The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-04-18

I'll ONorseeIs, uhnuc3 tOoao3 -AAoonAAoty
and teams to be used upon
the roads in his district, and
shall have the power to require overseers
to order out his hands in any number he
may designate for the purpose of open
ing, making or repairing the roads or
building or repairing bridges or culverts
of his district, and it shall be the duty of
such road commissioners to see that all
the roads and bridges of his district are
kept in good repair, and he shall, under
the direction and control of the commits
sioners' court, inaugurate a system of
grading and draining the public roads of
his district, and see that strict system is
carried out by the overseers and hands IN
der his control, and shall obey all orders
of the commissioners court; and he shall
be responsible for the safe keeping and
liable for the loss or destruction of all
machinery, tools or tsams placed under
his control, unless such loss is without his
fault, and when discharged, he shall
deliver them to the person designated by
the court.
Section She shall expend such
money as may be placed in
his hands by the commissioners
court, under the direction in the most
economical and advantageous manner on
the public roads, bridges and culverts OF
his district, and all his acts shall be sub
iect to the control, supervision, orders
and approval of the commissioners
court. He shall work the couviots and
such other labor as may be furnished him
by the commissioners court, and when
the road commissioner shall have funds in
his hands TO expend for labor on the
roads, and it shall be necessary for any
overseer or overseers in his district to-
work more than five days during any one
year upon the public roads, he may en-
ploy such overseers to continne their du-.
ties as such for such length of time as
may be necessary, and pay them for their
services not more than $1.50 per day for
the time actually employed after the five
days; provided that hands shall not be.
required to work when there shall be on
hand after building and repairing bridges
| a sufficient road fund to provide for the
necessary work on the roads.
Section 4-Said road commissioners
shall report to the commissioners court
at each regular term under oath, showing
an itemized account of all money he has
received to be expended on roads or
bridges and what disposition he has made
of the money and showing the condition
of all roads bridges and culverts In his
districts and such other facts as the court
may desire information upon and shall
make such other reports and at euch times
as the court may desire.
Section 5-Any road commissioner
who shall willfuily fail to comply with
any of the provisions of this act shall be
deemed guilty of misdemeanor and
upon conviction shalt be punished by q
fine of not less than $25 nor more than
5000.
Section 6-The commissioners conrt
shall see that the road and bridge fund OF
their county is judiciously and equitably
expended on the roads and bridges of the
county and as early as the condition and
the necessity of the road
will admit it shall be ex-
pended in each county commissioners
precinct in proportion to the amount,
collected ia such precinct, and in expend-
ing money in building permanent roads,
the money shall first be used on first or
second -class roads and on those which
shall have the right of way furnished free
of cost to make as straight road as ie'
practicable to obtain and having the
greatest bonus offered by the citizens OF
money, labor or other property.
Section THE commissioners courts
are authorized to make all reasonable and
necessary rules aud orders for the making
and repairing of public roads and to-
utilize the labor to be used and money ex-
pended thereon, not in conflict with the
laws OF this state, and enforce such rules
and orders, and they are further author
lied to purchase or hire all necessary road
machinery, tools or teams, and hire such
labor as may be needed in ad-
dition to the labor now required of citi--
zens to build or repair the roads.
Section 8-Commissioner courts or
road commissioners may accept money,
lands, labor of men, teams or tools or any
other kind of property or material to aid
in building roads in their counties, and
may authorize any person to make drain
along any public road for the purpose OF
draining his land and require the person
draining his land to do suoh work under
the direction of the road commissioner
Section 9-Be it further enacted that
this act shall not be construed to repeal
any existing law, but it is cumulative and
in aid of the existing law; provided that
when road commissioners are employed
the county commissioners are not re-
quired to supervise the roads as required
by article 439Oa, Revised Statutes; pro-
vided nothing in this law shall be CON
strued 80 as to require more than five
days service in one year of any Citizen
The bill took effect from it's passage.