No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 393 



should be imposed on all persons hauling loads of greater weight 

 than those specified for certain width of tires, namely: 



2,000 lbs., including weight of wagon, 2f inch tire. 

 4,000 lbs., including weight of wagon, 4-inch tire. 

 8,000 lbs., including weight of wagon, 4-inch tire. 

 16,000 lbs., including weight of wagon, 5-inch tire. 



Most all counties that are reconstructing country roads have 

 adopted wide tire laws with severe penalties for infraction. 



9th. The law should provide some method of compelling prompt 

 payment of their respective shares of a contract by the county and 

 township. The county's share should be made a lien on the amount 

 of personal property tax that is to be returned to the county by the 

 State Treasurer, but I can see no direct method of compelling the 

 township to pay promptly, even after they have signed an agree- 

 ment to pay their share of the cost and have certified that a "cash 

 road tax has been levied." Last proviso, Section 8. 



10th. Trolley companies should not be allowed to occupy public 

 highways if a location elsewhere is at all possible. They should be 

 entirely prohibited from tearing up and using a public highway 

 that has been reconstructed with State aid, and they should not be 

 allowed to interfere with the improvement of a public highway 

 already occupied by them, when it becomes necessary to change the 

 grade of such highway. 



11th. The State Highway Commissioner should have authority to 

 compel ^supervisors to make a sworn statement as to the expendi- 

 tures of the proportion of the maintenance fund which has been 

 given them under Section 16 of the act of 1903. 



12th. The time for advertising for bids by the county commis- 

 sioners should be made once a week for two weeks and the Highway 

 Commissioner be authorized at his discretion to insert the same ad- 

 vertisement in a daily paper published in the city of Philadelphia or 

 Pittsburg, and in a paper devoted to engineering and contracting 

 interests. 



13th. Rural boroughs having a population of 500, or less, or where 

 the assessed valuation does not exceed |150,000, should be entitled 

 to have a main thoroughfare or road reconstructed in the same 

 manner and under the same condition as townships. Provided, that 

 an adjoining township or borough shall have reconstructed a road 

 to the line of said borough making application. Boroughs, however, 

 should not have a share of the maintenance fund, except for main- 

 taining a road reconstructed by State aid. 



At this point, Mr. Clark took the chair, and on motion, the report 

 of the Committee on Roads and Road Laws was ordered received 

 and placed on file. 



The SECRETARY: There are some very important recommenda- 

 tions made in this report, and if these recommendations are to go 

 from this Board to the Legislature, there should be a motion that 

 the report be adopted as well. 



MR. HERR. I move as an amendment that the report be referred 

 to the Committee on Legislation. 



The question being on the amendment, it was agreed to. 

 26 



