24 BULLETIN 389, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



KANSAS.i 



Kansas has a land area" of 81,774 square miles, and a total road mileage of 111,052, 

 of which 1,148.85 miles, or 1.03 per cent, were surfaced at the close of 1914. 



The State engineer at the State agricultural college is required to give advice and 

 information on road matters, free of charge, when requested by the county engineer or 

 the board of county commissioners of any coimty. 



The roads of the State are classified as "State roads," which include all roads laid 

 out and defined by the State; "coimty roads," which include all roads designated as 

 such by the board of county commissioners, and are required, as near as practicable, 

 to connect cities and market centers; "mail routes," which include all free delivery 

 routes; and "township roads," which include all other public highways within the 

 township. The cotmty and State roads are maintained at the expense of the county, 

 and mail routes and township roads, not coinciding with county or State roads, are 

 maintained by the township. 



Boards of county commissioners are vested with jurisdiction and general super- 

 vision over road and bridge matters in their respective counties. The county board 

 of commissioners of each county is authorized to appoint a county engineer. The 

 county sm'veyor may be appointed county engineer if the board deems him compe- 

 tent. The covinty engineer has general supervision of all State and coimty roads 

 under the authority of the board of county commissioners and of all mail routes and 

 township roads under the direction of the township trustee and highway conunis- 

 sioners. 



When 60 per cent of the landowners along any regularly laid out road, who own at 

 least 50 per cent of the land proposed to be taxed, petition the board of county com- 

 missioners to improve such road and to assess the cost in not to exceed 10 annual 

 assessments upon the lands lying within the limits stated in the petition, the commis- 

 sioners cause such improvement to be made and may issue special improvement bonds 

 to pay therefor. If such improvements are made three-fourths of the cost shall be 

 apportioned and assessed against the lands within the limits prescribed in the petition 

 and one-fourth against the township or townships. The board of county commission- 

 ers may appoint a superintendent to have charge of such work. 



Whenever the board of county commissioners of any county determines that it is 

 necessary to repair or build a bridge or bridges in the county it may appropriate not 

 to exceed $5,000 for each bridge. If the cost of any bridge exceeds $5,000 and the 

 assessed valuation of the county is $15,000,000 or more, additional amounts may be 

 appropriated, graduated according to the assessed valuation. 



The board of county commissioners of any county may issue bonds in the county 

 for the building or purchase of a new bridge on petition, signed by not less than 50 

 voters, requesting the submission of the question to a vote, and the favorable vote of 

 a majority of those voting thereon. 



The township trustee, clerk, and treasvirer of each township in the State constitute 

 a board of highway commissioners and a township auditing board for their respective 

 townships. All mail routes and township roads are under the supervision and control 

 of the board of highway commissioners, and the board appoints one or more road over- 

 seers for all such roads in the township. In order to promote efliciency the board of 

 highway commissioners may employ a superintendent to have charge of all road work 

 under their direction, or may let work to contract. 



The board of commissioners of any county may levy for county and State roads and 

 bridges a tax of not more than 1 mill on each dollar of taxable valuation, and, if author- 

 ized by a majority vote of those voting at an election thereon, may levy not to exceed 

 3 mills on each dollar. 



1 In collecting the information for Kansas assistance was rendered by W. S. Gearheart, State engineer, 

 and A. R. Losh, assistant State engineer, and collaborator of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



