The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1912-07-18
right as God gives us the rghtAbraham Lincoln

wish to refer you to number of Sec
tions of the law.
In subsection |, Sec. l3l7m-5. the
county boards are given authority to con-
struct or improve roads or bridges within
the county. Such roads are evidently
constructed under this act. Subsection a
of Sec. l3l7m-2 makes it the duty of the
commission to make regulations for sur
veying, planning. constructing and MAIN
taing of all roads and bridges constructed
under this act. Under Subsection a, Sec.
l3l7m-6, it is provided that the county
highway commissioner shall have charge.
under the state highway commission, of
the construction of all highways built
with state or county aid.
The evident intention of these passages
of the law is to make the commission re-
sponsible for all work done by the coun-
ties of the state, and under the commits
sion the only person mentioned who has
direct charge of the work is the county
highway commissioner. The character
of the work already done so far as we
saw it varied from HIGHLY UNSATiS-
FACTORY TO MODERATELY UN-
SATISFACTORY. The reasons for this
are two:
First the lack of surveys and adequate
plans for the construction.
Second: Poor methods of work due
to a variety of causes, chiefly INExPERI-
ENGE OF MEN in charge of the crews.
We were informed that the county
board provided that the money should be
divided among the various towns and ex-
pended under the direction of the town
chairmen. The law makes no connec-
ton of the townchairmen with this work
and the only person whom the state Com
mission can hold responsible is the Coun-
ty Highway Commissioner. and conse-
quentIy we shall look to him. While we
are interested in getting the best possible
results from the expenditure ofthe money
that is to be spent in Bayfield, county from
the point of view of the state, we are still
more interested from the point of view
of the present and future taxpayer Of
Bayfield, county.
State Highway Commission.
Per w. O. Hotchkiss, Secy.
1t was brought out at the meeting
that thus far during the season of
1912 the sum of about $4,000 has
been expended on county roads under
the direction of the County Highway
Commissioner and with the road build
ing season only just about begun only
about four thousand dollars remain
of the entire county highway levy.
A part of the balance has already
been contracted for in the purchase
of road machinery SO that very
small balance remains to carry out the
work for the balance of the season.
Chairman w. E. Trippe of the
town of Trippe, who for the past year
or more has been fighting against the
extravagant use of money in road
building in the county, wanted to
know from Mr.. Olson how he expect
ed to carry on the road work for the
balance of the season when the
present highway fund was exhausted
and to this the highway commissioner
replied that he was depending on the
money to be raised through the sale
of the county highway bonds. Mr..
Trippe said that there was some doubt
if this bond issue could negotiated
and Mr.. Olson was told that he
better go little slow until this was
determined.
A resolution was presented by
Chairman Werden of the town of
Mason, which would put stop to all
road building in the county, except
ing necessary repair work, until plans
could be approved by the Highway
Commission which would be salts
factory to them and also to the tax
payers of the county as represented
through the road committee of the