Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-07-11
ARTICLE NO. 3

ARTICLE NO. 3
TThis. is the third Of a series OF four
articles covering the important high
way legislation enacted by the 1919
session of the legislature. A read
ing Of them will show that many vi
tai changes have been made
There is a volume known as the Wis
consin Town Laws, published in 1917,
containing 1910 pages, and herein are
contained, of course, the laws regard
ing town highways and bridges. The
first were enacted in 1910 and they
have been added to from session to Ses-
ton of the legislature since that time.
The fundamental law governing the
maintenance and construction Oh town
reads and bridges, however, has re-
mained the same until this session OF
the legislatur, when by the passage OF
bill number 5,3}3A, the town road laws
are rewritten SO far as the manage
ment of highway construction and
maintenance is concerned. The change
is an epochal one.
Under the old law, the towns were
divided into road districts, averaging
about six miles of road each, which
were in charge of q road district boss,
sometimes called a pathmaster The
option was given to the Town Board
TO provide that town road taxes should
be paid in cash or worked out in labor.
Most of these taxes were worked out
or supposed to be worked out in labor.
There are $4,000 pathmasterS or dis
trict bosses in Wisconsin today, and
there is charged on the town books
$5.000.000 a year as road taxes paid
The system was fundamentally
wrong. and the lack of results was APP
parent. Recently more and more the
farmers began to see it, and began to
see that the only solution was to wipe
out the road district system and to pro-
vide for one competent, responsible,
central authority in charge OF road
work, and to further provide for the
paying of road taxes in cash.
This, in brief. is what Bill 533A does.
L
point and fix the compensation OF a
competent person to superintend the
construction or repair of all highways
and bridges, subject to the direction OF
the Town Board to he known as the
superintendent of highways. He shall
serve for one year, and give bond Tor
the faithful performance of his duties.
He NAV he paid in lieu Of all other com
pensation an annual salary, payable
monthly, and the board is allowed to
make him a monthly allowance for the
upkeep OF horse and vehicle or auto
mobile or motor truck.
His duties shall be to supervise the
construction and maintenance Of all
roads. bridges, and culverts to keep
the highways passable at all seasons
and to make full and complete reports
to the Town Board yearly or when re-
ouired Blank forms for this are to be
! furnished by the Highway Commits
sion. He may make arrangements for
| the appointment of as many fOremen
as needed.
The option Of working out the road
| tax is eliminated, and the supervisors
are required to levy and collect in cash
such taxes as may be needed. All pay
ments for work shall be by warrant
drawn upon the town treasurer, signed
| by the town superintendent, and coun-
| tersigned by the town chairman, and
complete records are to be kept. For
NAL contracts are required to be ap,
proved by the Town Board.
| This marks new epoch in highway
Improvement in Wisconsin, and will un
doubtedly mean a vast improvement
Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois have
abandoned the old town system, and a
number of towns in Wisconsin have
done so, and found they were saving
money and vastly improving theil
| roads.
| --- Mg-