Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-04-06
Road and School Laws Passed by
the Recent General Assembly

by the recent General Assembly
there are two, bills which were
introduced by Judge Sims of Lousia,
that are of general interest.
One provides for dividing roads
of counties whose boards of super
viscrs choose so to do, into d'vls-
ions containing not less than ten
nor more than thirty miles OF roads,
each sub. spction to have in its ter
ritorv, those property owhers who
chiefly use the roads therein and
giving to such property owners, by
a majority vote, which vote shal!
include a majority of The freehold
ers therein,-which road surveyor
is practically road section man,
in such road sub-district. who shall
discharge certain duties with re-
spect to frequent repair work, as a
section foreman does on railroad,
which duties are set forth in the
act and include the use of drag
or rut scraper over all CT the roads
of clay soil, or soil other than sand.
in his road sub-district on an aver
age of once per month after the
thaw in the spring and after each
heavy rain. Each road surveyor
may be paid by contract or bv
force account as may be determin-
ed by the board of supervisors with
respect to such work as he may do
for it, and as may be determined by
the sub.district road tax PAYERS
with respect to work done for them,
Also, but not compelling them so
to do, to vote annually an extra
road tax for the inclusive benefit
of the particular roads in such road
b.distrlct.
This statute is two-fold in its
object. 1t is designed to have pure.
ly repair work on roads done fire.
quently and Systematically by
local man selacted by the tax.pav'
ers and immediate road users
of each neighborhood, providing
that the now famous rut scraptr OF
drag, invented by Mr. Ward King
of Maitland, Mo. more than fifteen
years ago, shall be put in use il
Virginia, as it is in successful gen
eral use in many other states. An(
it gives opportunity for putting in
to practical effect the known fac
that the majority Of the taxpayer
and immediate users Of a particula
road are frequently perfectly will
ing to pay something extra for i'm
provement Of such particular roads
and can see that it will pay then
to do so, whereas they would objec
to an increase of the general cOun
ty or district road tax.
The other modifies the genera
road law so as to give the stat
highway engineer general supervl
sorry and advisory jurisdiction owe
boards Of supervisors so as to co
ordinate the whole road system
from top to bottom and tend t
prevent the waste of a great dea
of the 100000 now being raise
by local road taxation Throughout
the state. Enables counties opeI
ating under general road law to us
money raised by county and distric
road tax to comply with condition
) of Lassiter- Withers road laws so a
to obtain state aid in shape of con
Wet and Jail road force Also, pro
vides a less expensive and more el
: peditious method of acquisition G
rights Of way for new roads an
: change Of location of all roads
, | and further, allows boards of st
pervisors to appoint district roa
!, superintendent; use them as fOr'
men; allowing supervisor to hin
self act in lieu of a district roa
superintendent or supplemental
to the duties Of same; and leayin
(, it to discretion Of board of superv
c visors whether it will go to e,
: pense Of having county superlr
|. tendent of roads; thus making I'll
general law more flexible to me-
local condition.
Amongst the school laws passe
by the recent General Assembl
there is one, bill for which was ais
:. introduced by Judge Sims, that
/. Of general interest.
r This statute provides that
/ counties (the law does not app
!. to cities) whose schools shall be d
!. vided into sub-districts (white All
= colored SUBJ districts separately wit
. but one school in each sub-distric
for power Of tax payers annual
/ to elect three school officers IL
such school, with certain power
{ not IN conflict with the oth'
school authorities but supplemel