Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-09-16
COUNTY ROADFUND.
How the Peoples Money Provided for
Road and Bridge Repairs is
| Frittered Away.

Some days ago the New MEXICAN plain
ly voiced the we'll founded dissatisfaction
of many people touching the manner in
which the road and bridge fund of Santa
Fe county is administered, calling atten-
ton to the imperative need of bridge and
road repairs in this city and elsewhere in
the county and intlmating that the money
collected for these useful purposes was
most of it FILTERED away by the road
overseers in the various precincts with.
out producing tangible results.
The law provides that every able bodied
male inhabitant of the territory between
the ages of 81 and so years shall be re-
quired to work on the public roads two
days in each year at such times as he may
be called upon to do 80 by the road super
visor; every person owning a team, who
travels over the road with any kind of a
vehicle, shall be required to work one day
with such team; that any person may be
excused from such work by paying to the
road supervisor $3.50 for each team, and
every male, for each day so excused, 81;
that the county commissioners "may APP
point" one road supervisor in each pre-
cinct in the county who shall be allowed
for his services 50 per day for period
not exceeding ten days in each year; that
it shall be the duty of these road super
visors to call upon all persons liable to
labor on the public roads and require
them to perform such labor under their
direction or in lieu thereof to collect from
kho co. hv
law; that such road supervisors shall have
the supervision and control of the work
ings of the roads and shall apply all
moneys received by them to the purchase
of necessary materials aud hiring neces-
sary labor for road repairs, paying any
surplus in their hands into the county
treasury when required; that the times of
working the roads shall be fixed by the
county commissioners.
Yet from an official statement, care
fully prepared for the NEW MEXICAN by
County Clerk A. P. Hill, it appears that
from January l, 1895, until August II,
1896, 81 ,208.8l we're received in the coun-
ty road fund from all sources, exclusive
of the sums collected and expended by
the several supervisors, that all of this
| uAiouAV Wuc 0AbOuIcCu ny uuC COuuUy
commissioners, and that on August II,
1896, there was deficit of 1886 in the
county road fund. The principal dis
bursements from this fund during the
period mentioned appear to have been
made to road supervisors and road COM
missloners, ranging in sums of from SIC
to $108 each, twenty-nine road super.
visors receiving $1,045 and seven road
commissioners receiving $77.95. The
balance of the fund was disbursed to A
P. Hill for stationery and @. W. Dudrow
fol- lumber.
The NEW MEXICAN is not questioning
that these disbursements were made ir
compliance with the letter of the law, al
though the fact chat most of the roa6
supervisors received from $40 to $50
needs explanation, but it insists without
fear of successful contradiction that the
money has been virtually wasted and
that if the expenditures noted were
authorized the law that authorized
them should be repealed and rational
statute substituted therefor.
The county roads and bridges, par.
ticularly in this city, badly need repairs
and it is burning shame that the funds
provided by the people for the purpose
should have been squandered as above
shown.