St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-12-18

of less width, and crossroads and lanes, to be
used as pent roads, may be of less width.
passage.
Approved Nov. 49, 1884.
No. ian act in relation to the duties of
highway surveyors and certain other persons
] 1t Is hereby enacted, etc:
SEC. l. 1t shall be the duty of highway sur
Yeyors or any other person whose duty it is to
! keep the several highways in this State in
repair, to cause all trees and brush Except
ing shade or fruit trees to be cut and removed
! for the space of eight feet from the center
line on each side of such highways and to cut
and remove all overhanging branches that
shall obstruct the public travel on such high
ways.
SEC. 3 This act shall take effect on the
first day OF May, 1885.
! Approved Nov. -, 1884.
No. 1S.-An' act to provide for the building
and maintaining highways and bridges in
certain exceptional cases.
| 1t is hereby enacted. etc:
SEC. l. No town shall be assessed toward
| the expense of maintaining any highway or
bridge in another town, or OF building any
such highway or bridge, except as provided in
| sections 295S and 1853 of the Revised Laws,
and as hereinafter provided.
| SEC. 9. Whenever any highway or bridge
| within town is not necessity to any of the
| Inhabitants of said town, and is used as Il
| thOrOughfare by more than five families of an
necessary to lay out and build such highway
or bridge, and the town in which such high
| way or bridge is or is to be laid out, would be
| oppreSslysly burqened by the expense OF
| building maintaining such highway or
| bridge, such town, so burdened may petition
the County Court of the county where said
| town lies, if the adjoining town be in the
same county, and if in another county, may
petition the Supreme Court of said county
where said town lies and such petition may
be served upon any of the selectmen of such
| defendant,
| summons are required to be served, not less
/ than twelve days before the term OF court to
which it is made returnable.
| SEC. 3. Such County or Supreme Court
shall appoint commissioners to act in the
premises, three disntereSted and judiciOus
| freehOlders, who shall be sworn to faithful
discharge of their duties, and make eXamina-
ton into the premises, and If, in their opinion,
| the petitioning town would be Oppressively
| burdened by bearing the whole expense of
! building maintaining such highway or
bridge, they shall give reasonable notice to any
of the selectmen of the defendant town, of
the time and place for a hearing in the prem
| Uses
! SEC. 4. Upon such hearing the defendant
town may be heard upon the question whether
or not the petltioning town would be oppres-
sively burdened. and in determining such
question, the commissioners shall not consider
| the benefit to the defendant town; and If the
| commissioners are of the opinion that said
petitioning town would be oppressively bur
dened, as above set forth, and that said de-
| PENDANT town ought to bear any portion OF
said expenses, they shall apportion such part
| thereof as they deem reasonable TO such
| defendant town, and report their doings to the
court and the court may thereupon assess
such town according to said report, and
| make order on the same, as is provided in
| other highway cases.
| SEC 5. Sections 1918 and 1880 of the Re
vised Laws shall apply to all proceedings
under this act; and whenever any highway
| or bridge. described in the second section of
this act, becomes a necessity to any inhabi-
| itantS of the town where it lies, any order or
decree made by virtue of this act, shall be
void from the first day of March next after
such necessity arises.
! SEC. D. Any town assessed towards the
expense of maintaining or repairing any
bridge or highway in another town, under the
| laws now in force, may petition the court,
| which ordered said assessment, such petition
| to be served upon the town to whom the assess
| ment is paid, as provided in section OF this
| act, and upon proof that said highway or
| bridge is a necessity to any inhabitant of said
| town to which the assessment is paid, said
court shall vacate the order or decree Tor
such assessment. And whenever any such
petition is brought, the courts shall, upon ap-
plicatiOn, order a stay of any and all proceed
| ingS to enforce the collection or payment of
| any such assessment.
! SEC. Z. Sections 2a75, 2976, 2977 of the Re
vised Laws, No. Ii of the laws of 1882, and all
acts and parts of acts inconsistent herewith
| are hereby repealed.
SEC. S. This act shall take effect from pass
age and shall not apply to pending causes.
| Approved Nov. %, 1884.
NO. 19.-An act to prevent damage to street
lights
1t is hereby enacted. ETC.:
| SEC. l. A person who wilfully and malic-
iously breaks the glass about street lamp or
gas-light, or a lamp or gas-hght in the grounds
| about public building, or without authority
shall light such lamp or gas-light or extinguish
| the same when lighted, or in any manner
| interfere with, or Injuries any part of the Tx
ture serving to support such lamp or gas-light
or defaces the same by painting or posting
notices thereon. or fastens a horse or other
animal thereto, shall be fined not more than
fifty dollars or imprisoned not more than
| three months.
SEC. 2. Number ffty-ive of the session
laws of A. d. 1882, is hereby repealed.
SEC. 3. This act shall take effect from its
passage.
Approved Nov d. 1884.
| No. 20.-An act TO encourage the planting of
shade trees upon public squares and high
| ways
1t is hereby enacted, ETC.:
| SEC. 1. A town may, at a legal meeting,
| the warning for which contains an article for
that purpose, direct the treasurer to pay to
| the selectmen a sum not exceeding one per
cent of its grand list of the preceding year, to
| be expended by them in premiums or in any
other manner that they may deem most
! efectual to encourage the planting of
shade trees upon the public squares, parks or
highways, by the owners of adjoining real
SIC. 2. This act shall take effect from its
passage.
Approved Nov. 18th. 1884
No. 21.-An act authorizing selectmen to pur-
chase road machines.
| 1t is hereby enacted, etc:
! SEC. l. The selectmen of any town in this
| State may purchase road machines at the ex-
penSe of and for use in their respective towns,
and in making out the highway rate bills,
may lessen the rate per cent of highway
taxes, so that the aggregate of highway taxes
and expense of road machines shall not
exceed the amount required by law to be
raised for highways. Provided that the
selectmen shall not be authorized to deduct
the expense from the highway tax of more
than one road machine in any one year. unless
two or more road machines can be purchased
for sum not to exceed $3.50
SEC. .. Number seventeen of the public
is of 1882 is hereby repealed.
SEC B. This act shall take effect from its
passage.
| Approved Nov &c, 1884.
No. 22-An act in amendment of secion 1903
of the Revised Laws relating TO injuries to
trees.
II is hereby enacted, etc:
SEC. l. Section forty-two hundred and
three Of the Revised Laws is hereby amended
so as to read as follows:
A person who wilfnlly injuries or destroys a
shade or ornamental tree standing in public
highway, park or common, burial ground or
Hrf.r-y