The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-04-21
Road Laws,

Road Laws.
SECTION /. Be it enacted by the Senate
and House of Representatives OF the Statc
OF South Carolina, now met and sitting III
General Assembly, and by the authority
of the same, That the Act approved
March 18th, 1874, entitled IAN Act 10
amend Chapter XIV of Title XII, Part /,
OF the General Statutes" be, and the
same is hereby, amended as follows :
Strike Section 2 OF said Act, and in
scrt in lieu thereof the following: THAT
each township in the several Counties OF
this Stale shall constitute a highway dis
trict, and it shall be the duty OF the Board
OF County Commissioners of each Coun-
ty annually, during the early portion OF
each year, to appoint some suitable and
proper person Superintendent of Hirh-
ways for each highway district;
lie shall be a person resident in the
highway district for which he is appoint
cd, and of those liable to road duty there
in, and by reason Of his office exempt
from said duty. Each superintendent OF
Highways shall hold his office and be re-
quired to discharge the duties Of the same
fOr'twelve months from the date of his
appointment. He may be removed by
the County Commissioners and another
appointed to till U his term, if tor any
cause they shall deem his removal neces-
sary or proper; he shall have general
supervision Of the highways and roads in.
his district under the direction OF the
County commissioners. He shall once
in every three months report to the County
Commissioners III writing the condition
of the roads and bridges i'll his district"
SEC. 2 Strike out Section 3rd Of said
Act and insert in lieu thereof the follow
ing: The Superintendent Of Highway
Districts shall divide the highway i'll his
district into suitable sections or districts
OF not less than two or more than five
miles each, and he shall appoint an over
seer of roads for each Of said sections or
districts. He shall also divide the per-
sons liable to road duty i'll his highway
district into convenient and suitable
SQUADS or companies, and assign asquad
or to each overseer of a section
or district. He shall, as far as practicable,
assign the road hands to the nearest
roads. He shall require the overseer
of roads in his highway district to
to call out the hands assigned to their
respective sections or districts and work
the roads and repair and build bridges Of
same, whenever he may deem it neces-
sary, after twelve bours' notice, and shall
REQUIRE every road hand to bring with
him for use u hoe, axe, matt0ck, spade or
other tool for work On the road or bridges.
He shall determine the number of days
for each working and the tools to be
brought by such road hand: Provided,
That not more than twelve days work
are required OF any one hand in a year.
When the County Commissioners or any
of them give orders to the Supcrintend-
ent OF Highway Districts to have any
work done in his district, and he neg
lects to do the same, he shall be deemed
guilty of q m~isdemeanor, and, upon cOn
Viction thereof in u Trial Justices Court,
he shall be fined in u sum not less than
ten nor more than fifty dollars, and the
overseers of districts for neglecting to
call out their hands and work the roads
when required by the Superintendent OF
Highway Districts shall be deemed gull
ty of n misdemeanor, and, upon convic-
ton thereof in the Court above named,
be fined in a sum Of not less than five
nor more than twenty dollars. When
ever a highway runs along the line of
two highway districts the Superintend-
ent of the same shall jointly divide the
hihgway into suitable sections and ap-
point an ovcrseer for each Of said sections
and they shall assign to each overseer
from their respective districts or from
either district such laborers and road
hands as may be necessary to Eork the
same. Each Superintendent of High
way Districts shall cause his overseers
when working sections In which there
are bridges to have such repairs or work
done on such bridges to preserve them
and keep them in order as 4 conve-
nieutly be done by the road hands. And
in case the needed repairs to bridges are
of such character that they shall in the
opinion Of the Superintendent be given
out under contract by the County COM
missioners he should report the sam to
said Commissioners without delay.
SEC. 8. That all Acts or parts Of Acts
inconsistent with this Act be, and the
same are hereby, repealed:
Sec. 4. Any person liable to road duty,
who shall haYo been duly warned twelve
hours before the day fixed in his notice
for such working stating the hour and
place of working, shall he subject to the
direction of the overseer in charge. II
any person Of the legal g refuse to
work upon highways and roads (having
no Unsuitable excuse) according to the
direction Of the overseer, he shall be
deemed guilty Of a misdemeanor, and,
upon conviction thereof In a Trial JUS
tice's Court, shall be fined in a sum not
less than five dollars, nor more than ten
dollars, or be imprisoned in the County
Jail for a period Of not less than five not
nor more than twenty days.
See. 5. That on any extraordinary oc-
casion when any highway shall be sud-
denly INSTRUCTED by storm or otherwise,
so as to require immediate labor to re-
move such obstruction, it shall be the
duty of the overseer in whose district
such obstruction occurs TO proceed forth
with to have such obstruction removed
and for this purpose shall summon to his
aid a sufficient number Of worknen to
open and repair such highway. II any
person shall. in such case perform more
days labor than is required by law for
the year, he shall be paid for any such
overplus ut the rate OF one dollar per day,
by the County Commissioners, upon
tile certificate of the overseer showing
that such overplus of-labor WAS perform.
ed. If ON any such extraordinary oc-
cassion the overscer shall, for the space
of a day after application made to him for
such purpose by any citizen residing III
his district, neglect to call out a sufficient
number Of persons to speedily open and
repair such highway, he shall forfeit and
nav to the County Commissioners of his
county, to be expended in the repair Of
highway, when and where necessary in
his district, the sun of fifteen (15) dol
lars unless the overscer' Shall show suffi.
,ient reason for such neglect the said tt-
'een dollars to be collected by an action
for debt, in the name OF such County
Commissioners, as plaintiffs, before any
Trial Justice in said County. If on any
such extraordinary occasion any person
liable to work on highways, after being
summoned for the purpose OF removing
such obstruction by the oversecr, shall
~neplect 20 turn out and assist in opening
and repairing such highway, he shall he
deemed guilty OF a misdemeanor, and
upon conviction thereof in any Trial
Justices Court, shall be fined three dol
lars per day, said fine to be collected and
expended as heretofore provided in the
matter OF forfeitures of o%verseers.
SCI. 7. The County Commissioners
shall authorize the overseer Of any dis
trict to allow a nan working II day,
and also furnishing q horse, pillow or cart,
two days labor and n working him
self for one day and furnishing a wagon
and two horses, mules or oXenj three
days labor.
SEC. 8. All able-bodied male persons
between the ages of seventeen and fifty
Years shall be liable annually to work
on the public highway and roads not less
than three nor more than twelve days,
under the direction Of the overseer of the
district in which they may reside. In
warning men to work upon the public
roads, the overscer shall make out a list
for the warner, recurring him to give no