The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1920-12-30
OUR SICK ROADS
NEED TREATMENT
ARE you SATISFIED WITH THE
HIGHWAYS OF BROOK
INGS COUNTY?
WILLIS GIVES INTERESTING FACTS
Urges That Money in the Future Be
Spent For the Right Kind
of Medicine.

THE roads of BrookingS county are
sick. When a man is sick you call
a doctor. He diagnoses the case, pre-
scribes medicine and treatment. If his
advice is followed the man may get
well. 1t will cost some money for
doctor, medicine and treatment, II
the man is cured perhaps it is worth
the money. Kicking or cussing the
doctor, the patient or the cost of the
medicine and the treatment is not
likely to accomplish a IRE Your
efforts must be aimed in the right di-
rection. Suppose we apply a little
of the same treatment to the roads of
%Brookings county," says A. j. Willis,
county highway superintendent, in a
letter to the Register, which follows:
The facts in the case are these:
There are about 1000 miles of roads
in the county. Of these, 252 miles,
are state and county roads. The re-
naming 1,348 miles are the so-called
secondary roads. There are % town
SHIPS Ill blOohilSo SouhtJ
there are some features of the pres.
ent Dad law that might be improved
it is a fact that South Dakota has
one of the best road laws in the
United States, and the people of the
state will recognize it better after it
has been in operation a little while
than they can at present. 1t is new
having been adopted on March IA,
1919. .
Under this law the county commits
sioners are required to elect a county
highway superintendent whose duty
it is to outline the policy for building
and maintaining the roads OF the
county highway system, and the
bridges and culverts for the whole
county, provided the bridge or Gull
vert cos more than 5000 to $3.50.
This law provides further that the
county highway system and all the
bridges and culverts as noted above
shall be built and maintained from
county funds and that the county COM
missioners shall in September of each
year in the regular way, levy sufi.
cient funds to properly build and
maintain these roads and structures.
(Chap. 333, S. D. Session Laws, 1879
The 1,348 miles Of secondary roads,
divided among the % townships, are
to be built and maintained from the
township funds. and not from the
county funds. The county commits
sioners and the county highway super
intendent have nothing to do with
them, except in connection with the
bridges and culverts costing more
than $3.50; and provided further that
if any one piece of road work costing
more than $3.50 is to be done by the
township board it shall be done under
the supervision of the county hieh
way superintendent.
There are three funds at the dis
posal of the county commissioners
and superintendent for road and
bridge purposes as follows: The
bridge fund, the road fund and the
motor vehicle or so-called auto fund.
The law statec clearly for what pur.
pose each of these funds may be used.
The bridge fund is to be used for the
construction and maintenance of the
bridges and c~ulverts throughout the
whole county. The road fund can he
used for the construction, repair and
maintenance of roads on the county
highway system. The auto fund can
be used for maintenance purposes
only, and is to be used on the county
highway system; but a part may be
used on the secondary roads when
conditions warrant 1t.
The relation between the county
highway superintendent and the board
of county commissioners for the build.
ing and maintaining of the roads and
bridges Of the county is somewhat sim
liar to the relation between the cashier
Of a bank and the bank and the board
Of directors. Each have important
duties to perform for the successful
corrvjuv nm ~ thu vork. and nron.