construction inconsistent with the manifest intent of the legislature, or repugnant to the context of the same statute:

1. Words and phrases not especially defined shall be construed according to the common and approved usage of the language, but technical or other words and phrases which have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning in the law, shall be given such meaning; and clerical and typographical errors shall be disregarded when the intent is clear.

2. Words importing the singular number may extend and be applied to several persons or things; words importing the plural may include the singular, and words importing the masculine gender, may be applied to females.

3. Words purporting to give a joint authority to three or more public officers or other persons shall be construed as conferring such authority upon a majority of them, unless it shall be otherwise expressly declared in the law giving the same.-R. L. 1905, § 5513.

§ 559. Particular words and phrases.-The following words and phrases, used in the Revised Laws or in future legislative acts, shall have the meaning herein given, unless another intention clearly appears:

4. Folio. The word "folio" shall mean 100 words, counting as a word each figure necessarily used. If there be fewer than 100 words in all, the paper shall be computed as one folio; likewise any excess over the last full folio.

5. Highway.-The word "highway" shall include roads laid out by the state or United States authority, or by any town or county, and all bridges thereon.

6. Holidays.-The word "holiday" shall include New Year's Day, January 1st; Lincoln's Birthday, February 12th; Washington's Birthday, February 22nd; Memorial Day, May 30th; Independence Day, July 4th; Labor Day, the first Monday in September; Election Day, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of the even numbered years; and Christmas Day, December 25th; and the Friday next preceding Easter Sunday and commonly known as Good Friday. No public business shall be transacted on these days, except in cases of necessity, nor shall any civil process be served thereon.

11. Person.-The word "person" may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations.

12. Population.-The word "population" and the word "inhabitants," when used in reference to population, shall mean that shown by the last preceding census, state or United States, unless otherwise expressly provided.

13. Preceding-Following.-The word "preceding" or "following," when used with reference to any section of the Revised Laws, shall mean the section last preceding or next following, unless some other section is expressly designated in such reference.

14. Published and Posted Notice.-The words "published notice," when used in reference to the giving of notice, or the serving of a summons, order or process in judicial proceedings, shall mean the publication in full of the notice or other paper referred to in the regular issues of a qualified newspaper, once in each week and at uniform intervals, for the number of weeks specified. The term "posted notice," when similarly used, shall mean the posting, at the beginning of the prescribed period of notice, of a copy of the document referred to, in a manner likely to attract attention, in each

of the three of the most public places within the district to which the subject matter of such notice relates. And a "qualified newspaper" shall be one published in the county wherein the notice of service is required to be given or made, or, if there be none, then in an adjoining county, and conforming to the requirements of the following section.

15. Recorded-Filed for Record.-When an instrument in writing is required or permitted to be filed for record with, or recorded by, any officer, the same imports that it must be recorded by such officer in a suitable book kept for that purpose, unless otherwise expressly directed.

16. Seal.-When the seal of a court, public office, or corporation, is required by law, to be affixed to any paper, the word "seal" shall include an impression thereof upon the paper alone, as well as an impression on a wafer, wax, or other substance thereto attached. 18. Sheriff.-The word "sheriff" may be extended to any person performing the duties of a sheriff, either generally or in special

cases.

19. Time-Month-Year-A. D.-The words "month" and "year" shall mean a calendar month or year, unless otherwise expressed; and the word "year" shall be equivalent to the expression "year of our Lord."

21. Time-How Computed. In computing the time within which an act is required or permitted to be done, the first day shall be excluded and the last included, unless the last shall fall on Sunday or on a holiday, in which case the prescribed time shall be extended so as to include the first business day thereafter.

22. Town. The word "town" may include cities, villages, and districts, unless such construction would be repugnant to the provisions of any act especially relating thereto.

24. Writing.-The words "written" and "in writing" may inIclude any mode of representing words and letters, except that signatures when required by law, must be in the handwriting of the person, or, if he be unable to write, his mark, or his name written by some person at his request and in his presence.R. L. 1905, § 5514, as amended G. L. 1907, Chap. 254.

CHAPTER VIII.-WATER AND LIGHT PLANTS

TELEPHONES-STREET RAILWAYS.

§ 560. Water and light piants.-Any village, whether governed by this chapter or otherwise, may erect waterworks, (AND) lighting plants and heating plants, for supplying water (AND) light and heat for public purposes, or for the private use of its inhabitants, or both, and may conduct and control the same, and fix and collect proper and uniform charges for such private supply, or it may purchase or lease any such works or plant already erected, and operate the same for the purposes aforesaid. But no such erection, purchase, or lease shall be made without approval by the voters of the village, such as is required by law for the issuing of village bonds for like objects. The proposal so to do, and a proposal to issue bonds to raise money therefor, may be submitted either separately, or as a single question.-R. L. 1905, § 744, as amended by G. L. 1913, Chap. 486.

I.—WATER, LIGHT, POWER AND BUILDING COMMISSION.

§ 561. Board-How created. There may be created in every city and village in the state of Minnesota having a population of less than ten thousand inhabitants, a water, light, power and building commission, with powers and duties as hereinafter provided.— G. L. 1907, Chap. 412, § 1.

§ 562. Population-How determined.-In determining the population of any such municipality, the last census taken therein and by authority of the state of Minnesota shall be conclusive as to the population thereof, for the purpose of this act.-G. L. 1907, Chap. 412, § 2.

§ 563. Appointment-Term.-Said commission shall consist of three members and shall be appointed by the common council of said city or village, as the case may be, and when first created one shall be appointed for the term of one year, one for the term of two years, and one for the term of three years, and all said commissioners shall hold their office until their successors are appointed and qualified by subscribing to an oath that he will faithfully and impartially perform the duties of his office.-G. L. 1907, Chap. 412, § 3. $ 564. President--How appointed. There shall be appointed each year thereafter by the said council one member of the said commission whose term of office shall be for three years, and each member of said commission shall be president of said commission during the last year of the term for which he is appointed.-G. L. 1907, Chap. 412, § 4. § 565. Secretary-Records.-The said water, light, power and building commission shall have the power and authority and it is hereby given the power and authority to appoint and employ a secretary of said commission, who shall qualify as hereinafter stated, and upon such qualification shall be the secretary of said water, light, power and building commission, provided, that in cities organized under the provision of chapter 8 General Laws 1895, the city clerk shall be, the secretary of said commission. Such secretary shall keep an accurate record, in books kept by him for that purpose, of all the proceedings and business transactions of said commission and he is also empowered. and it is hereby made his duty to collect water, light and rent charges from patrons for the said city

or village as the case may be, and at once pay the same into the treasury of said municipality, and he shall make a detailed statement of the same at the regular monthly meeting of said commission, which shall be held on the first Tuesday of each month. He shall be furnished by said municipality with all the necessary books and stationery to properly perform all the duties of his office and he shall be required to furnish a corporate bond running to such municipality, in such amount to be fixed by said commission, that he will faithfully perform all the duties of his office as is required of him by law and promptly pay over to the treasurer of said city or village, as the case may be, all moneys and deliver up all property to the council of said city or village, belonging to said municipality, that he may have in his possession. Said bond shall be approved by the said commission and filed with the city or village treasurer, as the case may be. The compensation of said secretary for his said services shall be fixed by the said commission in a sum not to exceed seventy-five dollars ($75.00) per month, the same to be when so fixed full compensation for services performed as secretary of said commission, which compensation shall be paid out of the treasury of said municipality. Said commission shall be authorized and fully empowered, and it is hereby authorized and fully empowered to revoke its said appointment and discharge its said secretary any time it may see fit and whenever it does so revoke such appointment and discharge its secretary it shall have and is hereby given the power and authority to reappoint and employ such other secretary as it may desire or determine.-G. L. 1907, Chap. 412, § 5, as amended by G. L. 1911, Chap. 239, § 1.

§ 566. Powers and duties.-Said commission shall have full, absolute and exclusive control of and power over the water, light, and power plant or plants, and all parts, attachments and appurtenances hereto, and all apparatus and material of every kind and description used or to be used in operating said plants, or any or either of them in all said municipalities aforesaid, including all other public buildings and halls owned by said municipality. They shall have the power and authority to operate the same and each thereof, and to extend, add to, change or modify the same, and to do any and all things in and about the same which they may deem necessary for a proper and economical operation of the same; provided, they shall not have the right to sell, lease, rent or in any way dispose of or incumber, or suffer, or permit, the said property or any part thereof, to come under the control of any other person or corporation whatever; provided, however, this shall not prevent the said commission from renting or leasing public halls or buildings for public use and entertainments. They shall have authority to buy all material, and employ all help necessary, or they may contract to extend, add too,change or modify said plants, buildings and halls, or any part thereof; they shall also have authority to buy all fuel and supplies, and employ all help necessary to operate said plants.-G. L. 1907, Chap. 412, § 6.

§ 567. Rates-How established.-Said commission shall fix all water and lighting rates to patrons, and rents for public halls and buildings as herein before provided; provided, however, that the provisions of this act shall not impair the obligations of existing contracts; said commission shall audit all claims and the said secretary of said commission shall draw his warrant upon the treasurer of said city or village for the amount allowed by said commission, and said warrant shall be countersigned by the president of the said

commission. Said commission shall publish in the official newspaper in said municipality at the end of each three months, all proceedings of said commission, together with a detailed statement of all the revenue received by said commission during the three preceding months. This act shall apply to all cases where the plant or plants or buildings are wholly or in part within, or wholly or in part without, the corporate limits of said municipality.-G. L. 1907, Chap. 412, § 7, as amended by G. L. 1911, Chap. 239, § 2.

§ 568.

Resolution of common council.-Any city or village in the class mentioned in the title in this act which may wish to avail itself of the provisions of this act shall do so by resolution of its common council, expressly accepting the provisions hereof, which resolution shall be adopted by a vote of a majority of all the members of said council, and be approved by the mayor of such city or the president of such village council, and this act shall not apply to any sub-city or village until the adoption as aforesaid of such resolution.-G. L. 1907, Chap. 412, § 8.

§ 569. Exceptions.-This act shall not include, or apply to cities now or hereafter governed under a charter adopted under and pursuant to section 36, article 4 of the constitution of this state, and the several acts of the legislature authorizing cities to adopt their own charter.-G. L. 1907, Chap. 412, § 9.

§ 570. Five mill tax authorized for paying cost of operating water and lighting plant. That the village council or governing body of any incorporated village in this state, whose water and light plant is operated and controlled by a water, light and building commission, is hereby authorized, annually, at the time of levying the general corporation taxes, to levy a special tax not exceeding five mills on each dollar of the taxable property in such village, for the purpose of paying the cost of operating the village water and light plant in supplying such village with the necessary water for fire protection and street sprinkling and the necessary electric current or other means of light, for lighting the streets and public parks in such village.-G. L. 1913, Chap. 214, § 1.

§ 571. How collected and to be known as water and light fund. -Such tax shall be known as "the village water and light tax” and shall be levied and collected in the same manner as the general corporation taxes, anything in the charter of such village or in any law of this state, which may prohibit the levying of any tax in excess of any specific percentage of the taxable property in such village, to the contrary notwithstanding. When collected, such tax shall be paid into the water and light fund of such village.-G. L. 1913, Chap. 214, § 2. § 572. Commission to give council cost of operating plant.— Before making such special tax levy, the water, light and building commission of such village each year, shall at the request of the village council on or before the following first day of August, make and file with the village recorder, (clerk) a statement containing an estimate of the probable cost of supplying such village with the necessary water and light for the ensuing year.-G. L. 1913, Chap. 214, § 3.

§ 573. City and village water works-Authorized to extend water pipes over, under and along roads, streets, etc.-Limitations. Any city or village in the state of Minnesota now or hereafter owning and operating water works is hereby authorized to extend its water works and water pipes over, under and along any road, street, alley or public highway in this state, whether within