42 BULLETIN 389, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF' AGRICULTURE. 
or portions of the system of intercounty highways. The State highway commissioner 
may designate additional intercounty highways and main market roads, or change 
existing ones. 
A State tax of three-tenths of 1 mill on all taxable property in the State is levied 
annually, and the proceeds constitute a State highway improvement fund. Of this 
fund 75 per cent is used for the maintenance of the State highway department and for 
apportionment equally among the several counties to aid in the construction, main- 
tenance and repair of the intercounty highways, and 25 per cent is used to aid in the 
construction, maintenance and repair of the main market roads. The county com- 
missioners are required to make application to the State highway commissioner for 
State aid before January 1 of the year for which the funds are available and if they do 
not make application by such date the township trustees may do so. The county or 
township, and the State each pay one-half of the cost of improvements made with the 
aid of State funds unless the county or township agrees to pay a larger portion; and of 
the county's portion the county pays, except as otherwise provided, 50 per cent, the 
township 30 per cent, and abutting property 20 per cent. 
The county commissioners of the several counties are vested with general juris- 
diction over the roads in their respective counties. Applications to locate, alter, 
vacate, or otherwise affecting a public road, are made by petition to the county com- 
missioners. The county surveyor is made the county highway superintendent, who 
may be designated by the State highway commissioner to have charge of the highways, 
bridges and culverts in the county under the control of the State, in which event 
one-fifth of his salary is paid by the State. If the State highway commissioner deems 
the county highway superintendent of any county improperly qualified and so states 
in writing to the county commissioners, he may then designate an engineer to have 
charge of the construction, improvement and repair of all bridges and highways 
within such county. On or before April 1 each year, the county highway superin- 
tendent reports to the county commissioners an estimate of the probable amount 
required within the year for the construction, maintenance and repair of bridges, 
culverts and roads, and also makes an annual estimate to the township trustees of the 
funds needed for the construction, maintenance and repair of bridges, culverts, and 
roads in the township. 
The board of county commissioners of any county may construct a new road or 
improve any existing road when requested by a petition signed by at least 51 per cent 
of the land or lot owners, residents of the county, who will be specially taxed or assessed 
for such improvements. Of the cost of such improvements, a part or all may be 
assessed against abutting real estate and the balance, if any, shall be paid by the 
county and township, or townships, as determined by the board of county commis- 
sioners. In order to meet the county's portion of the cost, the county commissioners 
are authorized to levy a tax of not exceeding 2 mills on the dollar of taxable property 
in the county; and in order to provide funds with which to meet the township's portion 
the county commissioners may levy a tax of not exceeding 3 mills on the taxable 
property of such township or townships. Bonds of the county may be issued in antici- 
pation of the collection of such taxes and assessments. 
Toll roads may be purchased by the boards of county commissioners in their re- 
spective counties, when authorized by a majority of those voting at an election thereon. 
Bonds may be issued for toll roads so purchased. 
Three township trustees are elected biennially in each township, which is divided 
into not less than one or more than four road districts, and the trustees appoint for each 
road district a superintendent, who is known as township highway superintendent 
and has control of the roads of his district. The township highway superintendent 
is under the control and direction of the township trustees and may be removed for 
incompetence or neglect of duty. He divides the gravel and unimproved public 
roads into road dragging districts of not more than 6 miles of road each, and contracts 
for dragging. 
