Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-07-05
The New Illinois Road Law.

Senate bill No3l5, which was order
ed to a third reading in the House yes
terday. very materially amends the
present Road and Bridge law. The
bill is very voluminous document but
it eliminates from the law very much
OF the antiquated and useless phrase
ology with which it has so long been
encountered, and simpliiies it in several
important particulars.
The bill. as amended in the House,
provides for two distinct and separate
systems, each complete within itself,
one cash and the q. her labor The cash
system is to be the law until a town
votes TO 60 into tile abor system, which
it may do under section 81 of the bill,
on petition of twenty-five legal voters.
Under the cash system, the property
tax and the poli-tax are to be paid to
the Commissioners of Highways, to be
expended under their direction, and
there is to be but one levy on property,
which shall be made in September, and
shall not exceed so cents on the 800.
On the other hand, under the labor
system, there will be two tax levies-
one in the Spring of poll and property,
and one IN September of property only,
for road and bridge purposes; and the
Spring levy Of both property and poll
tax may be paid in labor to the District
Overseer; or the property tax alone may
be paid in cash to the Collector the
following Fall or Winter, as at present.
The bill isalso intended to settle the
vexed and long-disputed question of the
| of I'm tox al -
porate city or village. 1t provides that
one-half the tax should 60 to the city OF
village, and the other half to the COM
missioners of the town, to be employed
by them in keeping in repair the high
ways of the township outside of the city
or village.
AS companion piece to this bill, the
House also ordered to third reading
what is known as the Hard Road bill.
1t provides that on petition of fifty land
owners, legal voters of any township, to
the town Clerk, in counties under town
ship organization, or road districts in
counties not under township organiza-
ton, to the county clerk, he shall, when
giving notice of the time and place for
holding tie next annual town meeting,
or road district meeting, also give no
tice that vote will be taken at said
election fG or against levying tax not
to exceed 81 on each 800 assessed val.
uation of all the taxable property, in
GLIDING railroads, in the township or
road districts, for the purpose of con-
structing and maintaining gravel, rock,
macadam or other hard roads. A ma
jority vote only is required to order the
Improvement to be made and the neces
sary tax assessed, and the tax so collect
ed is to bdkept separate, and be known as
the permanent road fund. The COM
missloners to carry on the work are au-
thorized by the bill to receive donations
of money to the fund, where the con-
templated improvements may be has
tened or fostered thereby. The bill is
in the direction of absolute local option
for permanent roads, and thus avoids
the objection to an indiscriminate dis
tribution of state funds for the improve
ment of state highways.
Both of these bills undoubtedly have
merit, and when enacted into laws will
prove beneficial to the people of the
state, in assisting them to secure good
roads. Altogether, the work of the
House, for the day, was highly satisfac-
tory to the friends and advocates of i'm
proved thoroughfarcs throughout the
state. -Sprinqtfeld Journal.