The Topeka state journal., 1911-04-19
Interest in This Question Has
Been Stimulated.
MUST BE CLASSIFIED,
State Roads and Mail Routes
Lead. in Importance.
Burden of Improvement Falls
on Township Officers.

There is more interest in the Kan
sas good roads laws by the farmers
of the state than in any other leglsia
tion enacted by the 1911 session OF tne
legislature. On account OF the sIeTa,
political significance in the pupnc uIlll
ties bill it was generally supposed tnaI
there was more interest in TINS Dill
than in any other but the requests TOT
the good roads bill have exceedeo an
the others. The compensation Tor WORK
ingmen comes next to the good roaus
bill in general interest ana tne pupllo
utility bill comes about third.
! Within the last two or three years
the interest in good roads has been
stimulated and at the 1909 session OF
the legislature some excellent soOu
roads legislation was enacted. But tne
1911 session took all the old ROAD laws
with the hundreds OF amenonleIits' ,ts
wiped them all off the statute oooks'
took the good ones and built an en-
tireiv new bill which comprises all the
road legislation Kansas has at tnat
time Engineers and others VINO nave
studied road work are agreed thdI liIe
new laws are a decided improvements e1l
over the old ones and Dig step ior-
ward.
Up to Township Officers
The manner of locating new roads
and in cases where the records OF
legally laid out road nave peeH TIso
have been somewhat Slmplineu' 1
legal width that roau can o0 ~ -
will be 40 to so feet instead OF 4o To
So 49,. ,o,,n+v
The township trustee and the county
engineer are authority to enter upon
any land near or adjoining p' puoliI
road to dig and carry away any slatcl, st.
sand. stone clay, gypsum, or any o@tIer @
rOad building material and to purchase
anv timber which may be necessary "
irnnrove or repair said roao. -
The roads of every county III liz
Cd according
their relative importance, as sldIv
roads, county roads,, mail routes
and township roads" The state roaus
are to be all roads laid ana deIlheo ~
the state of Kansas. The county roaus r
are to be the roads designated as euCn u-Il
nv the board of county commissioners
of the county who shall as near as
nra ctical name as such county roadS
direct highways connecting cities ana
market centers, whether potn sucn @
cities or centers are within the county
or one is within and the other without
such county. Free delivery mail routes
are to be known as mail routes unless
| otherwise classified and all other publc
| highways within a township are town.
| ship roads All county and state roaus
| shall be maintained at the expense Z.
| the county and all mail routes ana
township roads where they do not coin
| eide with county and state roads, at the
| expense of the township in which they
are situated.
The township trustee, clerk and
! treasurer, constitute the board of high
wav commissioners and are authorized
| to appoint one or more overSeerS TO
! superintend the construction and main
tenance of the mail routes and town
ship roads and they are also authorized
to let contracts and employ 1aDorefS
for tue construction and maintenance
| of roads and bridges.
| In all counties of the state if, i'll the
| iudgme ent of the board of county COM
| missioners the county surveyor be
competent to superintend the county
and state roads, he may be the county
| engineer but, if the board of county
commissioners shall deem the county
| surveyor incompetent for such work
they may appoint some other person.
The county engineer shall have gen
eral supervision of all the county
roads and bridge work in the county
and furnish any information desired
bv the township and county officials.
The state engineer, appointed by the
board of regents of the Kansas State
Agricultural college, is authorized to
assist the county engineer and other
road officials in road construction and
maintenance and in preparing plans
and specifications for bridges and cul-
verts.
Dragging of Roads.
The township trustees shall deter
mine what mail route and township
roads can be dragged and shall each
year arrange with some person or per-
sons to drag the rural routes and
township roads in their township at
such time and upon such terms as the
highway commissioners and township
trustee may direct. They shall have
the power to pay reasonable COM
pensation for dragging such roads but
in no case shall the amount paid eX-
ceed rs cents per mile for each time
the same shall be dragged and there
shall not be expended for dragging
more than $40 per mile per year. The
county engineers, with the approval of
the board of county commissioners,
shall determine what state and county
roads can be dragged and shall each
year arrange with some person or per-
: sons to drag the state and county
roads at such time and upon such
terms as the board of county commits
sioners and county engineer may di-
rect but in no case shall the amount
! paid exceed that specified for the
dragging of mail routes and town
ship roads.
of constructing public roads and high
ways shall be paid in cash. The coun-
ty commissioners of each county may
llevy a road tax for county and state
roads and bridges of not more than
one mill on the dollar on all taxable
III properly IllC iCSPCSNiNC SOuiIllSS anu
lit shall be collected as other taxes;
provided, that if a majority of the
electors voting at an election called
for that purpose in such county shall
9 vote to increase the tax levy therein
. such board of county commissioners
g shall levy a tax for road purposes not
n to exceed three mills on the dollar
and the county boards are required to
to keep all state and county roads
j within their respective counties in first
laIo "a hi hi io11
r way comm issioners are authorized to
recommend to the county commission