The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1913-04-18

state aid, the county must itself rafse
an equal amount. In case it's taxable
property is less than $4,000. 900, tbs
state will pay 80 per cent If the county
raises 20 per cent of the sum to be
expended. From $5,000,0O0 to $ao.-
100000 the states proportion is 70
per cent; from $10,000,000 to $4,000
900. 60 per cent.
The law, with regard to the desig-
nation of state roads, is changed to
give the people more voice in the mat
ter. Such roads may be designated by
the county board, provided the con-
sent of the highway commission is Sc
cured. Under the old law the mat
ter was in the hands of the high
way commission.
An Important Change.
An important change is the law
governing state roads provides that
any village or city Of the fourth class
may, with the consent of the high
way commission, designate a street
as state road, providing such street
will constitute connecting link with
parts of state road leading into and
out of such city or village. State
aid may be given for work on such
street not to exceed $1,000 a mile,
the state paying half the cost, and the
municipality half.
Assistant engineers are to be ap-
pointed under civil service rules to su-
pervise road work in each county.
Their services will be available for
all road work, but it is not made
compulsory to consult them, except
where state roads are concerned. They
supervise all state construction.
Some Special Provisions.
Provision is made in the law for the
construction of roads established by
judicial proceedings, regulating the ap-
pointment of commissioners, hearings,
trials, and so on; also with respect to
mony which may be spent on roads
in an adjoining county, which, how
ever, must not exceed $4,000.
Authority is given to issue bonds Tor
road purposes. Such bonds cannot be
issued by the county board of it's own
motion, however. First, they must be
voted by the people at general or
special election to be held on the Pc
| tition of fifty freeholders. Bonds so
issued may run 20 years, and bear not
to exceed 6 per cent. They must not
| be sold for less than par.
Road and Bridge Tax.
Besides the one mill state tax re-
| ferred to above the county is author
| lied to levy road and bridge tax not
pervisors may also vote road tax, in
| their case not to exceed Is mills. At
| ter the annual town meeting, in case
| of emergency, as where roads or
| bridges are washed out by food, the
town may levy another tax not to ex-
coed five mills to make necessary re-
pairs.
There still remains to be mentioned
| another tax levy-this time a compul-
sorry one, namely: the dragging tax.
| This is a tax of one mill on all tax
able property, to be levied by the coun-
ty auditor. The proceeds of this tax
levy are to be kept in separate
| fund, to be known as the Dragging
Fund.-" and to be expended by the
town board "only for the expense Of
procuring a suitable number of drags,
| and dragging the roads of the town.
In connection with the provisions for
| this fund the town board is directed
| to enter into contracts for dragging
the town roads, giving preference to
| the main travelled road, and roads
constituting mail routes, the contract
price not to exceed $1.00 for each mile
of road dragged.
Road taxes hereafter of whatever
kind are to be paid in cash. The old
| system of Communication by labor is
abolished.
Overseer Discontinued.
The office of the district road over
seer is done away with. Each town
| is to constitute a road district. "The
| town board shall appoint a competent
| road builder as overseer for the en-
tire town, who shall have charge, un-
| der the supervision of the town board
| of the construction of all town roads
and the maintenance and repair of
all town and county roads in the town.
| The overseer is authorized to appoint
such assistants as are necessary. His
compensation is not to be more than
$500 day.
The old road law authorized the &C.
QUESTION of gravel beds by condemna-
| ton. The Dunn law extends this to
| include deposits of any kind of mater
| ial suitable to be used in the con-
struction or repair of roads.
1t is made unlawful to obstruct any
public highway, or dig holes in them
or secure earth, gravel or rock from
them, or to obstruct or damage any
ditch by the side of the road. These
! offenses are punishable as miSdemean-
ors.
To Keep Roads PresentabIe.
| Town boards are required to keep
all highways in a. passable condition
in winter time. Men and teams may
be employed by the road overseer to
remove the snow. The town board
may provide for the erection of snow
| fences when desirable.
1t is expressly provided in the Dunn
law that it shall not be interpreted to
repeal any of the provisions of the
Elwell law, which authorizes the as
sessment of adjacent lands to raise
funds to improve the public highways.
A "Good Roades" Day.
The third Tuesday in June in each
year is designated as Good Roads
Day." and the governor shall annually,
on or before the first day of June, by