Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-01-13
The Proposed New Road Law.

AS uuCH lEtSicSt is lclG IL tii@ CouAoy
with regard to the new road law expected
to be passed by the leg islature, we copy
below the bill offered in the Senate, this
week, by Mr.. Jones, Readjuster, Of Middle
sex. The bill is entitled "a bill to amend
and re-enact section p of chapter ISL OF
the Acts of Assembly 1s74-'75, and to
amend and re-enact section 10 of chapter
55 of the Acts Of Assembly 1S7s-'79." 1t
reads as follows:
Be 1t enacted by the General Assembly,
That section q Of the Acts Of 1S74-'75 10
amended and re-enacted SO rs to read as
follows:
All male persons in each county shall be
compelled to work two days III each year
on some public road in the road district in
which he may reside, with tho following
exceptions-viZ: Ministers of the gospel.
persons sird"r sixteen and above sixty
years Of age, PERSONS who reside in town
that provides for its poor and keeps Its
streets in order, and xny person who has
lost leg or arm. and any other person
who is otherwise disabled, may be exempt
ed, on certificate of this county court, OF
such disability.
No person shall be required to work on
the public roads more than two days with
out receiving for sach days work so done
seventy-fve cents. to be paid out OF the
county levy. 1t shall be the duty Of each
road surveyor to kesy list of che males
who are subject to work on the public
roads, by law, and to keep a record OF each
days work done by every party, and 1t
shall not be lawful to Call on any one per-
son twice Until every one who is required
by law, has done so at least one day. After
each person who is required to work on the
public roads has donc SO two days, If it
shall then appear that this is not sufficient
to keep the roads il good order, the road
surveyor shall havs the right to call out
to work Cd the road as many persons as in
his judgment is necessary to keep the
roads in good condition; and it eh2ll be
the duty of the said surveyor to give to
each party a statement showing how many
days he or they have worked extra on the
pablo roads. TIE party, or parties, hold
ing such certificate from the road surveyor
Of his district, shall present the same to
the Board of Supervisors, at their annual
meeting, for the approval OF the board.
After the bill has met the approval of the
Board of Supervisors, the bill or warrant
shall be good for all debts and demands
against (due y the county, except free
school funds.
When the road or landing is established
OF altered the county shall be- chargoable
with the compensation to the proprietors
or tenants with such costs as the court
may allow the applicant and the costs OF
the commission. except in the case men
toned in the Ssh section; 3)roviGed, how
ever, that when it shall appear to the court
that the opening and establishment or al
teraJion of such road Twill be for mere pri-
vate convenience then the court may order
the opening and establishment OF allera-
ton of such road upon the condition of
applicants paying In whole or IN part, the
compensation to the proprietors or tenants
the costs Of the proceedings and keeping
in order said road, the said road not to be
opened and established or altered until
such compensation and costs shall have
been first paid, or tbs written consent of
the proprietors or tenants given. When
the court decides in favor of establishing
or altering any road Or building, or repair
ing or altering any bridge where the gross
expenditures with which the county will
be chargeabie will in any case exceed thlr-
ty dollars before ordering the road, bridge,
alteration or repairs, the court shall ascer-
tain and by it's order determine the
amount Of the expenditure to be made anG
order the accessory repairs to be done at
once.
All acts and parts of acts inconsistent
with this act are hereby repealed. This
act shall be in force from its passage.
The words in br scksta in the above COM
mencing Twill be- for mere private conven-
fence, &c. - we havs supplied from the law
as it now stands, in order to make sense
of it, as thty were doubtless omitted by &C
cident by the author.
On comparing The now bill with the
present law the alterations appear to be as
follows: Section 21 of the present law
which provides that men may be called
out to work on the road any time the road
needs, without compensation, is changed
so us to provide that after doing two day.
work on the roads III a year, any work a
man shall do after that on the call of the
Surveyor he shall be paid IS cents a day for.
His certificate for ouch pay shall be re-
celvable for all county taxes except the
school tax. Section 10 Of the present law
which provides that by two-third vote
the Board of Supervisors may reject any
recommendation Of the county Judge for
alteration or repairs is changed SO as to
take that power away and put The whole
matter in tbs hands Of the Judge without
reference to the Supervisors.
The provision in the new bill that no
man shall be called on twice TO WORK until
every man on his Surveyors list shall have
done one days work, will he found impos-
sible of execution and will probably be
stricken out.