The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1911-02-09
Good Roads Bill to be In
troduced.

hi nrst OF seVeTal Ullls UNI VIII CUM
prise an entire good roads" law will
he introduce in the house Of represent
tatives Monday next 10y Mr. Glover
and Others. and will continue the meth
cd to be followed in using short
term" convicts, those serving sentences
Of less than five years, on the public
highways.
This bill has been worked out by the
house committee on roads and high
ways. 1t is significant because OF an
other point, since it includes the first
direct %intimation that the Legislature,
or at least the lower house, probably
will adopt the suggestion OF State
Highway Inspector Sidney Suggs OF
Ardmore and create the Office OF state
highway commissioner.
The body of The bill is as follows:
Section l, For the purpose of work
ing short-term convicts on the public
roads, among the various counties Of
the state, the state highway commits
sioner and warden Of the peniteutial7
shall subdiyide the state into twenty
districts, to be Of as neal the same geo.
graphical size as practicable, and shall
subdivide the short-term convicts that
are capable Of doing manual labor into
an equal number Of groups, as districts
above provided when said districts
| above provided for shall have been
| plated the highway commissioner and
warden Of the state penitentiary shall
designate each county by number, be-
ginning in the northeast corner Of such
district and number each county as
sections in townships are numbered.
Section .. Upon the application of
the county commissioner Of any county
10 its numerical order of any Of the
above districts, for a group of said on
yicts to the state highway.commission-
err for convict labor to be employed
upon the roads Of said county, said
county commissioners guaranteeing to
the state highway commissioner and
the warden of the state penitentia y
that such county will pay transporta-
ton, keep, maintain, paw all guards
and furnish necessary services Of ply
%sicians. free of cost to the state, tine
warden OF the state penitentiary shall
supply such county commissioners with
a group OF said convicts. The warden
of the pe~nitentiary shall furnish a por-
table cage L each county for holding
such convicts, and shall have the select
ing and furnishing of the necessary
guards, and shall prorate such road
machinery as the state now has among
the several groups as above provided
for.
Section 8 Should any county fail or
refuse through its commissioners, to
make application for convict labor as
above provided, said failure shall not
prevent the next county from making
such application through its commits
sioners in numerical order, and no
county shall work such groups of con-
victs for a period longer than sixty
days.
Section 4 1t is the purpose of this
act that any county working convicts
upon the public roads, shall not work
the said convicts upon the roads OF any
district where contract labor is employ
ed.
Section 5. In the event OF disagree.
ment between the warden of the state
penitentiary and the state highway
commissioner, in complying with the
provisions of this act, such disagree
ment shall be referred to the board of
prison control, and their decision in
such disagreement shall be final.