ROAD MILEAGE, REVENUES, SOUTHERN STATES, 1914. 41 
A State highway commission and a State highway department were 
created by the legislature in 1915. The State highway commission 
consists of six members, three of whom are appointed by the gov- 
ernor, and the other three are ex officio members — the State geolo- 
gist, the dean of engineering of the University of Tennessee, and the 
governor. The State highway commission is required to elect-one of 
its members chairman and appoint a secretary who must be experi- 
enced in road building and maintenance. The State highway depart- 
ment is required to designate a system of roads connecting the county 
seats of the several counties in the State and expend the State-aid 
fund, but otherwise its work is of an educational and advisory 
nature. Ten per cent of the net revenues from the registration and 
licensing of motor vehicles is applied to the maintenance of the State 
highway department; the remaining 90 per cent is used by the depart- 
ment in maintaining State highways. 
The county courts of the several counties have jurisdiction over all 
matters pertaining to roads and bridges. The constitution provides 
that the different counties shall be laid off, as the general assembly 
may direct, into districts of convenient size so that the whole num- 
ber in each county shall not be more than 25, or 4 for each 100 square 
miles of area. Two justices of the peace are elected in each district 
by the qualified electors. The county court is composed of the jus- 
tices of the peace and the county judge as chairman. The county 
court is divided into a quarterly and a monthly court. 
The county court, at its January term every odd year, is required 
to divide the county into one or more road districts and elect a road 
commissioner for each district. Each road commissioner has control 
of the highways and bridges and of the overseers or contractors in 
his district, and directs all road work done therein. The road 
commissioners appoint the road overseers. Each overseer has 
charge of not less than one nor more than 5 miles of road. Any 
county court, a majority of the justices of the peace assenting, may 
appoint three commissioners authorized to employ engineers and 
other necessary help to survey, inspect, classify, lay off for improve- 
ment, and prepare plans, specifications and estimates for such roads 
in the county as it is desired to have improved, and report thereon 
with recommendations to the county court. The quarterly court of 
any county may employ a competent person to superintend the con- 
struction and repair of county buildings, bridges, levees, etc. The 
quarterly court also is authorized to let any road or section of road 
to contract, in which event the laws applicable to overseers in working 
the hands assigned to such roads shall apply to the contractors. 
Comity and municipal corporations may unite in the building and 
regulation of bridges over any stream running by or through such 
municipality. The county courts are required at their January term 
