Amador weekly ledger., 1858-01-23
WEEKLY LEDGER.
c,.cnlar to Road overseers.


r,. Roard of Supervisors Of Amador
M ,r nave issued the following important
liar TO Road Overseers in the several
r..ic,s We are glad to see this, and are
Os .;.ssd that the Board will be able to work
,ncb needed reform in the management of
t,e collection and disbursement of Road Tax.
N d;spostion thus manifested, on their part,
Ill be appreciated and approved by those
ho have the tax to pay. 1t is to be hoped
,..t Overseersw i'll cordially cooperate with
the Board:
ns,. SR:-The Board Of Supervisors be-
,.;linr % that the cost of working the roads
s,1" n1 colIecting the road tax in past years has
s"oD "o entirely too great for the amount of
DsS U'ort done. propose, for the coming year to
'nrtoil said expenses materially, and hereby
W. your hearty cooperation. 4, sss
''I We would first respectfully direct yonr at
..otion to the act concerning Roads and
Hsbways,n approved April 2s, 1855 See
raSs @ 1872. l94 Statues 1855; and ask that
Pasr PaS actions as Road Overseer, be as near in
,Oeordance with said law as circumstances
will permit. .fs.,W .ggn lsgsf
we would further instruct you as follows:
,st To do the main portion of working the
roads and collecting the tax, in the spring
months while the ground is in good condition
for digging
ID When vou are ready for working, serve
written or printed notices three days before
hand on a sufficient number of tax payers to
ensnre a turn out of all the hands you are
able to superintend 1t evidently was not
tbe intention Of the lawmakers that the over
seers should perform the main portion of the
labor on roads themselves But that they
should oversee the tax payers who labor at
two dollars per day, while the oyerseer gen
erany gets four. Hence the practice of some
oyerseers heretofore, of calling out few
hands at a time, work with them themselves
and make long job of ii, should be discon-
tinued.
Sd. All persons notified according to law,
and not attending on the day specified, are
delinquents and their tax can be collected in
money. t3A
An overseer is not aecessarily compelled to
run after tax payer more than twice The
road tax is such trifc, and the benefits of
having the roads worked properly SO appa-
rent, that but few tax payers--if properly
approached and convinced that the money
will be faithfully expended-wil refuse to
bear their portion Of the burden; and in re-
gard to those that do refuse, the law is plain
and stringent Yet where the overseer has
doubts of being able to make the tax and
costs out of delinquent, he had better not
expcnd time in trying, but return his name
as delinquent in reality
We would further call your attention to an
order passed at our last meeting, copy of
which the Clerk will transmit to yon
The Board are of the opinion that each
road district should work.its own roads, and
that all taxes collected within its limits
should be expended for the benefit of said
district. Also that any excess of expendi-
tmes in district is only good as against said
district, and not lawful demand against the
general county fund. If however, after the
taxes for the year are properly expended any
farther improvements are actually re,y ncces-
sary; petition to the Board Tor an approprl-
alton will receive the consideration its merits
or necessity demands
Trusting that You will receive our sugges-
tions in proper spirit, and will aid us to
on the present cost of working
roads and collecting taxes, and that our mu-
tua aim will be to tighten the burden and
advance the interest Of the people of ANA
dor county We subscribe ourselves, with
respect yours, &c. o. +. MoBRIDE.
fNWih1 f. g. HOARD
ae ~ r. III. LoEHR.