EOAD MILEAGE, CENTRAL AND WESTERN STATES. 37 



may appoint a board of from one to three road commissioners for each district to have 

 like duties as those prescribed for the supervisor. The respective boards of county 

 highway commissioners were required by law to lay out and designate, on or before 

 September 1, 1913, the roads in the county which accommodated the greatest amount 

 of travel and were of most importance to the people generally. Such roads were to 

 be designated as main county roads. The board also was required to designate the 

 other roads in the county accommodating general public travel, and these roads were 

 to be designated as general county roads. Where the cost of any work of improvement 

 exceeds $500, it is the duty of the board of county highway commissioners to have 

 plans and specifications prepared therefor, and to let the same to contract to the lowest 

 responsible bidder. 



For the purpose of creating a fund to be known as the county road and bridge fund, 

 to be used in the construction, repair, and maintenance of county roads and bridges, 

 and the purchase of necessary machinery and equipment, the county boards of com- 

 missioners are authorized to issue bonds of their respective counties in an amount 

 not to exceed 3 per cent of the total assessed value of real and personal property 

 therein, after having submitted the proposition for a majority vote of the qualified 

 electors. 



The boards of county commissioners are authorized, on petition of a majority of 

 the taxpayers of any township, or townships, to divide such township or townships 

 into a road district or road districts. Road districts so created shall be disorganized 

 by the board of county commissioners upon petition of a majority of the taxpayers. 

 Road funds for such districts are obtained by applying thereto the net proceeds of 

 the county's proportion of all poll taxes collected from citizens residing within such 

 road district, and also the proceeds of the one-fomth of one per cent county road 

 taxes levied and collected within such district; and, when a majority of the property 

 holders of the district shall petition the county commissioners so to do, an additional 

 special tax may be levied in an amount not to exceed $3 on each $1,000 valuation; 

 provided, that persons liable to such special tax may pay a part or all of it in labor 

 on the roads at the rate of $3 for each full day's work with tools and implements, 

 |4 for each team of two animals and |1 for each additional animal. 



The legislature has passed at different times laws designating certain roads to be 

 State highways and imposing upon the respective boards of county commissioners 

 the duty of constructing and maintaining such highways. 



A general county road tax of not to exceed one-fourth of one per cent upon the 

 taxable property of the county is authorized to be levied by the board of county 

 commissioners and the proceeds expended in each district in proportion to the amount 

 collected therein. The net proceeds from the registration and licensing of motor 

 vehicles is applied to the maintenance of roads in the several counties, each county 

 being entitled to such proportion of the fimd as was collected therein. 



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

 highways. Such detail, however, is voluntary on the part of the convict. An 

 appropriation has been made to create a general road fund from which to pay the 

 expenses incident to the working of State convicts on the roads. 



ROAD MILEAGE. 



At the close of 1915 Nevada had 12,182 miles of public road, of which 262 miles, 

 or 2.14 per cent, were surfaced. Of the surfaced roads 193 miles were gravel, 67 

 miles sand-clay, and 2 miles macadam. There were also reported 1,080 miles of 

 graded and drained earth road. In 1909 Nevada reported 12,751 miles of public roads, 

 of which only 46 miles, or 0.36 per cent, were surfaced, a gain in surfaced mileage the 

 6-year period of 216 miles. Detailed information regarding road mileage in 1914 is 

 presented by counties in Table 20. 



