The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-03-09

lleBls!aluFe. Unc is u otateS ald Dill
or the creation Of the department of
highways, with engineers in charge.
Another is the employment Of con-
yict labor, and the other is that all
road taxes be paid in cash. He de-
clared he could take the 1000 con-
victs and with fifty guards could
build so miles of good roads a year.
In concluding he stated that in
personal conversation j. D. Rock
lefeller predicted hard times in 1907
or 1908, because the factories had
Supplied the demands for seven
years, and the mills would close
down and hard times follow. Mr..
Rockefeller said if the country would
but get to building good roads there
would then be employment for all
and hard times would not comes.
County Clerk Charles F. Holden
was the next speaker. He said:
'In order that you may more
thoroughly appreciate what / shall
say, | desire TO preface my remarks
with short explanation Of the sys-
item, or laws, now in force for the
maintenance Of the county roads.
For, ! venture the assertion, that not
jail Of our citizens are aware that we
have more than one law, or system,
of maintaining our public roads.
We have three. Seven districts
maintain their roads under what is
known as the General Road Law.
These districts are Eagle, Elk, Sar-
dis, Simpson, Clay, Tenmile and
Union. Two districts, Clark and
Coal, have the Alternate Road Law
1881 One district, namely, Grant,
recently adopted, without serious
consideration, the Alternate Road
Law Of 1891.
Under the general law, the
magisterial districts are divided into
precincts with definite boundaries,
which are under the supervision of
surveyors appointed by the County
Court for a term of two years. The
number of precincts in the various
districts vary from three to fourteen,
the total number Of precincts being
los.
! @Under the Alternate Law of
1881, a Board Of Surveyors is invest
led with almost absolute control of
the roads of their districts. This
board is a corporation, can sue and
be sued. Two members of this
board constitute a quorum for the
transaction Of business. Their first
duty is TO divide the roads of their
district into precincts not exceeding
two miles in length. on the first
Tuesday in April of each year, the
board offers these sections for sale.
The purchaser of any section, or sec
tions, enters into a contract to com
lply with certain specifications and
gives bond, fixed and approved by
the board, for the faithful perform
ance Of his work.
''Under the Alternate Law OF 1891
the districts are divided into two Sec
tions. Two supervisors, appointed
lby the court, and holding office dur
ling the pleasure Of the court, have
complete care and custody of con-
structing and keeping in repair the
roads of their district. Such as sys-
TEN has the district of Grant. 1t
can be plainly seen, gentlemen, that
We lack uniformity of system, a part
of the county trying to maintain its
roads by a system altogether dis
similar from that employed by other
districts Of the county. The mix
lture of systems produces confusion
and looks as if we were only in the
experimental stage. Where the
Alternate Law prevails, the County
Court has little to say except as to
the auditing Of bills.
''In the second place / desire to
call your attention to the leading
thoroughfarcs of the county. The
Northwestern Virginia Turnpike
traverses the entire county through
Its central portion from east to west,
a distance Of about % miles. The
Weston and Faimont turnpike runs
through the central portion Of the
county almost directly north and
south for a distance of about so
miles. These two principal thor
oughfares intersect at Clarksburg,
the county seat-a very important
land wise arrangement. Another
important turnpike is the Shinnston
land Middlebourne pike in the north
ern part Of the county, beginning at
Enterprise and extending through
the districts of Clay. Eagle and
ISardis, a distance Of about 90 miles.
Still other important roads are the
Buckhannon pike, running south
east through the country, a distance
lof 1G miles; the West Milford pike,
running southwest from Clarksburg,
:, li.En,.nn .E 4 ...:l-.. LIZ nl.:l.....: