22 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



except the installation above mentioned, which was required by 

 an act of the Legislature. 



THE NEW ROAD LAW. 



For many years the Board of Agriculture has agitated a bet- 

 ter system of road construction and maintenance, but until this 

 year no material advancement had been made. Last year, as men- 

 tioned in my annual report, this office arranged for and conducted 

 a series of district road conventions, with a view of crystallizing 

 public sentiment in favor of a few fundamental principles in a re- 

 organized road system of the State. The meetings terminated with 

 a State convention, held by the Board of Agriculture, co-operating 

 with the county courts of the State, held in Jefferson City, Janu- 

 ary 16-17 of this year. The convention was attended by more 

 than three hundred delegates, representing a majority of the 

 counties of the State. After two days' deliberation, in which 

 many members of the Legislature participated, the convention 

 unanimously endorsed the plan recommended by the Board of 

 Agriculture, and a committee was appointed to confer with the 

 Committee on Roads in the House and Senate. The members of 

 this committee were : Judge J. R. Hairston of Fayette ; Hon. J. H. 

 Bothwell of Sedalia; Hon. W. W. Lawton, Osceola; Judge Woods 

 of St. Joseph, and Geo. B. Ellis, Columbia. 



An agreement was soon reached with the joint committee on 

 roads, and bills were drafted covering every recommendation of 

 the Board, and were all finally enacted into law. 



The laws which were enacted provide for: 



State aid to the counties to the amount of $1,475,000. 



The creation of the office of State Highway Engineer, under 

 the control of the State Board of Agriculture, with an appropria- 

 tion of twelve thousand dollars for expenses of the department. 



The creation of the office of county highway engineer, for 

 every county in the State, under authority of the county court. 



A complete revision of the working system, providing for cer- 

 tain work by contract and the maintenance of the entire road 

 mileage. 



The submission of a constitutional amendment, giving the 

 county courts discretionary power to levy 25 cents on the $100 

 valuation for road purposes. 



The submission of a constitutional amendment providing for 



