The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-07-28

In the legislation pending in othe.
States the principal feature is the en-
deavor 20 perfect the cooperative sys
TEN, and in this the States of New YorE
and Virginia are conspicuously leading
The Assembly OF the State of New
York having in the spring of 1874 sen.
q strong committee to study the New
Jersey road system, passed 8lmos
unanimously an act to provide fol
the construction OF roads by local as
sessmcnt, county and State aid. Sec
ton / of this act provides as folio rs
Petition Of bordering land owners fol
survey and estimate OF cost Of loca.
roads; subsequent petition Of residents
of benefit district.
On presentation to the board OF
supervisors Of any county Of a petition
signed by the owners of not less than
one third of the lands bordering on any
section of road already established or
proposed to be established in such
county asking for a survey and esti-
mate of the cost of building OF re build
ing such road in q substantial and per
manent either Of stone or
gravel as prescribed In auch petition,
such board Of supervisors shall cause
such survey and estimate to be made
for the information of such petitioners
and shall forward a copy thereof to
the State Engineer. Whenever there
after the petitioners shall present to
such board OF supervisors e map or de
scription of the lands which, in their
opinion will be directly benefited by
the cons ruCtion or Improvement Of
SUCH road, together with q written re
quest Of the owners Of three itths Of
such lands that ali the lands so bene
fled and the personal property in such
district be assessed in proportion to the
benefits conferred for such construction
or Improvement, to the amount Of one
third Of the total cost thereof, such
board of supervisors shall cause such
roads to be constructed or improved.
Such lands so mapped or described
shaIl be known as the benefit district
CT the said section of road. But when
ever the original petition in any case
shall set forth that the area TO be bene
flied by the road is peculiarly restricted
by the proximity OF other roads or by
other circumstances, an examination
and report shall be made by the super
visor Of the town and the surveyor of
the road, and if it appears thereby that
such area is less than two square miles
for each mile of road to be built, then
the proportion Of cost required to be
paid by the benefit district shall be
dim nished at the rate of g per cent.
of the whole cost for the first 100 acres
OF such deficiency and 3 per cent. for
e sch additional 1CO &cres Of such de
fciency, but shall in no case be less
than one tenth Of the whole, and the
balance of the cost Of such construction
shall be equally borne by the county
and State.
This provision differs from the New
Jersey law in extending toe local as
sessment TO cover not merely the abu'-
ting lands, but, as nearly es can be as
cerUained, ell the lands benefited by
the construction Of the particular road
in question. and in increasiDg the total
local assessment to one third instead Of
1r1 Fon+I tho o1IA of Tho -1o1 voaH5--
exception, however, IN cases where
benefits are particularly restricted by
the proximity Of other roads CT by
other circumstances.
Wherever counties are able to decide
upon g highway system and q general
and extended provision of funds by
bonds or other wise for construction,
they will be able to secure State cid
without the machinery and complica
tons Of g local Initiative. Wenever
the county fails to do this, any town
IN the county may initiate road i'm
provement for the whole town, or for
any portion Of it, and receive the me-
dieum Of State aid but where county
and town both fail, by reason of local
~jealousies or lack of interest, to pro
vide for improvements, any e~nterpris
ing neighborhood may proceed at once
to organize its benefit district and have
its road constructed.
The plan under consideration in Vir
ginia, as formulated by the State Road
Improvement Association, limits the
local charge for the entire benefit dis.
trict to 10 per cent. and the State con,
tributiOn to 25 per cent, leaving upon
the county IS per cent. of the cost; bu;
it does not, as in New York and New