Chap. 237.—An ACT to amend the Charter of the Town of Chatham,
in Pittsylvania County.

Approved April 24, 1874.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly, That tho town:
of Chatham, in the county of Pittsylvania, as the same has!
heretofore been or may hereafter be lgid off into lots, streets :
and alleys, shall be and the same is hereby made a town cor-
porate by the name of the town of Chatham, and by that
mame shall have and exercise the powers conferred upon .
towns by the fifty-fourth chapter of the Code of Virginia’
Cedition of eighteen hundred and seventy-three), and be sub-
ject to all the provisions of said Code, and to all laws now
in force or which may hereafter be enacted in reference to
the government of towns of less than five thousand inhabi-
tants, so far as the same are not inconsistent with the pro-
wisions of this act. But no citizen of. said corporation shall :
be required to work on the public roads, nor be required to !
pay any road tax in Chatham township: provided, said cor- |
poration shall keep its streets and roads in repair within its |
corporate limits.

2. The boundaries of the town shall be three-fourths of a:

mile from the courthouse building in said town, extending '
north, south, east and west, and embracing the area containe
therein so as to make said area one and one-half miles square:
3. There shall be a mayor and six councilmen for said town, :
who shall compose its board of council, who shall be elected |
annually on and after the fourth Thursday in May, eighteen :
hundred and seventy-five, in the manner now prescribed’ by
jaw: provided, that neither the mayor nor members of the :
board of council shall be entitled to a salary or other com-!
pensation for their services.
4. The following persons, electors of said town, shall com- '
pose its first board of council, until the annual election on
- the fourth Thursday in May, eighteen hundred and seventy-
five, or until their successors are elected and qualified accord-
ing to law, viz: Tarpley White, J. H. Hargrove, William E.
Sims, E. T. Jones, William M. Tredway, Jr., Julius Saunders
and Carter Collie; and the said board shall, as soon as or-
anized and qualified according to law, have power to select.
om their body .a presiding officer, who shall be mayor of the
town, and may appoint a tcwn collector and police force, for '
the proper government of the town; and may, likewise, fill;
any vacancies in said board occasioned by the refusal or failure
of any person appointed to qualify. }
5. The authorities of the town shall, with the consent of.
the county court, entered of record, have the right to use
the jail of said county of Pittsylvania, for any purposes for
which the use of a jail may be needed by them, under the
ordinances of the town or laws of the state; ‘and in addition
to the powers conferred by chapter one hundred and ninety-
six of the Code, (edition of eighteen hundred and seventy-
s; : three,) for the organization of chain gangs, the judge of the
mty county court of Pittsylvania may arrange with the said coun-
here- Cll of Chatham to take charge of, and keep and work, in the
corporation chain-gang, such persons as the judge of said
county court would have authority to require to work in
. chain-gangs by the laws now in force.
6. All acts and parts of acts inconsistent with this act, are
hereby repealed.
nent 7. This act shall be in force from its passage.