The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-04-02
6OtNTY ROADS,

township IN the 8tAto snail coHe1ltuIe |
board of commissioners of highways |
and township auditing board for their |
respective townships.
Sec 2. The trustee shall be the chair.
man, and the township clerk shall be |
clerk Of said board.
Sec. 9. The SAID board shall hold reg
ular meelings at the office OF the town. |
snip clerk on the second Saturday alter |
the township election, and on the last |
Saturday in April, July, October and |
January, In each year, and special meet |
ings as occasion may require, at the call |
OF the chairman or any two OF the COM |
missiOners, and no official business shall |
be transacted except st Q regular meet. |
ing or at special meeting OF which all
the commissioners shall hsve had notice. |
Sec. 4. The clerk OF said board shall
keep & record of all the official acts and
proceedings of the board in q we'll bound
book 70 be provided By the township for
that purpose, which record shall be
signed by the chairman and the clerk.
SEC. s. The said board shall have
charge of the roads and bridges OF their
respective townships, and. it shall be
their duty to keep the same il repair,
and to improve them 80 far as practica
BILE. Wherever the available means at
their disposal will permit, they shall
construct permanent roads, beginning
where most needed. The work on roads
shall be done timely and In accordance.
with the best known methods of road
makIng-by proper grading and
thorough drainage, by tile or otherwise
as may be expedient, or by the applica-
ton OF gravel, rock or other material.
SEC. 8 In order TO insure efficiency,
they may employ a general superina
tendent outside their own body to work
and execute their orders, or they may
let contracts, appoint oyerseers, employ
laborers, or such other agencies as they
may deem expsdient and most to ths in
terest of the township; provided, no con-
tract shall be let Ut der the provisions of
this act, except to the lowest responsible
bidder, nor until after at least three pub
location in q county paper.
SEQ. z. In letting contracts, employ
ing labor, or in purchasing tools, ma
chinery or material, the commissioner
shall not have, directly or indirectly, any
personal pecunIary interest in connec
ton Herewith. The commissioners
shall not have power to let any contract,
purchase tools, machinery or materials
except as ordered by the board at an au-
thOriZed meeting.
SEC. 8. ThelBoard of Commissioners
of Highways, mentioned in this act,
Oud1l CdCu ECCCANO III bACAA Sol NANNo IAS
| sum of two dollars per day for the time
actually and necessarily spent by them
as such comm Issieners.
This Is practically the Dew law with
reference to roads and highways. The
old road law is not repealed in any of
its features but remains a. it was. The
new law is in effect, ''local option"
law.
ANY township can adopt tine provis-
IONS of the new law, and have its roads
systematically worked under the con-
tract or similar system, or 1t can con-
tinue 10 have its roads worked out" by
the taxpayer, under the provisions of
the old Law, just as 1t chooses.
There are manly tax payers in the sew
eral townships in this county who are
thoroughly disgusted with the old and
ineffective method. and with road dis
tricts and road overseers in general, and
who would gladly welcome any change
in our road system that would prove a
betterment for the travelling public. Why
cannot some of our enterprisIhg, intellI-
gent, active citizens of the townships
take the matter in hand, and institute q
radical reform in the road systemf 1t is
well worth the effort; and not necessar-
lily laborious to accomplish Let US
suggest plan.
Let the township board, or any mum,
Der of citizens of township that choose
to do so, unite In call to the tax payers
Of the township for the holding of pub
lie meeting at some convenient place
and time, in the township, to take action
upon the matter of a public road system
Every farmer is interested In having
good roads, and a meeting for the
purpose of interchapging views upon
that subject would be largely at
tended. At such q meeting, the ques
tion being thoroughly and intelligently
discussed, it would be an easy matter to
obtain the signatures OF fifty or more Of
the freeholders of the township to a pc
titIon to the township trustee to declare
the township a single road district
which it would be lis duty to do in such
event. 1t would probably be we'll to
name the time when such township
should become single road district, as
on November LIST, next, 50 as not to inter
fere with the working out this year o.
the road tax levied last year. A
this meeting, a system, or plan tor the
classification of roads, of subdivision o
the township into contract districts. could
be devised, and instructions and sugges
tiOns given to the commission
ers Of highways for rapid
and effective improvement o.
the roads, and also as to the procure
ment OF machinery Csr such result. Sucl
meeting should be in April or May, 81
that the township board could thor
oughly examine the matter. and advis,
with the township trustee as to thu
amount of road tax to be levied for mex
year, which levy must be made at tn,
July session of the board of county
commissioners
A few words with reference TO the ad
vantage of one road district for
township, and the new, OF contract sys
TEN over that of the old indivldua
working-Out system. Under our presen
system, our townships are DIVIDED int
from five 10 twelve road districts. Thes
, districts are so small that the amount @
tax In each is not sufficient to pay TO
such skill as should be brought to tn
work. The road oVerseer Is limited I
fifteen days pay, at $1.50 per day Il
, any one year. This is no adequat
T compensation for the amount of servic
required, and men of suitable ability
knowledge and experience, are force
, | out of the position for the reason of lac
a ef compensation. Here and there ma
be found = few such men who give the
e time for the public good, but such il
! stances are rare. and in the generality
cases the Office of road overseer is sougI
] for selfish purposes, or given to som
: "good fellow" whose idea of 'workin
the roads" is TO have good time" j
i, | agreeable gossip and invigoratlng res
4 under shade trees and fence corners an
mark yourIoAd tax paid" That II
''working out" system Is a delusion an
fraud has long since been apparent
every intelligent person who has inVei
tigated the subject. A system that pr
: Vides only for the payment of so muC
money pr day TO the road overseer, an
80 much to be allowed TO the persc
: working out his tax. without any reEe
!, ence whatever 10 the results TO DC q
: complished by such work, is a far
e upon its facc, and when it Is coasIdere
e that, in nine cases out OF ten, these me
!. are employed upon work to which ihe
e are unused. know nothing about, ar
e have no capaclty for, the farce is sti
y greater. We believe that a one ros
q district for township viii enable Il