18 BULLETIN 393, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



Very little was done in the way of maintenance until 1914, on account 

 of lack of funds. Because of opposition to a special levy for main- 

 tenance, the board of supervisors determined to raise the necessary 

 maintenance fund by means of tolls, for which authority was 

 secured from the General Assembly of Virginia. 



On August 10, 1914, three toll gates were established, one on the 

 Courthouse Road, one on the River Road, and one on the Chan- 

 cellorsville Road, for which toU rates for round trips were fixed as 

 follows: Single horse and vehicle, 5 cents; 2 horses and buggy, 10 

 cents; 2 horses and wagon, 15 cents; 4 horses and wagon, 25 cents; 

 Ford automobiles, 20 cents; other automobiles, 25 cents to 35 cents. 

 During the week of August 10-16, 1914, $258.77 was collected in 

 tolls, and on September 1 the toll rates on the Chancellorsville and 

 River Roads were reduced one-half. The gross total collected in 

 tolls during the first year of operation amounted to $10,800, of 

 which $2,599.30, or 24 per cent, was received from automobiles. 

 In order t€) raise this amount of money by direct tax it would be 

 necessary to assess an additional tax on all of the taxable property 

 of about 30 cents on the hundred dollars. As the total length of 

 road on which tolls were collected was 43.2 miles in Courtland and 

 Chancellor districts, this gave an annual gross amount per mile of 

 $250. From the gross amount of $10,800 must be deducted $1,740 

 for collection and overhead, leaving $210 per mile for actual main- 

 tenance. 



The total expenses of collection and overhead amounted to $145 

 per month, as follows: Two collectors at $45 per month each and 

 one collector at $40 per month; oil, tickets, fuel, etc., $5 per month 

 for each of the three gates. There is no overhead charge for super- 

 vision, as the gatekeepers report to the county superintendent of 

 roads, whose salary is paid from the regular county funds. Out of 

 the tollgate receipts the River Road was extended 3 miles at a 

 cost of about $1,200, and 3 additional miles were built in different 

 parts of Chancellor and Courtland districts, at a cost of $1,800, 

 leaving $6,060, which was used in resurfacing the Courthouse Road 

 11.75 miles, at an average cost of $515 per mile. 



The maintenance forces of the county under which this work was 

 done consisted of two gangs with a foreman in charge of each gang. 

 Both gangs used on the average 10 teams, four of wliich were owned 

 by the county, one 10-ton roller, owned by the county and paid for 

 out of the county funds, and from 14 to 15 men. The foremen of 

 the gangs received $2 and $2.50 per day, respectively, and laborers 

 were paid $1 per day and board, or $1.25 without board. Team 

 hire was $3 per day without driver, and the cost of maintenance of 

 county-owned teams averaged about $1 per day. 



