Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1886-05-07
Pablo Road Work.

Pablo Road Work.
The board of county commissioners met
at their office here on Monday last for the
purpose of receiving and approving the
supervisors bonds, and giving them in.
structions as to their duties on the roads
and fixing the time when they should
commence work. A full board was in at.
tendance and the question of road work
and the obligations and expenditures arts
ing therefrom was fully discussed. 1t was
finally determined to put the corps per
manently on the roads on Monday next, the
10th inst, and to allow the supervisor:
this week in order that they might collect
the tools and road implements they are tc
use and to get their hands together in
order to be prepared to begin work
promptly on Monday morning. Each
corps will be allowed five hands as always
heretofore.
Owing to the fact that the amount o.
money to be used on the roads for this veal
will be limited, the pay OF the supervisor.
was vexed question with the board, and
one which they had much difficulty in
settling, but it was finally arranged to the
satisfaction of all parties 1t will be seer
by reference to the advertisement else
where that the commissioners propose ia
borrow the sum of $4,000 to meet the cur.
rent expenses of the county. OF this sum
it will be necessary to use about 81 900 OIL
81 200 in paying off the expenses to be in.
Cured at the approaching May court and
the remaining outstanding obligations oil
the. last November term ; $24O will have to
be used in discharging the obligation in.
Cured by wintering the county mules, and
perhaps, 5000 or $500 in meeting other
current expenses already existing, o: that
may arise before the next levy is made
This will leave in the hands o. the com.
missioners about $4,000, or at the mos,
$4,000, all of which will be applied to
public road purposes.
With this sum it can readily be seen
that it is a matter of impossibiliry to keep
the road corps at work for the entire
seven or eight months which usually con-
stitute the working season on the public
road, and during which time from $4,000
to $4,000, and sometimes even q larger
sum, has been expended on this account
by former boards. In view of this fact the
board thought it would hardly be just to
the tax payers to pay the supervisors for
an entire working season, or road year,
when it was plainly evident that they
could not possibly be employed so long.
Therefore. it was finally decided to pay
them so much per month, and to keep
them at work so long as the funds in
hand would allow. The compensation
was fixed at $40 per month for each super
visor, and to give them the benefit Of any
extra work that might be occasioned by
freshets or otherwise, after their corps had
been disbanded, and to pay them for such
work or supervision at the rate of 81 so
per day. The monthly compensation al
lowed is equivalent to the sum of $3.50 for
an entire working season of seven months,
and is little in excess OF the sum that
weald have been allowed them by the
board had they been able to keep them
employed the entire year. But The beard
were induced to treat them literally from
the fact that they would be called IN
earlier than usual. The supervisors were
consulted in regard to this arrangement
and they all seemed to thoroughly appre-
ciate the position of the commissions rs
and the condition of our county aff.irs,
and expressed themselves as content and
satisfied that this was the best arrange
ment that could be made.
We think the tax payers and people of
the county generally will concur is the
opinion that the commissioners have acted
wisely and considerably and that they
have done the best possible thing under
the circumstances for the best interests and
welfare of the county. The msney to be
used will be judiciously hand ed aud ex-
pended, a close watch will be kept over
all OUTLAWS and every nece sary leak or ex-
travagsnt expenditure will be checked. 1t
is expected that with this careful manage
ment of the funds in hand, by paying the
cash for all road work and material used
and for all necessary expenditure on this
account, get this material and the work
for the supervisors done at the lowest pos
sible prices, and that the saving so made
will be sufficient to allow the road corps
to continue on the roads fer four and per-
haps even five months which is nearly as
long as they have heretofore worked under
republican regime
We believe the board have started pro-
perry, and the due consideration that
seems to have been given to this matter
will give confidence to our people and
assure them that the county's affairs are in
the hands of conscientious and intelligent
gentlemen who act with judicious care
and forethought ON Ill matters If public
policy.
There was prediction made along a
bout 1875 that the seven years, beginning
with 1880, would be years of trouble and
distress to an extent greater than usual.
The world has gone through the greater
portion of the time alluded 10 in the pre-
diction, but there are still almost two
years that are yet to come and go. The