556 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



responsibility of the repairs of roads, and who should have a sufficient force of workmen con 

 stantly employed to make permanent improvements, and to keep up the roads. Nothing is 

 better or more clearly proved by the experience of the past, than that the plan of annual or 

 semi-annual repairs is totally inadequate to keep up the roads, though it is undoubtedly the 

 most expensive and wasteful of the public money. 



It might be well, also, to require by law that at least one-half of the money raised should 

 be devoted to making permanent improvements, using the balance each year to keep up such 

 parts of the ways as could stand the delay, picking out loose stones and otherwise keeping 

 them in a passable condition till their turn came for a more perfect treatment. 



This would be one plan. Another would be to authorize or require the towns to elect a 

 road-master, under whose direction all the surveyors for the year, whatever the number might 

 be, should work, and to whom alone they should be responsible after their election by the 

 town. He should also be elected for a term of years with a liberal salary, to be fixed either 

 by the law or by the town at the time of his election. He should be required to give his 

 personal attention to all the important alterations or repairs of the highways, and generally 

 direct the time and manner of the performance of all labor done on the roads by the sur 

 veyors or those under their employ, reporting in writing at the annual town meeting with a 

 statement of what had been done, and suggesting the requirements of the road for the future. 



Another plan would be to authorize the towns to elect a board of perhaps three commis 

 sioners, in the same manner as school committees, who should hold their office for a term of 

 years, to whom should be committed the whole supervision of the roads, and who, so far as 

 the construction, laying out, and repair of roads go, should hold the position already sug 

 gested with reference to the selectmen. Being chosen with special reference to fitness for the 

 position, they might be more competent than any board of selectmen chosen for other and 

 more general duties. 



Another still better plan, perhaps, would be to authorize or require the towns to appoint 

 a skillful road engineer, with all powers, rights, and duties suggested for the superintendent, 

 and which are now exercised by the highway surveyors. He should be required to perform 

 all the duties relating to laying out, altering, and repairing the highways, which now devolve 

 upon the selectmen. His plans might be subject to the approval of the board of selectmen, 

 if thought best, or be submitted to the town for acceptance. 



Still another plan would be to require each town to appoint an inspector of roads, to act 

 in concert with two, three, or more similar inspectors from adjoining towns, and also three 

 agents in each town to make the repairs of roads, one to have the entire charge of repairs on 

 the main roads, for instance, and the other two to have control of needed repairs on cross 

 roads, all the roads being divided, perhaps, for convenience, into first and second-class. 



The three, four, or five inspectors so appointed should be required to pass over the main 

 roads in company with the agents, and point out to them in detail the manner in which the 

 roads should be repaired. To save time and money, the inspector for each town might have 

 the supervision of the cross-roads in his own town, and the same direction over the agents 

 having charge of those roads which the board of inspectors had over the agent having charge 

 of the main roads. After the repairs are made, it should be the duty of the inspectors to 

 pass over the roads and see that the work has been properly done, with the power of accept 

 ance or rejection, according to circumstances. These inspectors might be chosen by the 

 towns or appointed by the selectmen, and in case an agent proved himself to be incompetent, 

 the inspectors should be required to report him to the selectmen, who should be empowered 

 to discharge him and appoint a temporary agent in his place. 



These are a few of the simple changes that might be made to secure greater efficiency, 

 the labor- tax of the commutation system being entirely abolished in either case. They are 

 at best only half-way measures, and liable to some of the objections of the present system, 



