The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1906-12-21
ROAD LABOR

IQo recent IE&al ana OOnVlcOL@n OF
Major Murphy Of Minot, charged with
fraud in connection with road work is
a matter of general interest, because of
the fact that under our present system
it is possible, in fact q temptation, for
fraud.
The fact that road ,owerseers are not
prohibited from "'working- -out" road tax
that would otherwise be 'oallected in
cash, gives the opportunity and the
temptation In some townships very
large part of the .Ioad tax is paid by tho
railroads and nsn- n-residents. In one
township in this county the railroad
alone pays ,one-third. of all the assessed
road taxes and half the township is Also
owned by non-residents. in the case Of
the railroads, the agent comes to the
road oxerseer and offers him anywhere
from sixty to seventy-fEe cents ON the
dollar to do the road wmk, which is ac-
cepted by the overseer and having
learned the trick he also collects the
cash from the .non-residents generally at
par, and then goes .and performs the
labor with his own teams. OF course lit
is evident that no man can afford to do,a
full days work at this rate, except for
one thing, and that is the fact that he
is his own oRerseer, he keeps his own
time and chooses his .own work.
The result to the townships is ;alse
quite evident. We will guarantee that
the figures will show that in every town
ship in this county, that the yearly road
labor apparently expended ON the pub
lie highways annually for the last twen-
ty years would show totals that are
simply absurd in comparison to the &C.
tnal highways as they exist and will ag-
gregate from $500 to q, 900 per mile per
township
We don't suppose that the legislature
could make law debarring ordinary
people from taking road labor to do at
reduced rates, but think that rs the
overseets are public officials that they
could be prohibited from doing this,
and certainly the Individual townships
could enact such q bylaw,
Another point in this matter is that
the work Of the oveHeers should be sup
ervised by the township board at least
as to the amount done. Uuder the
present system the overseers 70 ahead
and do the about such work as they
please both as to amount, quality and
place, and bring in the bill for extra
labor and @for cash collected" and the
township board passes the bill as correct
without ever going out to see ifany labor
at all has been done.
We think it ought to be part Of the
duties Of the township board to have q
general supervision Of the highways
and their repairs, to direct and order al
important work. supervise the same, and
know enough about the amount Of labor
performed to BE- able Il, reasonably judge
II the accounts rendered are correct.
Every road oversesr should be com
PEELED to keep .. .stime book" open to the
inspection Of the supervisors az any
time, which book should detail the men
and teams working day BY day, Of hour,
and in brief the nature Of the work and
whore done.
This q the method that such work Is
Sdonel land supervised BY railroads and
other corporat ations that employ large
nnmbers of laborers and Is ths only ysssns
ssible method The result of some hon
sest day q works "a the hig ghway would
coon "a become ] appsrsnt i such days
Works svera done,