The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1911-06-22
MUST ELECT CO. INSPECTOR
New Law Does Not Meet With APP
prevail of County Board Members
and Hot Times are Promised in En-
forcing it.

Copies of the new highway law pass
ed by the legislature were received in
Kenosha this morning and they are
proving decidedly interesting to Of
ficials Of the county interested in the
building and rebuilding of highways.
The law provides for the creating Of a
state commission for the maintenance
of the roads of the state. The commits
sion is to consist of five members, three
of which are to be appointed by the
governor at once. Appointments are
to be made biennially in 1913. The
ex-officio members of the commission
are the dean of the engineering college
of the University of Wisconsin and the
state geologist. The commission will
maintain an Office at Madison and it
will have complete charge of the ex-
penditure of the state highway fund.
1t will have power to employ its own
corps of engineers and etenographers.
The commission will advise with
town and village and city officials in
regard to the improvement of highways
and all bridges built in the state must
be built according to plans approved
by the commission. The commission is
given wide powers. 1t may make ex-
periments in any part of this or other
states and it may accept gifts for road
maintenance and direct the manner in
which these gifts are to be spent. 1t
is made one of the duties of the com
mission to review the plans of any
county board for the improvement of
highways in any of the counties of the
state and it may make such changes
in these plans as it may see fit. The
decision of the commission is final and
the boards must change plans to meet
the demands of the commission. If
plans are not changed the commission
has the power to refuse to allot state
aid for the construction of highways to
such counties.
On the request of any county the
state commission shall take charge of
the work Of supervising the building
Of highways in any county and the
counties must pay the state for such
supervision and the amount will go in
to the regular state highway fund. The
commission will keep list of compe-
tent road builders to furnish the vari-
GUS counties which may be in need of
competent engineers.
The real meat of the law is found in
the portion providing that every county
board in the state shall at its next
meeting make map showing the pro
posed Improvement of highways and
the amount to be improved shall not
exceed is per cent Of the entire road
mileage in the county County boards
in adjoining counties must hold joint
meetings and agree to improve connect
ing roads so that when the work is
finished it will furnish a system of
improved highways, After the reports
are filed the county will pay two-thirds
of the cost of improvements and the
state the other third. The counties
must pay 80 per cent of the cost of
bridges.
The election of a county highway
commissioner is made necessary in
each county that is to participate in
the division of the state highway funds
and the law provides that the county
board shall levy annual taxes to pro-
vide. for road work.
The law is one of the longest passed
at the present session of the legisla-
ture and its provisions are of such a
nature that it is not expected that it
will be overly popular among the
county boards of the state The new
law is to go into effect at once.