The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1874-06-05
OUR ROADS.
No. ".

To the Honorable County Commissioners Of Ln-
ford county.
1t is a remarkable fact that while the law
cOnpelS every taxpayer to contribute certain
PROPORTION for the making and repair of the
county roads, there is no compulsory law
by which any citizen of the county is required to
cXpend the same, or TO do single days work
upon the roads. The office of apprenticeship,
so-called, is entirely voluntary on the part of
the officer. If the district superintendent ten.
ders money enough to certain citizen to in
duce him to repair or pretend to repair road,
he accepts the offer If the amount is regarded
as insufficient for the labor required the offer of
course is rejected and the money eXtorted from
the people under the pretense of improving their
roads, is allowed to remain in the pockets of the
district superintendent, or in the county treasu
ry, year after year, while the roads, particularly
the one leading from the Trappe to Darlington,
are permitted to go to utter destruction. The
Superintendent and the County Commissioners
arc utterly powerless in the premises. Until the
County Commissioners are placed in position
to exercise mandatory powers in having the pub
lie roads kept in proper repair all their efforts
toward the accomplishment of this end must
necessarily prove futile. 1t appears to your cor
respondent that our only hope for deliyerance
from the evils we suffer is, as previously sug-
gested, through the adoption of the contract sys-
TEN.
Announce by public advertisement that GER
tain roads will be let out for period Of say five
years, to the lowest bidder; the contractor Civ
ing security for the faithful performance of the
duty. This duty not to consist in working the
reads once or twice year, but he shall keep
them in good order all the time. competent
inspector should be appointed in different Sec
tions of the county to see that the work is done
as per contract, and to report the same to the
Commissioners.
Should this course be adopted, the Commits
sioners will have control of the roads, and can
compel the contractor to fulfil his obligation,
just as they now compel taxpayers TO contribute
their money for road purposes. The authority
in the one case should be co-equal with the
other.
1t is not to be expected now that any change
will be made in the road system before the next
general election for county Offices; but in the
meantime the subject should be seriously con-
sidcred by all interested, and some plan maturcd
to do away, as much rs may be, with the evils
that are now complained of. But even now the
supervisors, under the present law, might with
the same amount of money give more satistac.
tion to travellers than they do. If, instead Of eX
pending all the money appropriated at one time,
as they usually do, the supervisor would do less
work at the beginning of the year, and reserve
a sum sufficient to enable him to keep the turn
outs open whenever required, keep the loose
stone out of the road, and be in readiness TO re-
pair damages caused by heavy rains, there would
be much less complaint about the roads than
there is at present
The majority of supervisors do not appear to
consider that they are supervisors OF the road toI
two years, but only for tcO or three days in the
two years. After the two or three days work
is done, they ride over the road the remainder of
the two years. over stone, in gullies, and through
mud holes, with serene Indifference, and will
blandly inform you, if asked, that there is no
more money in their hands to be expended, and
consequently they have nothing more to do
with the road
Having on two or three occasions drawn the
attention of your Honorable body to the condi-
tiOn of the TraDDn and Darlington rOal. there ia