The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-04-18
BETTER PUBLIC ROADS
NEW LAW PRvIDING THEREFOR
BY TAXATION


DweIIers-GraduaI Abolition Of OLD
Labor System-Important Highway
to be Laid Out and Graded
Following is an abstract of the pub
lie road law passed by the last legisla-
ture:
Section l provides for a tax levy for
road purposes by the county commits
sioners of not less than five cents on
the 500 less than fifteen cents on
the poll, the funds arising from this
a to be used as far as possible for
permanent improvement.
Section 2 and 8 provides for b ap-
pointment of a county road superin-
tendent or township supervisor or both
to take charge of the road work under
the county commissioners.
Sections 4, 5 6 and 7 provide for the
repairs or patching Of public roads by
able bodied male citizens between the
ages Of p and As years, four days labor
or payment Of 81 for each man.
Sections 8 and 8 provide that any
county shall work on its public roads
all it's prisoners whose sentences does
not exceed ten years; and that it may
also use similar prisoners from any
other county or counties in the same or
adjoining judicial districts.
Sections 10 and II provide for the
proper grade, width and relocation of
important public roads and highways.
Section II provides for obtaining
timber, stone, gravel, ETC., from unim-
proved lands adjacent to the roads.
Tections 10 and 16 make the county
treasurer also treasurer of road funds
and provide for the disbursement of
these funds.
Section Is empowers the board OF
commissioners to gradually reduce the
number Of days of labor required for
road duty, one day each year until the
old labor system is abolished entirely,
the road tax being increased proper
tionally; while section 10 empowers
the commissions to reduce the payment
in lieu Of this labor from 81 to 81 per
annum when a sufficiently high tax is
levied.
Section 20 provides that the counties
levying bonds for road purposes need
not levy a road tax in addition.
Section 81 provides that any town
ship may by majority vote or petition
levy a township road tax in addition
to the county road tax.
Section % makes this act apply to
the following counties: Mecklenburg
and Forsyth Except sections A, 5, 6 and
y; Alamance, Durham, Rockingham,
CASTOR, New Hanover, Fender, Warren
and Chapel Hill township of Orange
county.
Section % provides that this act may
be adopted as the road law for the fol-
lowing additional counties or any
township therein by the board of COM
m~issioners, when petitioned so to do
by 300 ~freeholders in the county OF so
freeholders in the township: Alexan-
der, Beaufort, BERTHE, Bladen, Bruins
wick, Caldwell, Catawba, Chatham,
Cleveland, Currituck, Edegeombe,
Franklin, Granville, Green, Halifax,
Hyde, Jackson, Jones, Lenoir, Lincoln,
Mcdowell, Moore, Nash, Northampton,
Orange, excepting Chapel Hill town
ship, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Perquim-
ans, Rowan, Richmond, Polk, Stanly,
Swain, Tyrrell, Vance, Washington,
Wilson, Yadkin.
Sections "a, % and &c relate to Dur
ham, Fender and Orange counties re-
spectively.
Section q provides that in any coun-
ty not coming under the provisions of
this act but otherwise providing funds
for improving roads the county com
missioners nay nevertheless adopt as
a part of it's law any sections of this
act except section 1, levying a tax. In
this way this new road law may be in
part adopted by every county which is
trying to improve it's publis roads.
Section % repeats all laws or parts
of law in conflict with this act and Sec
ton 20 makes this act in force March
z, 1899.