Procedure Under the Law. 



In proceeding under this law; first enlist the co-operation 

 of the County Commissioners ;by petition or otherwise and 

 make a preliminary survey which need not be expensive, by 

 a competent engineer and file this preliminary estimate of 

 the cost of the improvement with the County Auditor, and a 

 copy of the same should be filed with the State Highway Com- 

 mission. The County Commissioners should then approve the 

 road, afterwards, the Highway Commission approving same. 



The next step would be for the final survey of the road 

 which could be made by the State Engineer or by a compe- 

 tent engineer whose work would meet with the approval of 

 the Highway Commission. 



After a proper hearing before the County Commissioners, 

 and a determination to build the road, viewers are appointed 

 by the County Commissioners to spread the assessment of 

 one-quarter of the cost of the road. These viewers are three 

 in number and must be men who are not in any financial way 

 interested in the construction of said road. The assessment 

 may be spread in the discretion of the viewers any distance 

 which is proper and right and where they think there is 

 benefit. 



Plan For Northern Minnesota. 



In Northern Minnesota, the general plan is to spread the 

 assessment three miles either side of the center of the road, 

 and on a good gravel road, costing $1,500 per mile, the as- 

 sessment averages one cent an acre per year for each of the 

 following ten years with interest on same. 



A good gravel road costing $1,000 per mile with assess- 

 ment spread two miles either side of the center of the road 

 would be the same amount, or, if spread three miles would 

 be less than three-fourths of a cent per acre. 



No farmer that we have ever seen has objected to the 

 amount to be assessed against his land under the provisions 

 of this law when he knew exactly the amount which would be 

 assessed to him for benefits, as in nearly all cases this kind 

 of a road would save him in hauling his produce to the mar- 

 ket several times its cost each year, besides the added pleas- 

 ure of driving over a good road. 



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