38 BULLETIN 387, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



time to time collected information relating to the public roads of 

 the State and has issued road maps, route books and charts, and has 

 had signposts erected along some of the main traveled roads. 



The control of the pubUc roads, bridges, and ferries of the several 

 counties is vested by general law in a county supervisor and a county 

 board of commissioners. The county supervisors are elected for four 

 years with a few exceptions where a shorter term is provided by 

 special law. The county board of commissioners consists of the 

 county supervisor, as chairman, and two commissioners, appointed 

 by the governor upon the recommendation of the county delegation 

 to the general assembly. In a few counties exceptions to the gen- 

 eral law provide for more than two commissioners. 



A number of counties operate under special laws. For instance, 

 Aiken County is administered by a chief commissioner and advisory 

 board, known as the county board of commissioners and composed 

 of one district commissioner from each of four districts into which 

 the county is divided. The chief commissioner is required to inspect 

 the pubhc roads of the county and consult and advise with each dis- 

 trict commissioner as to their improvement and maintenance. The- 

 chief commissioner and advisory board apportion the county road 

 fund among the various townships of the county in proportion to the 

 number of miles of pubhc road in each township, the amount so 

 apportioned to be expended by the district commissioners, respec- 

 tively. A number of counties have their roads and bridges under 

 the jurisdiction and management of a highway commission, and a 

 few counties are authorized to employ a county road engineer. 



County boards of commissioners are authorized to adopt the con- 

 tract system of working roads and to let contracts to the lowest 

 responsible bidders. If the county board of commissioners conclude 

 to work the roads by the labor of those hable to road duty, they 

 appoint overseers in each township. In counties where township 

 board of commissioners exist overseers are appointed by the town- 

 ship board. In counties where the pubhc roads are worked by those 

 liable to road duty, or in which the roads in any highway district are 

 so worked, the county supervisor and the board of county commis- 

 sioners divide the highways into suitable sections of not less than 2 

 nor more than 5 miles each, and where not worked by contract ap- 

 point an overseer for each section. In counties where township 

 board of commissioners exist they shall, subject to the approval of 

 the county board of commissioners or the county supervisor, divide 

 their respective townships into suitable districts and elect, at their 

 annual meeting, from the quahfied electors of the township one over- 

 seer for each district. District overseers, when required by the 

 county board of commissioners, call out the hands assigned to their 

 respective sections for the purpose of working the roads and bridges, 



