Chap. 130.—An ACT for establishing and working the Roads in Patrick
county.

Approved November 27, 1884.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
it shall be lawful for the county of Patrick, after the first
day of January, eighteen hundred and eighty-five, to locate,
open, change, and repair highways, roads, and bridges, as
follows:

2. It shall be the duty of the county judge of Patrick
county, at the January term of the court in eighteen hundred
and. eighty-five, and every two years thereafter, to appoint
one commissioner of roads in each magisterial district in said
county, who shall qualify within thirty days after his appoint-
ment, and give bond with a sufficient security before said
court, in the sum of one thousand dollars, for the faithful per-
formance of the duties of road commissioner in his district.
Said commissioner shall reside in his district, and his term of
office shall be for two years, and until his successor is
appointed and qualified.

3. The supervisor, commissioner of roads, and commis-
sioner of the revenue of eaeh district, shall constitute a dis-
trict road board, whose duties shall be to lay off the district
into road precincts; to appoint one overseer of roads for each
precinct in their district, who shall, before entering upon the
discharge of the duties of his office, qualify and give bond
for the faithful performance of his duties as overseer of roads,
and hold his office for the term of two years from the date of
his appointment, and until his successor is elected and quali-
fied. It shall be the further duty of each district road board,
at its annual meeting in December, to assess and levy a tax
upon the real and personal property of the district assessed
for state revenue, an amount which, with the labor provided
for by the eleventh section of this act, shall be sufficient to
keep all the public roads in its district in good repair, and to
build such new roads as the district may require. The said
assessment to be made upon the same basis as that upon
which state revenues are levied.

4. When the assessment has been made, the board shall
require the commissioner of the revenue to provide a suitable
book for each road overseer, and write in it the name of such
overseer and each person that belongs to his precinct, and
opposite the name of each person the tax which has been
assessed upon him; such lists of taxes shall be delivered to
each overseer, to be collected by him in the manner provided
for in this act.

5. The board shall prepare a schedule which shall show at
what rate each tax-payer shall have credit for his labor cn
the public roads, and for the use of his teams, plows and
other implements used thereon: provided that the credit for
labor shall not exceed the rate of ten cents per hour for an
able-bodied hand: and provided further, that no credit shall
be allowed for the use of any implement, the market value
of which does not exceed three dollars. A copy of this
schedule shall be delivered to each overseer by the commis-
sioner of the revenue.

6. At such time as the overseer may judge most suitable,
he shall notify all persons taxed in the list which he has re-
ceived from the clerk of the board, of the day on which he
requires them to work on his road. At the time appointed,
it shall be the duty of each tax-payer to perform such labor
as the overseer may direct, and to furnish such teams, wagons,
carts, scrapers, or other implements, if he have them, as the
overseer may require. The overseer shall keep a strict ac-
count of all credits due any tax-payer for services rendered
in accordance with the schedule furnished by the board, and
whenever the tax upon any person has been worked out, such
person shall be discharged.

7. If any tax-payer prefers to pay his tax in money, then
the overseer shall receive it and expend it on his road in such
manner as he may deem best. :

8. Each overseer of roads, after any tax-payer shall have
had an opportunity to pay his taxes in labor and material, or
the use of teams and implements, and shall have failed to do
so, then the overseer shall place the ticket against such tax-
payer in the hands of any constable for his district. Such
constable shall receipt for the same, to be paid to. said over-
seer or his successor in office when collected, and shall forth-
with levy and collect the same, with ten per centum thereon,
for his own commissions, in the same manner as the other
taxes are collected, and for this purpose he shall have all the
powers now vested in county treasurers for the collection of
taxes, and when collected he shall pay the same, less his com-
missions, to the overseer of the district from which the ticket
originally came.

9. At the annual meeting of the district board, the over-
seer of each precinct shall render an account to the board,
showing how much of the taxes on his list have been collected
and expended; what persons are delinquent; how much com-
muted by labor, teams and implements; how much, in his
opinion, it will take to keep his roads in good order for the
ensuing year; who are delinquent, and for what sums. The
said overseer shall have credit in his settlement for all re-
ceipts of constables for taxes charged against him, which
shall be charged against his successor; but the board may at
any time credit such overseer with any taxes which appear
to be insolvent.

10. The overseer and his sureties shall be liable upon his
bond for any failure to account for any taxes placed in his
hands, and if he fail to make such settlement as is provided
for in the preceding section, or fail to account for all taxes
placed in his hands, the board shall at once place his bond in
the hands of the attorney for the commonwealth for the
county, who shall sue upon the same for the use of said dis-
trict, and shall be entitled to a fee of five dollars, to be taxed
in the cost of the suit.

11. All male persons in each road district shall be required
by the overseer of roads for that district to work two days
on some public road therein, with the following exceptions,
namely: All persons under sixteen years or over sixty years
of age, and all ordained ministers of the gospel.

12. Every person required to work, shall, either in person
or by a sufficient substitute, when required by the overseer
of roads for his district, attend with proper tools, and work
the road on such days (not exceeding two in each year) as
the overseer may direct. For every day on which there may
be a failure, one dollar shall be paid by the person so failing,
to the said overseer of roads, within twenty days thereafter,
if he be a person of full age, or if he be an infant, by his
parent or guardian. If the fine be not paid in the time speci-

ed, then the overseer shall make out a ticket therefor, and
cause it to be collected, and expend the same as other road
taxes are collected and expended.

13. Hach overseer of roads shall cause the roads under his
charge to be kept free from loose rocks, from gates unlawfully
kept up, and all other obstructions; of the required width,
well drained, and otherwise in good order, and secure from
the falling of dead timber therein. He shall keep at the fork
or crossing of each road a sign-board, on which shall be stated
in plain letters the most noted place to which each road leads;
and across each stream, where it is necessary and practicable,
a sufficient bridge, bench or log, for the accommodation of
foot passengers.

14. Hach overseer of roads shall receive for his services oné
dollar and fifty cents per day for each day actually and ne-
cessarily employed in the discharge of the duties of his office,
to be offset against his taxes, and the excess to be certified by
the county court to the board of supervisors, and to be paid
by the treasurer out of the county levy: provided that not
over seventy-five dollars shall be paid to any overseer for any
one year.

15. Members of thé road board provided for by this act
shall be paid out of the county levy the sum of two dollars
each per day for each day actually employed in the discharge
of their duties under this act.

16. This act shall be in force from its passage.