toward the building: Provided, however, this section shall not apply in cities, towns, or villages, not having water works and fire fighting equipment for making use of said vertical standpipe. Sec. 5. Fire escapes on hotels, etc.-Every hotel, rooming house, apartment house or restaurant in this state, occupied by one or more families or tenants, aggregating twenty persons or more, which is more than two stories high and having fifteen or more sleeping rooms on the third floor, or if three stories high or over, shall be equipped with an iron stairway, fire escape or fire escapes on the outside of the building, connecting on each floor above the ground floor and to the cornice of the building, with openings from each floor, which shall be well fastened and secured, with landings not less than six feet in length and three feet in width, guarded by an iron railing not less than thirty inches in height. Such landing shall be connected by íron stairs not less than two feet wide with steps not less than six inches tread and placed at an angle of not more than forty-five degrees. The way of egress to such fire escapes shall, at all times, be kept free and clear of any and all obstructions of any and every nature. At every opening to every fire escape a red light shall be kept burning at night. Fire escapes shall be placed where the state fire commissioner or his deputies may direct. In case there are more than fifteen sleeping rooms on each floor, above the second floor, there shall be provided one such described fire escape for each additional fifteen sleeping rooms on each floor. There shall be posted and maintained. in conspicuous places in each hall and each guest room, except in the hall and rooms on the ground floor of such hotel, plainly written notices reading, "Fire escapes are indicated by red lights." And every hotel, rooming house and apartment house less than four stories high and having less than fifteen sleeping rooms on the third floor, shall have hallways placarded to indicate all stairways and exits, and shall keep a five-eighths inch knotted rope of sufficient length to reach the ground in each outside room, to be fastened six feet above the floor near a window in a substantial manner and capable of sustaining at least five hundred pounds weight: Provided, however, nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the use of any approved automatic rope fire escape, in place of the knotted rope. Sec. 6. New buildings.-Whenever it shall be proposed to Ch. 179) Fire Extinguishers 405 erect a building three stories or more in height, intended for use as a hotel, rooming house or apartment house, in this state, it shall be the duty of the owner, contractor or builder of such hotel, rooming house or apartment house, to construct the same so that one main hall, on each floor above the ground floor, shall run through the outside wall or walls of said building; and every building converted into a hotel, rooming house or apartment house after the passage of this article must comply with the provisions of this article: Provided, however, the provisions of this article relating to outside fire escapes and ropes or automatic appliances shall not apply to hotels having interior fire proof stairways approved as such by the state fire commissioner or his deputy. Sec. 7. Fire extinguishers—provide when.-Each and every hotel, rooming house, apartment house or restaurant, three stories high shall be provided with one fire extinguisher of a style and size approved by the national board of fire underwriters, on each floor containing twenty-five hundred square feet or less of floor area, and one additional fire extinguisher on each floor for each twenty-five hundred feet or less of additional floor area. Such extinguisher or extinguishers shall be placed in a convenient location in a public hallway outside of the sleeping rooms at or near the head of the stairs, and shall always be in a condition for use. Sec. 8. Violations-penalties.-Every person, firm or corporation, who shall fail or refuse to comply with the provisions. of this act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon a conviction, shall be subject to a fine of five dollars for each and every day he shall fail or refuse to comply. If for thirty days. after final conviction, or any such violation, he or they shall fail or refuse to comply with said sections mentioned in such notice, the building and premises involved may be closed for use until all the provisions of the article shall be complied with, upon five days' notice thereof, from the deputy fire commissioner. Sec. 9. County attorney prosecute.-The county attorney of each county in this state is hereby required upon the complaint on oath of the deputy fire commissioner or other person, to prosecute to termination, in the name of the people of the state of Nebraska, a proper action or proceeding against any person or persons violating the provisions of this article. Sec. 10. Repeal.-That said original Sections 3124, 3125, 3126, 3127, 3128, 3613, 3614, and 3615 of the Revised Statutes for 1913, and Chapter 73, Session Laws of 1915 are hereby repealed. Sec. 11. Emergency. Whereas, an emergency exists, this act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval. Approved, April 25, 1917. CHAPTER 180. (Senate File No. 109.) [Introduced by Senator Moriarity and Representatives Shannon and Scudder.] AN ACT relating to false statements regarding financial conditions of persons, firms or corporations and to provide penalties for the violation thereof. Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Nebraska: Section 1. False statements of financial condition-penalty. -Whoever shall knowingly make or cause to be made, either directly or indirectly, or through any agency whatsoever, any false statement in writing, with intent that it shall be relied upon, respecting the financial condition, or means or ability to pay, of himself, or any other person, firm or corporation, in which he is interested, or for whom he is acting, for the purpose of procuring in any form whatsoever, either the delivery of personal property, the payment of cash, the making of a loan or credit, the extension of a credit, or the extension of the time for the payment of a debt of any character, the discount of an account receivable, or the making, acceptance, discount, sale or indorsement of a bill of exchange, or promissory note, for the benefit of either himself or such person, firm or corporation; or whoever, knowing that a false statement in writing has been made, respecting the financial condition or means or ability to pay, of himself, or such person, firm or corporation in which he is interested, or for whom he is acting, procures, upon the faith thereof, for the benefit either of himself, or of such person, Ch. 180, 181) Health Department 407 firm or corporation, either or any of the things of benefit mentioned in this act: whoever, knowing that a statement in writing has been made, respecting the financial condition or means or ability to pay himself or such person, firm or corporation, in which he is interested, or for whom he is acting, represents on a later day, either orally or in writing, that such statement theretofore made if then again made on said day, would then be true, when in fact, said statement if then made would be false, and procures upon the faith thereof, for the benefit either, of himself or of such person, firm or corporation, either or any of the things of benefit mentioned in this act and the party or parties to whom such representations have been made or have come, believe the same to be true and acting thereon part with money or property of any value shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than thirty days, if the money or the value of the property thus parted with is less than thirty-five dollars, or, if such money or the value of such property is thirty-five dollars or upward, by imprisonment in the penitentiary for a term not exceeding five years. Approved, April 20, 1917. CHAPTER 181. (Senate File No. 60.) [Introduced by Senator Mattes, and Representative Hoffmeister.] AN ACT to establish the state department of health, to provide for its powers, duties, officers, assistants and procedure, and to repeal Sections 2710, 2711, 2712, 2713, 2714, 2715, 2716, 2739, 2741, 2742, 2850, 2851, 2852, and 2853, Revised Statutes of 1913, and all acts and parts of acts in conflict herewith. Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Nebraska: Section 1. Health department. The state department of health shall consist of the governor, attorney general, and superintendent of public instruction. The governor shall be ex-officio chairman of said board, and the state superintendent shall be secretary. Sec. 2. Meetings.-Said department shall meet upon the call of the governor as often and at such times as the governor may from time to time designate. Sec. 3. Officers-appointment-salaries, etc.-Within thirty days from the time this act shall take effect the state department of health shall appoint a state health officer who shall hold office for a period of four years, unless sooner removed for cause. Such officer shall receive a salary of three thousand $3,000) dollars per year, and shall be the deputy executive officer of the state department of health. He shall be a graduate of at least five years standing from a well recognized Medical college and registered or eligible to registration in Nebraska. He shall have had experience in public health work and shall receive his appointment from the state department of health. Sec. 4. Advisory board.-There shall be an advisory board to the state department of health, consisting of four members who shall be graduated physicians of at least seven years consecutive practice; who shall be at the time of their appointment actually engaged in practice in the state of Nebraska; one of whom shall be appointed for the term of one year, one for the term of two years, one for the term of three years, one for the term of four years, and thereafter appointments shall be made for four years as these appointments expire unless the appointees are sooner removed for cause. Two of the members of this advisory board shall be physicians of the so-called regular school, one of the so-called eclectic school, and one of the socalled homeopathic school. The governor shall appoint each member of the advisory board and shall fill all vacancies on said board. Sec. 5. Same duty. The advisory board shall, when called upon by the state department of health, give counsel to said state department and meet with said department when so requested. Sec. 6. Power and duty of department of health. The state department of health shall have power and it shall be its duty, to see that all the provisions of this act and all other acts relating to the public health and sanitation of the state are strictly enforced, to summon witnesses and take testimony in the same manner as witnesses are summoned and depositions taken under the code of civil procedure, or to delegate the same to the |