GOVERNMEXTAL WORK FOR COUNTRY LIFE 403 



ROADS 



The present highway system of Michigan comprises 

 a network of about 75,000 miles^ constructed by 

 townships, good roads districts, the counties, and the 

 State. This is the order in which the adoption of 

 road construction by the several kinds of districts 

 was placed on the statute book. It will be observed 

 that these districts represent an area successively 

 larger than that covered by the earlier type, answer- 

 ing to the growth of the State and the expansion of 

 local interests. As a unit of road work the town- 

 ship antedates statehood, and its road officials are 

 the commissioner of highways and the overseer or 

 overseers of highways. The voting of road taxes 

 rests directly with the voters in their annual town- 

 ship meetings or with the to^vnship boards. Two 

 taxes are levied: the road repair tax is on taxable 

 property within the township outside of incorporated 

 villages; the highway improvement tax is on all 

 property within the township including incorporated 

 villages. Good roads districts, of which there are 

 (1920) only three in the State, comprise a union 

 of township and municipalities for road work. 



The act of the legislature of 1909 which estab- 

 lished the present county road system was revolu- 

 tionary in its effect, for it created a larger unit of 

 road construction with an organization competent 

 to carry out a comprehensive highway policy under 

 ample financial support. As the law now stands, a 

 board of county road commissioners, of throe mem- 



