N>v 6. DEPAiriMENT OF AGKlCUJ/rUI{l<:. 557 



exijeiided, we shall liave a guarauty that thei-e is somebody Lu look 

 after it, aud see tliat the work which has beeu doiii' is not obliterated 

 ill a single jcar. That means constant supervision. Our new law 

 provides that this board of supervisors shall do no work on the road 

 at all; nor shall it oversee men who work on the road. Tliese boards 

 accordingly may be made up of lawyers, physicians, ministers, pro- 

 fessional men, business men, farmers; anybody can be on this board. 

 We are after brains; that's what we want. [Applause.] The mem- 

 bers of this board get no pay excepting $1.50 for each time they 

 meet, and that can not auiouut to more than $54 a year, because the 

 board is only required to meet once a month. 



Thee as to looking after the road. Under this law the roads in the 

 townships are put into districts, of so many miles to a district, and 

 over that district a road master is put, who is a hired man. hired by 

 Ihis board of supervisors. That man understands road building, 

 understands road-making appliances, and he obeys instructions. He 

 is under no obligation whatever to the men who work under him, 

 but is responsible simply to a board of supervisors, and his position 

 depends upon whether he obeys their orders or not. Under our pres- 

 ent supervision, the supervisor is the man who is elected, and who 

 wants to be elected the next time; therefore, men and boys at work 

 on the public roads, are allowed to waste their time and the town- 

 ship money, and this supervisor can not protest because he wants 

 a re-election. Instead of having a man who is under obligations to 

 the men who work under him, and owes his position to them, we put 

 a man there who is independent of them, and who can insist that a 

 day's work be done, or else the workman get off the road aud pay 

 his road tax in money. This bill provides also that at least one-half 

 the road tax shall be paid in money, and we hope, when it goes into 

 effect, that if a day's work is required of every man for a day's wages, 

 the man will prefer to pay that in money rather than do the day's 

 work. Then we can hire men to work upon our public roads. 



One of the duties of the Road Master, under the act, is to be on the 

 road every day of the year excepting Sundays. He is also responsi- 

 ble for his section, and the Supervisors of the district, supervise with 

 a horse and buggy. 



I have not time to go into this full}', but State aid will come just 

 as soon as you have in each township men who are instructed, and 

 capable of expending the money. We hope to have it soon in Penn- 

 sylvania. 



We have made some improvements in our system already. Since 

 the beginning of road «gitation, we have had what is known as 

 County roads. The citizens of a county may petition the grand jury 

 for a county road, designating its limits. That petition must be 

 acted ui)oii favorably by two grand juries before any further action 



