Middletown transcript., 1901-01-26

Levy Court OF each county shall appoint
county supervisor, who shall be an en-
gineer of at least five years experience
at salary to be fixed by the court The
State commissioner, who is to be apnoint
ed by the governor, subject to the con-
firmation of the Senate, must be an en-
gineer OF at least 10 years experience.
lie is to receive an annual salary of s., 900
and receive $1,500 for office expenses
and $500 for travelling expenses. The
county supervisors must be approved by
the State commissioner, and they are to
act as his assistants on all roads receiving
State aid and at other times are to be the
engineers of the Levy Courts to do what
ever road work the Levy Courts shall re-
quire.
Son all roads receiving State aid the
State pays one-third, the county one
third, and the hundred onesthird of the
cost, and it is the intention to have such
roads extend ultimately all over the
county. As soon as they are built with
State aid, as indicated above, they are to
be turned over to the county in which
they are located and the Levy Court is to
care for them and keep them in repair.
"When new road or the rebuilding of
an old one with State, aid is under consid-
Grafton the matter is brought to the Levy
Court of the county, and if the Levy
Court should pass resolution requesting
that the road be built the matter is
placed in the hands of the county engi-
neer, who draws plans, which are sub.
mitted to the State highway commissioner
and if that officiul deems the road of suf-
ficient importance for the State to assist
in building it he gives his approval.
Otherwise he disapproves and the road,
if built at all, must be built at county or
hundred expense. His judgment is final
in so far as receiving aid from the State is
concerned.
"Where a road is petitioned for by the
owners of majority of the property
along it, the Levy Court directs the
county engineer to make plans, which
are submitted to the State highway COM
missioner, as stated above, and if he
should give his approval, the road is
built and the property owners pay one
tenth of the cost, which, in the case of a
12-foot road, would be about five cents
per foot front. This goes to the credit of
the hundred.
'In all cases of improvement of roads,
with State aid, the State highway COM
missioner has one vote in the Levy Court, |
just as if he were a member thereof. |
The State commissioner is judge of the |
necessity of any small road Of not more |
than mile in length to connect two |
other roads built with State aid, and this
connecting road is to be built in the
same manner as the other roads.
''By vote of two-thirds of the mem
bers, the Levy Court can bond the
county for road improvement for sum
not exceeding one-fourth of 1 per cent
of the value Of the real estate and per-
sonal property in the county. The two
third estimated cost must not exceed one
half Of per cent of the real and personal
value in any one year and at no time
must the county debt exceed per cent
of the assessment In some other States
the bonded Indebtedness reaches z and
per cent. The bill makes provision for
bonds at rate not exceeding per cent
and they must not be sold for less than
the par value.
while it is understood that under the
present law, the Levy Court has nothing
to do with keeping up the roads, it is
necessary to make some branch of the
responsible, and the Levy
Court has been selected, as the highways
referred to in the bill mean not only the
roads but also the bridges The road t
commissioners duties are not to be taken !
from them, however. IL
"An objection has been offered that as
5he governor and two of the three Levy /
courts in the State are Republican in !
politics, three of the four engineers :
would be Republicans. This is true, but b
politics should not enter into the matter. {
Che fitness of the men for the places
hould be the only thing considered.
The engineers are to be appointed for n
our-year terms
Under the bill all roads must be con. 4,
racted for by the Levy Court and State !
highway commissioner, and they have 81
he right to reject all bids. They are pro- a,
nbited, however, from farming out the n
Dad repair work, as has been the custom
or long time. And all road taxes
must be paid in mouey and collected the
anne as any other taxes and the county
reasurer who is to receive the money, is Z
0 keep a separate account Of the road D
money. All money is to be paid by war RI
ants signed by the county supervisors, L
he State commissioner and the Levy W
jourt. Where an extraordinary expen- &c
lture Is incurred for some special reason b
must be cancelled the following year II
When material is required for repairs the II
1evy Court is directed to purchase all II
uch material from State or county penal
so far as the institutions can D.
upply the material, and the cost is not B
'reater than the same material can be "
from other sources. Y
I'm cases where roads are to be built re
Without State aid the State commissioner W
to give free use of his plans and also 81
lis services. ps
"As an illustration Of the unsatisfac- of
Dry methods Of road work now EN-,
loyed, it might be well to state that in in
S96 the sum Of $47, 1892 was raised in the W,
ounty for road work, while in 1897 in
4, ,306 was collected, and not Withstand. CT
lg this large amount Of money there Is lai
cry little to show for it, although each
undred has liability ranging from
a. - u