40 BULLETIlSr 393^ U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. ■ 



the county have been improved by grading or have been graded and 

 macadamized. Several of these short sections do not connect with 

 other improved roads, and this fact, together with the failure of 

 White Shoals District to vote the bonds, gives the county a rather 

 disconnected system of roads, as shown by the map (PL XIII). 

 Examples of contrasts on the Powells Valley roads are shown in 

 Plate XV. 



The roads were constructed according to plans and specifications 

 furnished by the State highway department, and this work, as well 

 as the supervision and inspection of construction, was performed by 

 a county engineer selected by the State highway department. His 

 salary of $2,000, however, was paid by the county out of the funds 

 derived from the bond issues. All contracts were let by the State 

 highway department and the comity board of supervisors, acting 

 jointly. 



The board of supervisors consists of five members — one for each 

 district. They are selected by the people for terms of 4 years, and 

 receive $4 per diem for time actually employed, not to exceed 20 

 days per annmn. There is one road superintendent in each district, 

 appoiuted by the board of county supervisors. The road superin- 

 tendents have charge of repairs and maintenance, and receive about 

 $100 per annum each. In the case of new construction, special 

 superintendents are appointed, and receive from $2.50 to S3 per day. 



According to information obtained from the State highway depart- 

 ment, it is estimated that there are about 450 miles of road in the 

 county, of which 39.26 miles, or 8.7 per cent, were graded and mac- 

 adamized under the bond issue to- October 1, 1915. In addition to 

 this there were 60.19 miles graded but not macadamized, making 

 a total of 99.45 miles, or about 22 per cent, graded and partly 

 macadamized under the bond issue, with State aid in certain cases in 

 the form of convict labor. Of the total mileage improved, 69.70 

 miles were constructed entirely out of bond-issue funds, but under 

 the plan of State aid in ejffect in Virginia the county will ultimately 

 be reimbursed to the extent of one-haK of the cost of these roads. 

 In building 29.75 miles, a total of 39,953.75 convict-labor days were 

 contributed hj the State at an average cost of 53 cents per day, or a 

 total of $21,175.48. The cash expenditure by the county on these 

 roads was $75,149.24, thus making the average cost of the convict- 

 built roads $3,237.79 per mile. Of the roads built with free labor, 

 16.63 miles were macadamized, and of the roads built with convict 

 labor 22.63 miles were macadamized, but unfortunately no segrega- 

 tion is available of detailed cost of the macadamized roads and those 

 which were merely graded. However, as an indication of these 

 relative costs, it was ascertained that 10.5 miles graded and mac- 



