The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1886-05-08

The following road bill will be
presented by Hon. Charles Knowl
ton, of East Daton Rouge, to the
Legislature of This State.
Providing for the establishment by
Police Jnri+s in the p~arishex Of
the State, the parish of Orleans
excepted, of special parish roads
and the ;evying OF ta& for their
maintenance and support.
SECTION |. BE it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State OF
Louisiana, that it shall be the :!uty
of the Police Juries of the several
parishes OF the State, the parish of
Orleans excepted. to create or es
tabliSh special or preferred parish
roads and to levy an annual tax,
Tot exceeding one mil! Oh the dol
lar, upon amount of assessment of
al. taxable property in the parish
for their maintenance and support.
SEC. 9. The Police Jury shall Sc
Iect such roads iron. the principal
roads of the parish, dividing the
same into special road districts,
each district to be wholly within the
limits Of u Police Jury ward, aud
on the distribution of the said road
tax assign and credit toeachdi>tlict
IA lust and fair share of said fund.
SEC. 3. The Police Jury shall
appoint from its body two road com
m~i>SlonerS who. together with a
third appointed by them from each
road district, the latter to act only
in and for his own district, shall
have, control of and annually detwf
mine he nature and amount of work
to be- ,one, two of sad commission
ers to act in the absence OF a third.
SEC. /. The said commissioners
shall personally visit each road dis
trlcl and offer the work to such re
%sponsible and capable citizens rs
they may select, giving preference
to those who live within the district
and travel NEST upon said road.
They shall point out and make writ
ten specifications of the work to be
done, giving i copy of the same TO
the contractor, who shall not be a
road commissioner of the district.
SEC. 5. Upon completion of the
work the commissioners shall per
sonally examine the same and if
done in compliance with the con
tract they shall report the same
the next meeting Of the jury when
the claim shall be approved and the
contractor be entitled to be paid.
The commissioners Shall Le allowed
mileage at the rate of ten cents per
mile when the distance .traveIsed Is
five miles and over.
SEC. 6. If upon examining the
roads OF any district preparatory to
their being worked, the commission
ers find them in such condition as to
require less outlay thap the
amount credited 10 that district,
they are empowered and required
to contract as above directed for
the amount Of work necessary to
be done, and upon competition and
approval of the work they shall IT
port to the jury as directed.
Sec. 7. 1t shall be the duty Of
Police Juries to cause to be kept
by the parish auditor and treasurer
accounts with the various road dis
tricts, ana any surplus remaining
to the credit Of any district after
paying tor work done shall be due
TO the school fund Of the ward in
which such road district is located.
ard the jury shall cause the same
to be paid to the Treasurer of the
School Board of the parish, who
shall credit the amount to the
school fund of that ward.
Sec. 8. This act shall take eff
feet from ami after the first day of
January, 1887.
In order to have good public
roads in this portion of Louisiana,
some such system as the one propo
sed above must be introduced. The
present road laws are inimical to
the people, and cannot be practical
~ enforced, so as to secure good
roads,
In order to make such a law effec
tive the Legislature must pass
laws which eau be executed in a