Chap. 713.
registered voters voting on the same at such election vote in favor thereof.
The petition described in this section shall be termed a referendum petition and section forty-one shall apply to the procedure in respect thereto, except that the words "measure or part thereof protested against" shall for this purpose be understood to replace "measure" in said section wherever it may occur, and "referendum" shall be understood to replace the word "initiative" in said section.
Section 46. The city council may, of its own motion, and shall, upon request of the school committee if a measure originates with that committee and pertains to the affairs under its administration, submit to a vote of the registered voters of the city for adoption or rejection at a general or special city election any proposed measure, or a proposition for the repeal or amendment of any measure, in the same manner and with the same force and effect as are hereby provided for submission on petition.
Section 47. If two or more proposed measures passed at the same election contain conflicting provisions, only the one receiving the greater number of affirmative votes shall take effect.
Section 48. All official bonds, recognizances, obligations, contracts and all other instruments entered into or executed by or to the town of Methuen before the organization of the city government under this act and all taxes, special assessments', fines, penalties, forfeitures incurred or imposed, due or owing to the town, shall be enforced and collected, and all writs, prosecutions, actions and causes of action, except as herein otherwise provided, shall continue without abatement and remain unaffected by this act; and no legal act done by or in favor of the town shall be rendered invalid by the acceptance of this act.
All laws, by-laws, rules and regulations, general or special, relating to the town of Methuen, in force at the time when this act takes full effect, shall, until altered, amended or repealed, continue in full force and effect in the city of Methuen, so far as the same are not inconsistent herewith.
• Section 49. This act shall be submitted for acceptance to the voters of the town of Methuen at the annual town meeting to be held in the year nineteen hundred and sixty-eight in the form of the following question, which shall be placed upon the official ballot to be used for the election of town officers at said meeting: — "Shall the town of Methuen adopt a city form of government consisting of a mayor, a city council of six members elected at large, and a school committee consisting of the mayor and six members elected at large, with all candidates therefor being nominated at preliminary elections?" If a majority of the votes in answer to said question is in the affirmative, this act shall thereupon take full effect, but not otherwise.              Approved October SO, 1967.
Chap. 713. An Act authorizing the city of brockton to appropriate MONEY FOR THE PAYMENT OF AND TO PAY A CERTAIN UNPAID   BILL.
Be it enacted, etc., as follows:
.   Section 1.    The city of Brockton is hereby authorized to appropriate the sum of four hundred and ninety-four dollars for the payment
Acts, 1967.—