KOAD MILEAGE, CENTEAL AND WESTERN STATES. 13 



practical road builder and shall have charge of all matters pertaining to roads in the 

 county, subject to the coiinty board, and shall have power to form road-dragging 

 districts. 



Counties may be organized into corporate road districts by the boards of county 

 commissioners on petition signed by a majority of the qualified voters of the county. 

 In counties so organized into road districts, the office of road overseer is abolished, 

 and the county commissioners appoint a superintendent of roads and bridges. There 

 is elected in each such road district a board of directors, consisting of three members, 

 to have complete control of all public roads and bridges within the district, except as 

 limited by law. A special property road tax is levied by the board of county com- 

 missioners in such district in such amount as requested in writing by the board of 

 directors, but not to exceed 50 cents on each $100 of taxable valuation. Also, all able- 

 bodied men over 21 and imder 50 years of age in each such district are required to 

 pay an annual road tax of $3 or work two days on the public roads. 



Public improvement districts may be formed in a county when authorized by a 

 special election of property owners called for that purpose by the county board of 

 commissioners. A majority vote of those voting at sucK election is necessary to 

 authorize the formation of such districts. Such districts may issue bonds, but the 

 amount to be issued must have been specified in the call for the election. 



Any city or incorporated town may aid in the construction and repair of any high- 

 way leading thereto by appropriating therefor not exceeding 50 per cent of the 

 highway tax belonging to said city or incorporated town. Such aid shall not be 

 extended beyond 2 miles from the corporate limits, and then only on petition to the 

 cotmcil or trustees and after having received the favorable vote of a majority of those 

 voting at an election held thereon . 



A State levy of one-half mill is made annually upon all taxable property in the 

 State and the proceeds applied to the State road fund. Also, all money accruing to 

 the internal improvement permanent fund and the internal improvement income fund 

 is applied to the State road fund. Fifty per cent of the revenue collected from the 

 registration of motor vehicles is paid to the several counties in proportion to the 

 amounts collected therein, and the other 50 per cent is applied to the State road fund. 



The boards of county commissioners may levy a property road tax in their respective 

 counties of not to exceed $1 on every $100 of taxable valuation. Coimty boards of 

 commissioners may issue road bonds when authorized by a majority of those voting 

 at an election called thereon, but the amount of such bonds, including the existing 

 indebtedness, shall not exceed $6 on each $1,000 in counties where the taxable 

 valuation exceeds $5,000,000, and $12 on each $1,000 in counties where the taxable 

 valuation is less than $5,000,000 and more than $1,000,000. 



Except in corporate road districts, every able-bodied man between the ages of 21 

 and 45 years, not exempt by law, is required to pay to the road overseer of his district 

 $2 or perform two days' work on the public roads of his district. 



Provision is made for the working of both State and county convicts on public 

 highways. 



ROAD MILEAGE. 



At the close of 1914 Colorado had, according to reports received, 39,780 miles of 

 public road, of which 1,193.87, or 3 per cent, were surfaced. Of the surfaced roads 

 574.25 miles were gravel, 450.12 miles sand-clay, 2.25 miles concrete, 3 miles macadam, 

 and 164.25 miles were surfaced with other materials. There were also reported 

 12,104.85 miles of graded and drained earth road. 



Reports received from the various counties in 1909 indicated that Colorado at that 

 time had 320.5 miles of surfaced road, indicating a gain from 1909 to 1914 of 873.37 

 miles of surfaced road. Information regarding the road mileage for 1914 is presented 

 in Table 9. 



