The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-10-25
And Legislature May Create
Such An Office
By Passing A Law At The
Next Session
The Duties Of The Superin-
tGDdent Are Outlined

Columbus, o., Oct. 21-In his work
of revising and codifying the state
road laws, assigned to him by the
legislature last winter, State Highway
Commissioner Wonders has now TAX
en- up the subject of road repairing.
This may be said to be a feature of
road matters that has been wholly
omitted in this state up to this time
for what has been provided for by
law heretofore has been so inefficient
ly done that it would have been bet
ter had it been omitted.
Commissioner Wonders proposes
that the road repairing shall be done
conformity by the county and town
ships. He proposes to create the posi-
ton of county road superintendent.
He is to be appointed by the county
commissioners. Not being an office, it
will be legal TO provide for his ap-
pointment, instead of election of this
functionary.
IA But the commissioners are to ap-
point the county surveyor to the posi-
tion unless he is, in their opinion,
not competent road engineer In that
case they may use their judgment and
select another. BY this provision,
Commissioner Wonders thinks he has
solved the big salary question. AS
a rule the county surveyor is neither
overworked nor overpaid. This ar
rangement would give him more work
and more pay his compensation as
county road superintendent being in
addition to what he receives as county
surveyor
AS to this compensation, quite a
good deal of latitude will be given the
counties. AS Mr.. Wonders has it
drawn now it may range from $500
to $1,000 year. This, he believes,
would meet the requirements of the
smallest counties as well as of the
limits the county commissioners are
to fix the compensation of the county
superintendent.
Then he provides for a road super
intendent in each township, to be
elected by the people. 1t was origi-
nally Commissioner Wonders inten-
tion to give the care of the improved
roads in the county into the hands
of the county superintendent, and
leave the others to the township sup
perintendents, but when he came to
define an improved road he found that
he could not make a definition that
would be adapted to all parts of the
state, so he abandoned it.
In providing for the expenses of
road repair, he has adopted the prin-
ciple of requiring the general public
as well as the people living in the
immediate vicinity to contribute to
the expense. His new bill will require
the county to make road repair levy
and the township to share in 1t must
match it with similar levy. Each
township will have to use in the repair
of its roads not only all that it levies
on the property within 1t, but its
share of the county levy.
The townships are to participate
in the county levy fund in proportion
to their total mileage. This will
leave it optional with the township as
to whether it will engage in road
repairing, AMI if it does, how extern
sively and extensively it will do So.
Upon this, of course, will depend the
compensation that will be paid to the
township road superintendent, for it
will determine what proportion of his
time will be taken in the work. The
township authorities, therefore, deter
mine what their road superintendent
shall be paid.