Theodore R. McKeldin                                  361

defined the word "emergency" in such a situation as this to mean
"a sudden, unexpected and unforeseen condition ... of such public
gravity and exigency as to require ..... action" forthwith. Washington
Suburban Sanitary Commission v. Buckley, 197 Md. 203, 210-211;
see also, Funk v. Mullan Contracting Co., 197 Md. 192, 198-199.

The necessity of legislation to legalize such activities at carnivals
in Wicomico County cannot be a matter of recent origin. General
prohibitory laws against gambling are of long standing in this State,
although in recent years a number of exceptions have been made by
local legislation enacted in 90 day sessions. If such activities have
been conducted previously in Wicomico County, they have been with-
out legal authority. The need for funds for volunteer fire departments
is likewise a long-standing situation, recurring annually. No actual
acute emergency can be found to exist because through enforcement
of existing law or otherwise, these companies are required to look for
their support to sources presently sanctioned by law after having
failed over a period of years to seek an exception to the general
gambling laws which would authorize the practices set forth in this
Bill.

Respectfully,

(s) Theodore R. McKeldin^

Governor.
TRMcK/tk

House Bill No. 156—Port Authority

AN ACT to add a new Article to the Annotated Code of Maryland
(1951 Edition), to be numbered 62B, title "Maryland Port Au-
thority", to, follow immediately after Article 62A, creating a body
politic and corporate and an instrumentality of the State of Mary-
land to be known as the "Maryland Port Authority" and defining
its members and its powers and duties; providing for the acquisi-
tion by the Authority of certain existing port facilities of the
Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, for the construction of port
facilities, and for the maintenance, repair and operation thereof;
granting to the Authority power under certain conditions to ac-
quire necessary real and personal property and to exercise the
power of eminent domain; providing for the issuance of special
obligation bonds of the Authority in an aggregate principal amount
not exceeding Fifteen Million Dollars ($15,000,000), payable from
the proceeds of the tax on the net income of certain corporations
under Section 283 (D-2) of Article 81 of the Annotated Code of
Maryland as enacted by this Act, and for the issuance of revenue
bonds of the Authority, payable solely from rentals and other
revenues of the Authority; providing for the application of such tax
on the net income of certain corporations to the payment of such
special obligation bonds and to the cost of maintenance, repair and
operation of such port facilities and to the administrative expenses
of the Authority; authorizing the issuance of revenue refunding
bonds; prescribing the powers and duties of the Authority in con-
nection with the foregoing and the rights and remedies of the
holders of bonds issued under the provisions of said Article 62B;
providing penalties for a violation of the provisions of said Article
62B and of any rule or regulation lawfully adopted or promulgated
by the Authority; to add Section 283 (D-2) to Article 81 of said