The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-04-14
RECENT ROAD LEGISLATION.
Whit tho Various States Havo Done For
Highway Improvement.

highway improvement.
Tho states which have recently enacted
| laws on the subject of road improve
| mcnt arc California Indiana, Mussachu-
sets, Michigan, Missouri, New Hamp-
shire, New Jersey, New York, North
Dakota, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont,
| Washington and Wisconsin There arc
only three exceptions to the rulo that all
this legislation was enacted III 1893
that OF New Jersey, from 1888 to 1899;
Vermont, which took action i'll S92. and
Washington, one of whose laws was en-
acted i'll 1890, and the other two last
year
Ono of the most elaborate of these
laws Is that of Massachusetts establish
ing the state highway commission, with
| Its extensive advisory functions us to the
construction of good roads and providing
for the establishment and construction
OF state highways, contingent upon leg
lslatlve appropriations
The laws OF New Jersey arc models of
their kind. They facilitate the construc-
ton of both local and county roads and
provide that when the owners of two
thirds of the lands fronting OH any pub
lie road agree to pay one tenth of the
ties shall cause such improvements to he
made State aid was provided for in
1892 by legislation authorizing one third
OF tho cost of county road improvements
to be paid for from the state treasury to
the extent of $40, 600 year. A wise
provision Of the New Jersey legislation
is that requiring all road taxes to be paid
III money, experience everywhere having
shown that Il leading cause of bad roads
was the practice of permitting farmers
to work out their road taxes
The example of New Jersey in this
respect was followed by New York last
year, and by Wisconsin also, to the OK
tent of providing that all road taxes
shall he paid i'll money except in town
ships that specifically vote to retain the
labor system. Oregon, however, pro
vidcs that petitioners for county roads
must each do one days work on the
roads or pay S2-;i striking way of as
surfing earncstncss Of intention on the
part OF petitioners. Nearly all the states
i'll question provide specifically for road
construction under county auspices
New Hampshire, Vernon; and Wiscon-
SIN, however, make the toxin TIE huSis
New Hampshire aholishcs subdivisions
III towns for highway district, and re-
Quires % cents in every &i00 valuation
to be spent for road Improvement. Yer
mont lays town ta:; of 10 cents III e.
cry 800 valuation Tor support Of high
ways aud Il state tax Of cents on tho
dollar, to be app1.tioncd 10 The towns
according to M!cIgc Vermont also
creates state Highway commission to
investigate roadbuilding III the state
Toll roads Disappeared from AIassa-
chusctts more than 4 generation ago and
are here regarded rs belonging to the
era of the stagccoach. They are still
common III many part; Of the west, and
Missouri's new county option road law
provides that county courts may cstab-
llsh tollgatcs upon roads that have been
suitably improved Oregon S now coun-
~ road law, on the other hand, requires
all roads built under its provisions to be
free of toll. Washington's new road
laws are remarkably elaborate and de-
mand that improved roads shall be con-
structed i'll very thorough and substou-
tial manner, according to good engineer
ing principles. Boston Herald