SECTION 16. Regulation of solicitation of funds for charitable purposes on public ways

Every person, association or corporation, domestic or foreign, soliciting or collecting by agents or solicitors, upon ways or in any other public places within the commonwealth to which the public have a right of access, contributions of money for charitable purposes or represented to be for such purposes, or receiving any money so collected, shall keep a full and true record of the names and addresses of all such solicitors and collectors and of the amounts so collected by each, and also such a record of all expenditures and disbursements of said money, and the names and addresses of all persons to whom expended or disbursed. Said records shall include money received from any other source and expended for the purposes of such solicitation or collection. All records required hereunder shall be open to inspection at all times by the attorney general, and upon demand shall be presented to him for inspection. Upon an information in equity brought by the attorney general the supreme judicial or superior court may enforce the provisions of this section and may restrain the soliciting of contributions by or on behalf of a person, association or corporation violating its provisions.