The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-01-31
Roads and Road Laws.

ernor Beaver delivere the opening sd
dress, in the course of which he said
"After referring to the great lced Of =
uniform system of road-m aking in the
State, that the Legislatures o. the past
have been largely responsible for the
present condition of our highways
The statutes on this subj ct have b en-
80 altered, amended and otherwise
changed that no man In one county
could tell what the road law was in an
adjoining county.
The present road laws had for their
basis the act Of 1886. The Legisla-
ture which convened in that year was
one of the best that had ever met.
They acted on many vital public gues-
tions aud among others laid the found
alton for our road laws of the present
| But they had legislated for half GEN.
tury ago. The State was then in its
infancy. Many of the counties which
we're then an unbroken wilderness, are
now densely populated. The condi-
tions of our civilization have changed,
aud, admitting that the act of 1886
was a wise one, the fact remains that
we have grown out of the old condi-
ton of things and must meet the new
one with adequate legislation. To-
day there are at least forty counties in
the State that do not recognize as
binding obligations of the first section
of tiat act Some counties have TT
ally abolished the old road laws. In
Chester County they have half dozen
systems of road making. Nearly
every township has its own system,
end the lawyers of that county have
ound it necessary to codify these laws
and make them separate study.
"We must make up our minds, con-
tinued Governor Beaver, shat every
township cannot have its own separate
road laws; every county cannot have
its own system. 1t is not desirable
that they should"
STATE ROADS FAVORED.
The Governor stated as his belief
that there should be a series of State
roads constructed to follow old lines Of
highways. These State roads should
be supported by the Commonwealth
He had driven over about $50 miles OF
roads in this State in his carriage with
his boys, and while he impressed them
with the fact that Pennsylvania was
the greatest State in the Union, he
was compelled to admit that it had the
worst roads of any. Laughter and
applause }. With reference to county
roads, the highways radiating from
their principal cities and towns, ht
said the counties should construct ant
maintain them. 1t would be safe
plaE to place the construction of al
these throughfares under the supervi
sion of a competent county engineer
to be appointed by the Courts of Quar-
ter Sessions. With reference to tn,
necessary legislation, members of tn
Legislature must not act looking t.
the number of votes which they expec
to be cast for their reelection. Thi
was a matter in which the Legislatur,
must be abreast of the times. Tn,
State Board of Agriculture and al
other organizations interested in thi
question must back up members of th,
Legislature who vote to improve tn
road laws, and thus encourage the er
actment of necessary laws for the i'm
: provement of the highways.
Governor Beaver was followed b.
Alex Dempster, of Pittsburg, the re
preventative of the Engineers Societ
of Western Pennsylvania, which ha
800 members.
Mr.. DeL.pster confined his remark
chiefly to a presentation of draft of
proposed road law suggested by tn
! Engineers'Society of Western Pennsy
vania. This set was not prepared an
D printed in time for action by the lac
Legislature, but will be submitted t
the next Legislature, if it possesses th
scrutiny of the Road Law Comm
> sion. The salient points of the pre-
posed act are:
Section provides that it shall b
!, the duty of the Court of Commo
Il Pleas of each county to appoint
g board of four, who, with the count
9 engineer, shall constitute roads con
); Llission to divide all thoroughfare il
i to three classes: highaoays, roat
o and lanes. Highways shall incluc
l. all tho.e radiating from the court
J. !, seat to other populous points IN tt
" county, or to the boundary lines of Il
L county, and those connecting su,
j. other populous points; or those whi'
l. by reason of their connection aud e
;, tension in the same general directio
81 afford continuous line of travel b
+ tween such centres or to such boun
'e ary lines.
d "itoads" shall include all thoroue
Is fares now designated township roaC
10 and which may not be classed as hig
D. ways under this act. "Lanes" sh
include what are now styled "priva
~ roads" and which are used only f
ID ingress and egress from roads
W highways TO individual property.
"a Section provides for the electi
Is in every township one person to ser
u for one year, one person to serve f
a. two years, who shall be styled "ro
Dc directors" and each annual townsh
q election thereafter, they shall elect O
D. person to serve for three years.
10 These road directors are to levy {
IL tax, which is not to exceed seven a
half mills on the dollar, and, in C,
~ !: junction with the engineer, are to
IL vide the townships into road distrio
'i' open new roads and vacate exist
eS roads upon the petition of not
Ie- than six (6), taxpayers of the townsl
in which the road is located whene'
ne u; they, or a majority of them, shall de
~ it necessary for the convenience
.o safety of public travel to do so.
Vi After the arrangements for cole
gu ing damages it is provided that
au width of all highw ays shall not
nv less than fifty feet, and of roads
he less than forty feet. The road dir
nd tor is to receive $3.50 day.
he Section Is provides for the appoi
1t ment, by the court, of a supervis
I'M civil engineer for each county, of
re- least ten years experience, to serv,
ar term of three years. This eou