Town of Seaford v. Eastern Shore Public Service Co.

24 A.2d 436, 41 Del. 438, 2 Terry 438, 1942 Del. LEXIS 12
CourtSuperior Court of Delaware
DecidedJanuary 5, 1942
DocketNo. 149
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 24 A.2d 436 (Town of Seaford v. Eastern Shore Public Service Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Town of Seaford v. Eastern Shore Public Service Co., 24 A.2d 436, 41 Del. 438, 2 Terry 438, 1942 Del. LEXIS 12 (Del. Ct. App. 1942).

Opinion

Rodney, J.,

delivering the opinion of the Court:

The plaintiff contends that his action in declaring generally on the bonds and reserving the assignment of breaches to the replication is in accordance with established practice. This is not controverted. The plaintiff, however, contends that the action of the defendant in failing to demur to the replication, but on the contrary of filing the rejoinder, is, in effect, a plea of confession and avoidance of the matters set forth in said replication and Bill of Particulars. Without prolonging the discussion, we will briefly state our views.

The condition of the bonds here sued on are in effect of double aspect. Such condition is (a) to prosecute the appeal “with effect” and pay all costs or otherwise abide the decree in appeal if they fail to make their plea good, and (b) to pay the whole amount of such damages as complain[447]*447ant may suffer by reason of the stay of the execution of the decree.

The replication of the plaintiff says the defendant did not prosecute the appeal with effect and pay the damages, and the Bill of Particulars sets out the damages claimed.

In Moffat Tunnell Imp. Dist. v. United States F. & G. Co., 7 W. W. Harr. (37 Del.) 473, 185 A. 186, it was held that the words “with effect” in an appeal bond meant “with success.” The rejoinder filed by the defendant was, in effect, in confession and avoidance of the statement of its failure to prosecute the appeal with effect. The rejoinder admitted that the appeal had not been prosecuted with success. The rejoinder did not admit, but on the other hand expressly denied, any damage to the plaintiff. These items of damage were set up in the Bill of Particulars but, as such, are not self-proving, but must be supported by evidence. No demurrer would lie against the Bill of Particulars, as such, and the existence of legal damage was denied by the rejoinder. The rejoinder did not confess the items of damage set up in the Bill of Particulars. At the trial testimony was offered in support of the Bill of Particulars, and objected to, and motions to strike this testimony from the record have been made.

We think that the state of the pleadings does not estop the defendant from raising questions as to the lack of power of the Town of Seaford to purchase the electric light plant, nor as to the validity of the contract of October 18, 1938.

We shall now briefly consider the question of the power of the Town of Seaford to acquire an electric light plant, leaving the questions of the method of acquisition for later discussion.

There are three statutes which have some claimed materiality :

[448]*4481. Chapter 153, Vol. 29, Laws of Delaware, p. 487, which is the Charter of the Town. Under this act the corporate authorities are authorized “to provide lamps and to light the streets and public places of every description in said town.” Section 19. The plaintiff contends that the above provision, when coupled with authority concerning “the good government and welfare of the Town” and the general police power, authorizes the purchase of an electric plant for public lighting and to provide lights for private users. For this he cites City of Crawfordsville v. Braden, 130 Ind. 149, 28 N. E. 849, 14 L. R. A. 268, 30 Am. St. Rep. 214; Fawcett v. Mt. Airy, 134 N. C. 125, 45 S. E. 1029, 63 L. R. A. 870, 101 Am. St. Rep. 825; Ellinwood v. City of Reedsburg, 91 Wis. 131, 64 N. W. 885; Heilbron v. City of Cuthbert, 96 Ga. 312, 23 S. E. 206; Overall v. City of Madisonville, 125 Ky. 684, 102 S. W. 278,12 L. R. A. (N. S.) 433; Hay v. City of Springfield, 64 Ill. App. 671; Blanchard v. Village of Benton, 109 Ill. App. 569; Keenan & Wade v. City of Trenton, 130 Tenn. 71, 168 S. W. 1053, Ann. Cas. 19165, 519.

The defendant denies that the cited provisions of the Charter give the Town of Seaford the authority contended for. It cites Spaulding v. Inhabitants of Town of Peabody, 153 Mass. 129, 26 N. E. 421, 10 L. R. A. 397; Village of Swanton v. Town of Highgate, 81 Vt. 152, 69 A. 667, 16 L. R. A. (N. S.) 867; Howell v. City of Millville, 60 N. J. L. 95, 36 A. 691; Hyatt v. Williams, 148 Cal. 585, 84 P. 41.

We think it is clearly established in this State that a municipal corporation has no power except that conferred by legislative grant or by fair and necessary implication because of being incident to the powers expressly granted or essential to carrying them out.

We are not content to hold that the Charter of [449]*449the Town of Seaford, Vol. 29, Ch. 153, of and by itself gives the power to purchase the electric light plant here involved, but we think the Charter provision may be considered in connection with other legislation.

2. The second act called to our attention as having material bearing upon the present question is the Act of April 20, 1933, being Chapter 121, Vol. 38, Laws of Delaware, page 484. The title of the act is “An Act Authorizing the Council of the Town of Seaford to Borrow Money and Issue Bonds to Secure the Payment Thereof, for the Purpose of Providing Electric Lights for the Town of Seaford.” We shall pause but slightly to consider this act. The Town did not borrow money and did not issue bonds pursuant to the act, and to that extent the quoted act has no bearing on the present question. We think, however, that the quoted act is a plain legislative recognition of the power of the Town to own and operate an electric light plant for public lighting, and of furnishing light for private use. The act expressly authorized the Town to borrow the money and to expend it “for the purpose of lighting the Town of Seaford and furnishing electric light for private use, either by the establishment of a proper electric light plant, by purchase or otherwise * * Section 1.

The defendant denies that Chapter 121, Vol. 38, has any validity because it contends (a) that the statute is unconstitutional, because it contravenes Art. II, Sec. 16 of the Delaware Constitution, which provides that no bill (Act) shall contain more than one subject, which shall be expressed in its title, and (b) that the statute has been repealed by implication by Section 4 of Chapter 25, Vol. 39, Laws of Delaware, 2d Sp. Sess., hereinafter considered. Under (a) it is contended that the body of the act is much broader than the title, and that the authority of the title for “Providing * * * Lights for the Town of Seaford” can [450]*450not authorize the sale or distribution of electric current to private consumers. Without laboring the question we think the view contended for is of too constricted a nature, and hold the act not unconstitutional for the given reason. We shall briefly consider the objection (b) that the act is repealed by implication. Repeals by implication are not favored. “A former act will not, by implication, be held to have been repealed by a later act unless the two cannot have a concurrent operation or unless the latter so covers the subject matter of the former as to afford conclusive evidence of an intent to supersede it.” State ex rel. Du Pont, Tax Commissioner, v. Bradford, 7 W. W. Harr. (37 Del.) 289, 183 A. 316, 317.

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Bluebook (online)
24 A.2d 436, 41 Del. 438, 2 Terry 438, 1942 Del. LEXIS 12, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/town-of-seaford-v-eastern-shore-public-service-co-delsuperct-1942.