Chap. 80.—An ACT to provide for working the public reads in the
county of Bedford.

Approved April 28, 1887,

1. Beit enacted by the veneral assembly of Virginia, That
the board of supervisors of the county of Bedford be and they
are hereby empowered to adopt the provisions of an act en-
titled an act to provide for working and keepin in order the
roads of the commonwealth, approved Mareh twentieth, eigb-
teen hundred and seventy-five, which are not inconsistent
with the provisions of this act, forthe working and repairing
the public roads in said connty.

2. ‘Phe county court shall, at the April term thereof) in the
year eighteen bundred and eighty-seven, appoint three com-
missioners in each magisterial district in the county, who
shall receive each the sum of one dollar per day. and whose
duty it shall be to divide said magisterial districts into com-
pactly located road districts, each of which shall contain not
more than ten lineal miles of public road, on which all per-
sons residing in said road districts, who are subject to road
duty under existing laws, shall be compelled to work. The
said commissioners shall forthwith report to the courty court,
defining the road districts as located by them, and the said
districts shall be numbered in cach magisterial district sep-
arately.

3. The county court, at its ensuing May term, shall appoint
a good, responsible man from each road district, who shall be
the road surveyor or overseer of said district during the term,
which shall begin on the first dav of July following. Allvoad
surveyors or overseers appointed under the provisions of this
act shall hold their oflices for two years, except the first ap-
pointments in the districts bearing, a numbers, the appornt-
ments shall be made for one year; but any appointinents
made after the first, shall be tor two y cars

4. The overseers so appointed, shall have personal super.
vision of the roads in his district, and shall keep the same in
order. Ife shall summon such number of hands as he may
deem necessary to work on any part of said road, whenever
the condition of such road or roads may demand it: and any
person so summoned to work, not exempt from road duty
under existing law, shad be compelled to work in person, or
by a proper substitute, on some road in said road district ;
but in no case shall any overseer be allowed full pay when he
shall have summoned or worked a less number than eight
hands in one day, nur any excess of full pay when more than
eci¢ht bands are so summoned or worked.

5. If any person so summoned shall fail to work on some
road in his road district the required number of days in any
year, it shall be the duty of the overseer of said district to
make out a ticket against such person so failing to work, or,
if he be a minor, against bis parent or euardian, tor the num-
ber of days delinquent at the rate of seventy-five cents per
day fore ach day of failure; and the said overseer shall pre-
sent the said ticket to the person, or his parent or guardian,
against whom charged for payment, and if the said party
shall failto appearin thirty days, the said overseer shall forth-
with turn said ticket over to the constable of said magisterial
district, who shall collect the same, and the turther sum of
twenty-five cents shall be allowed said constable as his com-
mission, Which shall be paid by the person against whom such
ticket may be charged, and the constable shall exercise all
the rights of distress or levy which are conterred tor the col-
lection of county levies under existing law.

6. The constable shall give his receipt. specifying the names
and amounts of said tickets to the overseer, and from whom re-
ceived. and the said overseer shall at once report the same,
together with the amounts collected by himself, to the board
of supervisors, to whom the said constable shall be held ae-
countable for such fines as may have been placed in his hands
for collection. Such sums as may be collected by said con-
stable shall be paid to the overseer from whom the tickets
were received.

7. The board of supervisors may make such allowances per
diem tor teams and tools used on the public roads as they may
think proper, and may also furnish any or all of such tools as
they may elect. All tools now in use on the public roads,
which are the property of the county, shall be distributed
among the several overseers, who may be appointed in the
district where such tools now are, for which the overseer ap-
pointed under this act shall receipt to the person from whom
received, and the said overseer shall report the kind and num-
ber of said tools to the board of supervisors In his annual
report. No tools furnished by the county shall be applied to
or used for individual purposes, and the person so using them,
shall be fined one dollarand costs for each day such tools may
have been used tor private purposes,

8. The board of supervisors shall fix the pay of the over-
seers of roads, which shall be paid them for each day em-
ployed in summoning or working hands on the public roads,

each duy in excess of the timo each person working under
them may have worked in any one year, and full allowance
for any team used on the road shall not be made, when such
team has not been in actual work more than three- fourths of
a day of eight hours; and the aftidavit of two responsible
Witnesses to the board of supervisors, shall be deemed sufli-
cient evidence.

9. The roads shall be kept free from obstructions of all
kinds. A smooth road-bed, thrown up in the middle, shall
be made wherever necessary; shall be properly drained with
side ditches, and cross drains of sufficient width wherever
practicable and necessary; and shall be paved with stone or
cross-laid wherever the condition of the road-bed may require
it. All loose stones shall be removed from said roads. The
road overseers shall see that good and substantial logs or
causeways are kept across streams for the accommodation of
persons traveling on foot.

10. No person shall be appointed road overseer who is not
subject to road duty, except those who have lost a limb in
service in war; and every person so appointed overseer of
roads, shall be compelled to work the same number of days
on the roads, in any one year that any one person under him
shall have worked in the same year, for which he shall make
no charge, and tor which the overseer shall report to the
board of supervisors in his annual report.

11. The road overscers shall. at the end of each year, sub-
mit under oath te the board of supervisors at the July meet:
ing of said board, an itemized statement of all moneys col-
lected by him for road purposes, and from whom received ;
together with the number of days charged for personal ser-
vices on the roads and summoning hands: the number of
days for which no charge is made; the rember of days in
which teams may have been emploved on said road or roads
in each district. and the amount charged theretor; the kind
and number of tools as may have been furnished him during
the year, and the cost of keeping such tools as he may have,
in repair; which account: shall be allowed by said board of
supervisors, unless valid objection shall have been made, in
such case. it shall be discretionary with said board,

12. The board of supervisors are hereby authorized to levy
a tax, not exceeding ten cents on the one hundred dollars, for
the use of the pub lic roads, which shall constitute a road
fund, and they may apportion such tax, when collected, to
each district ratably, if in their judgment the public interests
demand it.

13. Nothing in this act shall be construed to apply to any
incorporated town or city making provision for the mainte-
nance of its own poor, and to keep its streets in order

14. The supervisor of cach magisterial district shall have
general supervision of all the roads in his district, and shall
report to the county court when any road or roads are out of
order, and after having first notified the overseer under whose
charge such road may be located. of the condition of his
road, and having given him sutticient time to repair it; and
any responsible person residing in said district, may report
the condition of any road or roads that may be out of order,
after having first notified, in writing, the overseer of such
road of its improper condition.

15. All parts of an act entitled an act to provide for working
and keeping in order the roads of the commonwealth, ap-
proved March twentieth, cighteen hundred and seventy-five
and an act entitled an act to provide for the working and
repairing of public roads and bridges, approved March eighth,
eighteen bundred and eighty -four, inconsistent with the pro-
visions of this act, are her eby repealed, if the board of super-
visors shall adopt the provisions of this act; otjerwixe this
act shall be of none effect.

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