The Portland daily press., 1892-06-11
NEW JERSEYS ROAD LAW
1t Has Many Points Worth Consideration
bv other States.

1t Has MANY Points Worth Consideration
by other States.
A new road law has recently gone into
effect in New Jersey. 1t has some faults,
but it has many merits, and may well be
studied by the people and legislators of
other states. Its salient points are:
Whenever the board of chosen free
holders of any county in this state shall
by resolution have declared their inten-
ton to cause any particular road or sec
ton thereof within such county to be
improved under the provisions of this
act, such board shall cause all necessary
SURVEYS to be made and specifications to
be prepared. The specifications shall
require the construction of macadam-
lied road or telford or other stone
road that will at all seasons of the wear
be firm, smooth and convenient for
travel; shall be so prepared as to call for
bids from which an approximate esti-
mate of the cost can be ascertained. and
shall state the amount of security that
will be required of the bidder. After
said specifications shall have been pre-
pared they shall be submitted to the
board of chosen freeholders, and if such
board shall approve of them they shall
then be submitted to the president of the
state board of agriculture, and if he
shall approve them it shall then be the
duty of the director of the board of
chosen freeholders to advertise them in
at least two daily newspapers, printed
and circulated in the county, for the
period of two weeks.
The estimated amount of contracts
awarded in any one year by any board
of chosen freeholders shall not exceed
one-half Of 1 per cent. of the ratables
of the county as reported to the state
comptroller for the preceding year.
After copy of the contract shall be
fled with the president of the state
board of agriculture the governor shall,
as soon as practicable, appoint a super
visor of the construction of the work
under such contract, who shall receive
for his services under this act five dol
lars per day, to be paid out of the coun-
ty treasury. He shall supervise all work
done under the contract, shall give his
whole time thereto, shall require the
provisions of the contract to be strictly
adhered to by the contractor, and when
the contract provides for partial pay
ments during the progress of the work,
shall, as each payment becomes due and
before payments shall be made, present
to the board his certificate, and also the
certificate of the surveyor or engineer, if
any there be, stating as near as may be
the total amount of work done, and that
such work has been done in all respects
as required by the contract. When the
work is completed the supervisor is to
prepare detailed statement in dupli-
cate and file it with the board of free
holders and with the president of the
state board of agriculture.
One-third of the cost of all roads con-
structed under this act shall be paid for
out of the state treasury; provided that
the sum shall not exceed in any year the
sum of SIS, 900; If one-third of said cost
shall exceed that amount, it shall be ap-
portioned by the governor and the presi-
dent OF the state board of agriculture
among the counties of the state in pro-
portion to the cost of roads constructed
for such year, according to the state
ments of costs fled in the Office of the
president of the state board of agricul-
ture.
Whenever there shall be presented to
the board of chosen freeholders of any
county petition signed by the owners
of at least two-thirds of the land and real
estate fronting on any public road not
being less than one mile in length asking
for the Improvement of that road, and
setting forth that they are willing that
the benefits shall be assessed to them to
an amount not exceeding 10 per cent. of
the entire cost of the improvements, it
shall be the duty of the board to cause
such improvements to be made. The es-
timated cost, however, of all improve
ments in any county in any one year shall
not exceed one-half of per cent. of the
ratables Of the county.