaid sum of twelve thousand pounds, shall be applied for the payment of the wages that now are or that hereafter may be due by virtue of the establishment of Castle William, Richmond Fort, George's Truck-house, Saco Truck-house, Brunswick Fort, the block-house above Northlield, the sloop in the country's service, and the province snow, and the treasurer's usual disbursements ; and the sum of eleven hundred pounds, part of the aforesaid sum of twelve thousand pounds, shall be appl[y][?']ed towards the compleating the repairs and works begun and carried on at Castle William, pursuant to such grants as or shall be made by this court; and the sum of four thousand five hundred pounds, part of the aforesaid sum of twelve thousand pounds, shall be applied for the payment of sueh other grants as are or shall be made by this court, and for the payment of stipends, bount[y][;e]s and premiums established by law, and for the payment of all other matters and things which this court have or shall either by law or orders provide for the payment of, out of the publick treasury, and for no other purpose whatsoever: the sum of sixteen hundred pounds, part of the aforesaid sum of twelve thousand pounds, shall be applied for the discharge of other debts owing from this province to persons who have served or shall serve them by order of this court in such matters and things where there is no establishment, nor any certain sum assigned for such service; and for paper, printing and writing for this court, the expences of committees of council, or of the house, or of both houses, entertainment of Indians and presents made them by this court, the surgeon of Castle William, and wooding of said castle; and the sum of eight hundred pounds, the remaining part of the aforesaid sum of twelve thousand pounds, shall be applied for the payment of the members of the house of representatives serving in the general court, during their several sessions this present year and until November next.
And be it enacted,
[Sect. 3.] That if there be a surplusage in any sum appropriated, such surplusage shall l[y][i]e m the treasury for the further order of this court.
And be it further enacted,
[Sect. 4.] That each and ever}7 warrant for drawing money out of the treasury shall direct the treasurer to take the same out of such sums as are respectively appropriated for the payment of sueh publick debts as the draughts are made to discharge ; and the treasurer is hereby directed and ordered to pay such money out of such appropriations as directed to, and no other, upon pain of refunding all sueh sum or sums as he shall otherwise pa}*, and to keep exact and distinct acco[un] [mp]ts of all payments made out of such appropriated sums ; and that the secretary to whom it belongs to keep the muster rolls and accompts of charge, shall lay before the house, when they direct, all such muster rolls and accompts after payment thereof.
And as a fund and security for drawing the said sum of twelve thousand pounds into the treasury again,-
Be it further enacted,
[Sect. 5.] That there be and hereby is granted unto his most excellent rnajesty,for the ends and uses aforesaid, a tax of seven thousand five hundred pounds, to be levied on polls, and estates both real and personal, within this province, according to such rules and in such proportions on the several towns and districts within the same, as shall be agreed upon and ordered by this court at their session in May, one thousand seven hundred and forty-three, and paid into the publiek treasury on or before the last day of December then next after.
And as a further fund and security for drawing the remaining part of the said sum of twelve thousand pounds into the treasury again,-
Be it further enacted,
[Sect. 6.] That there be and hereby is granted unto his most excellent majesty,for the ends and uses aforesaid, a tax of three thousand five hundred pounds, to be levied on polls, and estates both real and personal, within this province, according to such rules and in such proportions on the several towns and districts within the same, as shall be agreed upon and ordered by the great and general court or assembly at their session in May, one thousand seven hundred and forty-four, and paid into the publiek treasury again on or before the last day of December then next after.
And as a fund and security for drawing in such sum or sums as shall be paid out to the representatives of the several towns,-
Be it enacted,
[Sect. 7.] That there be and hereby is granted unto his most excellent majesty,a tax of such sura or sums as shall be paid to the several representatives as aforesaid, to be levied and assessed on the polls and estates of the inhabitants of the several towns, according to what theii respective representatives shall so receive ; which sums shall be set on the said towns in the next province tax. And the assessors of the said towns shall make their assessment for this tax, and apportion the same according to the rule that shall be prescribed by act of the general assembly for assessing the next province tax, and the constables, ir their respective districts, shall pay in the same when they pay in the province tax for the next year, of which the treasurer is hereby directed to keep a distinct and separate account; and if there be any surplus' age, the same shall l[y][i]c in the hands of the treasurer for the further order of this court.
And be it further enacted,
[Sect. 8.] That in case the general court shall not at their respective sessions in May, one thousand seven hundred and forty-three, anc one thousand seven hundred and forty-four, agree and conclude upon ai: act apportioning the several sums which by this act is engaged shall be in each of these several years, apportioned, assessed and levied, thai then and in such case each town and district within this province, sh/il pay (by a tax to be levied on the polls, and estates both real and per sonal, within their districts) the same part and proportion of the saic sums as the said towns and districts shall hare been taxed by the gen eral court in the tax act then next preceding; and the province treas urer is hereby fully impowered and directed some time in the month o June in each of these years, one thousand seven hundred and forty three, and one thousand seven hundred and forty-four, to issue and senc forth his warrants, directed to the selectmen or assessors of each towi and district within this province, in manner as aforementioned in this act, requiring them to assess the polls, and estates both real and per sonal, within their respective towns [or] [and] districts, for theii respective part and proportion of the several sums before directed anc engaged to be assessed by this act; and the assessors, as also person;
assessed, shall observe, be governed by and subject to all such rules and directions as shall have been given in the said next preceding tax act. And be it further enacted,
[Sect. 9.] That the inhabitants of this province shall have libert}T, if they see fit, to pay the several sums for which they respectively ma}T, in pursuance of this act, be assessed, in bills of credit of the form and tenor by this act emitted, or in bills of the middle tenor, according to their several denominations, or in bills of the old tenor, accounting four for one ; or in coined silver, at six shillings and eightpence.per ounce, troy weight, and of sterling alloy, or in gold coin, proportionably ; or in merchantable hemp, flax, winter and Jsle-of-Sable codfish, refined bar-iron, bloomery-iron, hallow iron-ware, Indian corn, r3*e, wheat, barley, pork, beef, duck or canvas, whalebone, cordage, train oyl, beeswax, baberry-wax, tallow, pease, sheepswool, or tann'[e]d sole-leather (the aforesaid commodities being of the produce or manufactures of this province), at sueh moderate rates and prices as the respective general assembl[y][/ff]s of the years one thousand seven hundred and fort}7-three, and one thousand seven hundred and forty-four, shall set them at; the several persons paying their taxes in any of the commodities aforementioned, to run the risque and pay-the charge of transporting the said commodities to the province treasury; but if the aforesaid general assembl[y] [i'e]s shall not, at their respective sessions in May, some time before the twentieth day of June, agree upon and set the aforesaid species or commodities at some certain prices, that then the eldest councello[u]r, for the time being, of each of those county] [;e]s in the province, of which any one of the council is an inhabitant, together with the province treasurer, or the major part of them, be a committee, who hereby are directed and fully authorized and impowered to do it; and in their setting of the prices and rating the value of those commodities, to state so much of them,respectively, at six shillings and eightpence as an ounce of silver will purchase at that time in the town of Boston, and so pro rata. And the treasurer is hereby directed to insert in the several warrants by him sent to the collectors of the taxes in those years,respectively, with the names of the afore-recited commodities, the several prices or rates which shall be set on them, either by the general assembly or the committee aforesaid, and direct the aforesaid collectors to receive them so.
[Sect. 10.] And the aforesaid commodities so brought into the treasury,shall, as soon as conveniently may be, be disposed of by the treasurer to the best advantage for so much as it will fetch in bills of credit hereby to be emitted, or for silver or gold, which silver and gold shall be delivered to the possessor of said bills in exchange for them ; that is to sa}r, one ounce of silver coin, and so gold in proportion, for six shillings and eightpence, and pro rata for a greater or less sum ; and if any loss shall happen by the sale of the aforesaid species, or by any unforeseen accident, such deficiency shall be made good by a tax of the year next following, so as fulty and effectually to call in the whole sum of twelve thousand pounds in said bills hereb}7 ordered to be emitted; and if there be a surplusage it shall remain a stock in the treasury.
And be it further enacted,
[Sect. 11.] That any debt contracted before the thirty-first day of October, one thousand seven hundred and forty-one, which might have been paid and discharged in and by province bills of the old tenor, and also any debt contracted between the said thirty-first day of October and the first day of April.last (where the contracting part[y]pe]s have not expresly otherwise agreed) may be discharged by the bills by this act to be emitted, in proportion as one to four; that is to say, that a
debt of twenty-six shillings and eightpence, dischargeable or contracted as aforesaid, may be discharged by six shillings and eightpence in bills by this act to be emitted, or by one ounce of silver, and so in proportion for a greater or less sum. [Passed January 12 ; publislied January 17, 1742-43. '