The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1878-12-27
TTRsPTEEs


Number Three.
BY the Charter oftheTnrnpike Com
panies, the sole management OF the
roads is placed in the hands Of Pres
ident aud Board Of Directors. The
keeping Of these roads is in their pos.
session. They are the agents of the
stockholders, by whose money the said
roads were constituted, aud upon their
skill and management the condition
Of these roads depends.
These roads are very great public
convenience, and should he kept in a
good condition. The Directors should
be competent men, and as an induce
ment aud compensation for the service
Of such men, the toll Of themselves
and families we're given to them. The
roads at their completion having no
money, ii was the best that could be
done under the circumstances, but out
Of il has grown the great abuse Of
DEAD HEADS
In the county there are II turnpike
roads. The Boards Of Directors are
composed ofa President and Eve Di.
rectors. In all the roads except two
the President and Directors are made
dead heads, as well rs their fami.
lies. These two roads are making
praiseworthy and vigorous efforts to
extricate themselves from debt, and,
il practicable, to become dividend-pay-
ing roads, and neither the Presidents
nor Directors nor any other persen is
n dead head, except such as made so
by their Charter. SO far as the Pres.
idents are concerned, this is carrying
economy to an extreme. The whole
care and management Of the road de.
wolves upon them. They must keep
n sharp lookout upon the tool-gates,
&c, as to hold them in proper trim.
They must receive and pay out the
tolls collected. They must watch the
roads and superintend all repairs.
This requires time, care and attention,
and as u part Of their compensation,
themselves and families are properly
made dead heads, and, besides this,
they are entitled to additional compen.
sation for their services. The Direct. !
ors dc little else than meet once or
twice II year for an hour or two. to
hear and act upon the report Of the !
President, Of his receipts and disburse-
ments. In the 10 roads, the five Di-
rectors and their families are dead !
heads making 75 families. Others |
are dead heads for stone or ground to |
be furnished, if necessary; others be- |
cause the roads pass over their lands,
or for land for a dollhouse, &c, so
that it may be safely stated that there
are hundred families using the turn
pixies toll free. On low average the
toll of the hundred families would be
SO each per year, making in all $1,000.
This sum is large compensation for
little service. A grand juror receives
81 80 per day for his services; a petit
juror s2 per day; a magistrate So per
day, for attending the County Court,
and the Director from g. TO $40 per
day, and those who furnish stone or
ground receive two or three times the
value thereof.
The whole system of dead heads is
wrong. II is not wise appropriation
of the funds of the road, which belong
TO the stockholders. Ii is an abuse
which ought to be abolished. The
Directors are entitled 10 reasonable
compensation for their services, to be
fixed by the Boards. The owners of
stone and ground should be paid for
their ground or stone, il required.
There should be an impartial collec-
tion of tolls from all persons who use
the roads, except from the classes ex-
empted by the Charters of the roads.
With such impartiality, all persons
would be better satisfied. and the roads
would have more funds to keep them
in repair. 5. S. MGR