St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-02-16
THE NEW ROAD LAW.

IHE NJ, w kOAD La W.
Another new Office which the last
legislature created, and which is t.
be filled at the town meetings hello
next month, is that of road com
missioner. This official takes up du
ties which hitherto devolved upon
the highway surveyors and street
commissioners provided for i'll for
mer statutes, and he ito be elected
by ballot as other town officers are,
In view of the agitation which is
just now in progress all over the
country, on the question Of an i'm
proved system of highways, the
election OF road commissioner is a
matter to which the voters in the re-
spective towns ought to give serious
attention. Not every man who
wants the position will be able to
perform its duties in a manner salts
factory to the public, and it seems
to be case where the office can af-
ford to do little searching after the
right man.
The road commissioner will be re-
CURED to give bonds for the faithful
performance of his duties, in sum
equal to the amount to be raised
and expended on the highways in
SAID town, since the disbursement of
these funds is to be under his per-
sonal supervision. The new law
says that the selectmen shall assess
tax of twenty cents on the dollar
tor highway purposes, and III addi-
ton to this a state tax of five cents
on the dollar is to be assessed annu-
ally for the support Of the highways,
which is to be handed over to the
state treasurer as soon as collected.
The selectmen are required before
May Is OF each year, to measure the
highways in their respective towns,
not including pent roads, and this
furnishes basis on which the state
treasurer is to make repayment to
the several towns OF the money col
lected from the state highway tax.
Upon the certificate OF road mileage
depends the amount to be repaid to
each town.
Seventy.hvc per cent of the high.
way taxes raised by virtue of this
particular statute is to be expended
prior to the 18th of August, and the
balance at such time as the COM
missioner thinks the interests of
good roads require. No part of the
funds raised from the town and state
highway taxes, however, is to be
nsed in repairing bridges or culverts,
or approaches thereto, exceeding
four feet span; all bridges and cul-
verts of span beyond that, includ-
ing those in incorporated villages,
must be repaired by the selectmen
from the funds raised by the general
town tax.
SeIectmen are not eligible to the
office OF road commissioner, and the
salary of the latter is to be fixed by
the seIectmen at a sum not less than
two dollars a day for time actually
spent in the performance of official
duty.
1t will be seen from the above out
line OF the features of the new law
That II the highways of the towns
are TO be maintained in proper S
shape, the man chosen TO the Office Z
oi road commissioner must have 6
some conception of what good roads t
are and reasonable supply of ener- g
~ and practical sense behind that $
conception, in order that the end
which the statute.iramer had in view T
nay be attained. With the right a
'hoice made, this Capitalization of G
authority in the matter of our roads q
nay prove to have been a stroke of t
wisdom on the part of our law fl
makers.