The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-05
CANNOT GET THE WORK.
The Road Commissioners Complain Of
the InGiiiCienCy Of The Present Law.

The Road Commissioners Complain Of
the IleiliCielCy Of The Present Law.
They Want a New General Law Which
Will Provide Better Means for Work
ing County Roads-Those Summoned
for Road Duty Appear With Garden
Hoes-FininE Those Summoned Has
Little Effect-They viii Indorse a
Candidate to the Legislature for the
Purpose OF Getting Such a Law
Passed.
The road commissioners of Chatham
county, held an interesting meeting yes
terday morning, beginning at 10 clock, in
the grand jury room of the city court.
Out of the fifty members of the board
about thirty-five were present, and Chair
man Gugie Bourquin presided. Maj. A.
L. Hartridge, one of the oldest members
Of the present board, rendered his resig-
nation, which was accepted with regrets,
and Mr. j. B. West was elected to fill the
vacancy.
A resolution was passed providing for
the appointment of a committee of three
to consider and confer with regard to a
bill which had been prepared in outline
form by Chairman Bourouin, providing
for some more effective means of having
the county reads worked than is now in
force.
A THIRD PARTY COMMITTEE.
Chairman Bourquin appointed on this
committee, as he stated, Col c. H. Ohm
OF -. In 7I.,,
cratic party. Mr.. w. W. Chisholm to rep
resent the Citizens Club, and MIR d. c.
| Newton to represent the small populist
faction in the county. This committee is
| to have perfected a general bill for the
state along the lines talked over at the
meeting and suggested by Chairman
| BOurQuin on the subject of road improve
ments, and is also to name a candidate for
representative who is to be Endorsed by
I the road commissioners and sent to the
| legislature, If elected, for the purpose of
passing such a measure as is desired. The
name of MIR. Walter G. Hartridge was
! suggested in this connection, but no action
has yet been taken in the matter.
TO DO AWAY WITH THE PRESENT PLAN.
The provisions of the bill, so far as sug-
| gested at the meeting, provides for doing
away with the present plan of working
| the roads, which has fallen into the pro-
verbal state of innocUous desuetude, and
to inaugurate new plan.
! Under the present plan each citizen is
liable to road duty each year from two to
| five days in the discretion of the road
commissioners. If they fail to appear for
duty the board fines them 81 for each
! day. Often the fines are not collected as
no means of doing so is provided, and
those who do appear for duty come with
out any tools at all, or with little garden
hoe, claiming 1t is the only implement
they have. Men will be called out again
this month to work the roads. On some
of the public highways as many as 100 of
them are at work with these light nipple
ments. and one of the commissioners said
yesterday that 100 men working in this
way do not accomplish as much as would
| five good, steady laborers.
ToLEvY TAX.
! The new plan suggested is to levy a
small tax on each citizen and employ la
| borers to work the roads regularly, and
! besides to provide for working on the
| roads certain short term conVicts sem
| fenced for two years and under This,
! Chairman Bourquin says, will do away
with II sections of the code on the sub
| ject of road laws and substitute ten sec
tions in their places. The commissioners
! want to designate some person to run for
! the legislature to represent them in this
matter, and TO secure the passage of some
such general law as will make the work
ing of the roads more effective.
FEATURES OF TIE BILL.
The bill as proposed also provides for
the placing of the public roads under the
complete Jurisdiction of the road commits
sioners. AS the law stands now there
are frequent clashes between the road
| commissioners and the county commits
sioners, and the consequence is in some
:, 10,
erly attended to. The report of the last
grand jury of the superior court on the
subject of roads will be embodied in the
petition sent the legislature for the pass
age of such general road law as is de-
sired.
The matter of the removal of some OBJ
structions on an unnamed road in East
Savannah was referred to the ordinary
Col. G. II. OImstead presented the fol
lowing memorial on the death of Mr..
W. @. Lathrop, who was popular mem
Der of the commissioners board. 1t was
unanimously ordered inscribed on the
minutes:
On the first day Of the present year, one be
| loved associate, William C. Lathrop, died al
his residence in this city after long illness.
The death Of those near to us is always a
shock, but II is doubly startling when the
! summons comes to one in the very noontidc
of life, IN the fun vigor OF manhood, with
every prospect OF long and useful career be
fore him. We may not fathom the meaning
| Of such diSpensatiOn but can only bow liz
humble submission TO the Divine will-"Shal
not the Judge of all the world do right
Mr. Lathrop possessed in an eminent de
gree the qualities that mark the good citizen
and upright man Modest and unassuming
in his personal bearing he was strong
in his devotion to principle and faithful tC
every duty imposed upon him. His passing
away has left void in circle Of friends
that will not be filled. In this board his
death is. keenly felt and deeply deplored
With view, therefore TO giving expression
to a sense of his worth, be 1t
Resolved, That in the death of William
Gibbons Lathrop the road commissioners of
Chatham county mourn the loss of one en-
deared to them by years of association in
public work; q man whose simple, truthful
nature was more and more valued as oppor
tunity presented for knowing it better; q
judlcious counselor and staunch friend.
Resolved, That this memorial be inscribed
upon a separate page of our records; that q
copy be sent to the family, and that II be pub
lished in the Savannah MORNING n EwS. .