CHAP. 576.—An ACT to provide for working the roads in North-
ampton county.

Approved March 2, 1892.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia,
That it shall be the duty of the judge of the county court
of Northampton county, at the April term, eighteen hun-
dred and ninety-two, and annually thereafter at the March
term of said court, to appoint one superintendent of roads
for each magisterial district in the said county, whose appli-
cation for such appointment shall be first endorsed by at
least fifty voters of the district for which he is so appointed,
and whose term of office shall be one year beginning on the
first day of April following his appointment, except that
the term of office for the first appointments made under
this act shall begin at the date of their qualification as
hereinafter provided, and end on thirty-first day of March
eighteen hundred and ninety-three.

2. It shall be the duty of such superintendents to make,
repair and drain the roads and to make or repair all
bridges of their respective districts for which they are ap-
pointed. They shall have full power to drain such roads
through the lands of any owner adjoining or proximate,
and all the provisions of sections nine hundred and eighty-
five and nine hundred and eighty-six of the code of Vir-
ginia shall apply to said superintendents in like manner
as to surveyors of the highway. It shall be the duty of
said superintendents themselves to work upon such roads
and to employ and superintend all laborers needed by
them for such work, but the amount which shall be ex-
pended in any district shall be first determined by the
board of supervisors of said county, and the said superin-
tendents shall not contract for more labor than shall be so
provided for the payment of. It shall be the duty of
such superintendents to have charge of and provide for and
to take proper care of al] horses, mules or oxen, and all
implements, tools and machines which may be placed in
their charge as hereinafter provided, and to purchase all
necessary provender for such horses, mules or oxen, and at
the end of his term of office, or whenever directed so to do
by the board of supervisors, to deliver the same to his suc-
cessor in office, or to such other person as the said board
shall direct and file a receipt therefor with the said board
of supervisors. The said superintendents shall be author-
ized to hire horses or mules by the day ata rate not toex-
ceed one dollar per day while actually engaged at work if
they shall need such extra team. They shall be author-
ized and it shall be their duty to employ all necessary
labor by the month or by the day, or both, as the board of
supervisors shall deem best, and such day laborers shall
be paid at a rate not to exceed ten cents per hour for the
time actually engaged in work, for which a receipt shall
be taken, duly witnessed ; and to meet the expenses of such
day laborers and hire of horses or mules the said board of
supervisors may, if they deem proper, place in the hands
of such superintendents from time to time a sum not to
exceed fifty dollars per month. All other expenses under
this act shall be paid by warrant or order drawn by such
superintendent upon the treasurer of said county, which
shall be approved by the board of supervisors of said
county before payment.

8. It shall be the duty of such superintendents on the
first day of April, July, October, and January, during
their continuance in office, to file in the clerk’s office of
said county a report to the board of supervisors of said
county of their transactions during the three months, or so
much thereof as they may have been in office, ending at the
date of filing such report. The said report shall be under
oath and shall state the days actually engaged in work
upon the said road, and the number of hours of each day
while so engaged, the number of laborers employed by the
month, and the number employed by the day, with the
vouchers for payments made by him to such day laborers,
and stating an account between himself and the money
placed in his hands for such day laborers, and showing
all other expenses of labor and team employed by him.
For failure to make such report as herein required, such
superintendent so in default shall be deemed to have for-
feited his compensation for the three months for which he
shall so fail to make report, unless he shall be excused by
the said board of supervisors for reasons spread upon
their records, and no compensation shall be allowed for
such quarter until such report is made.

4. It shall be the duty of the board of supervisors of
said county to meet at the court-house of said county on
the first day of April, eighteen hundred and ninety-two,
and annually thereafter on the second Monday in January
and make an estimate of all expenses under this act for
the ensuing year. They shall determine what compensa-
tion shall be paid to the said superintendents, and for
what time, and may fix such compensation at one rate for
one month, and at a different rate for a different month,
so that such compensation shall not at any time exceed
the sum of fifty dollars per month; or, if the said board
shall deem it advisable that such compensation shall be
by the day, not to exceed the sum of two dollars and fifty
cents per day for each day of ten hours of actual work
upon said roads, and any superintendent appointed under
this act shall be paid the amount so fixed by the said board
of supervisors, but during the time the'said board shall order
the suspension of operations under this act, the said super-
intendents shall receive no compensation. In no case
shall the said board authorize the expenditure of more
than three thousand dollars per year under this act.

5. It shall be the duty of the board of supervisors of said
county to purchase one pair of heavy mules or horses or
oxen, as they may deem best, for road work in each magis-
terial district of said county, which shall be allotted by
the said board to the said districts and received by the said
road superintendents from the said board. The said board
shall also purchase all necessary plows, shovels, hoes, axes,
and one cheap road scraper (not to exceed in cost for such
scraper fifteen dollars each) for each magisterial district
which shall also be allotted to and received by said super-
intendents. The said board shall also be authorized to
purchase one heavy road machine and road plow, to be
worked by six mules or horses, and they shall have
power to place in the hands of any one of the said super-
intendents, for a limited time not to exceed two months,
all six of the mules, horses or oxen, purchased by them as
aforesaid, to be used by the superintendent, who shall so
receive the same with the said heavy road machine and
road plow in his said road district.

6. It shall be the duty of the board of supervisors of
said county, at their annual meeting in July of each
year, as provided by law, to levy a tax of not exceed-
ing fifteen cents on every one hundred dollars in value of
property, real, personal, or mixed, assessed for purposes of
state taxation, to be collected in the same manner as state
and county taxes, which shall be applied to expenses under
this act. All property in the said county liable to taxation
for state purposes shall be liable to taxation under this act.

7. It shall be the duty of each and every superintendent
appointed under this act to appear before the clerk of the
county court of said county within ten days from the date
of his appointment as herein provided and qualify as such
superintendent by taking and subscribing an oath for the
faithful discharge of his duties under this act, and enter-
ing into a bond in the penalty of five hundred dollars,
with good and sufficient security, and conditioned for the
faithful discharge of his duties as such superintendent.

8. This act shall not be construed to repeal chapter forty-
three of the code of Virginia, as is now applicable to said
county, but all the provisions of said chapter shall continue
in force in said county, except that the levy for road taxes
in said county shall be as herein provided.

9. The county court of said county shall be authorized
at any time to fill a vacancy existing in the said office of
superintendent of roads upon the application of the person
so to be appointed, endorsed by fifty voters of his district
as hereinbefore provided, but no superintendent shall have
any powers or authority until he has duly qualified as
hereinbefore provided. The said board of supervisors
shall be authorized to suspend all work under this act be-
tween the first day of October and the first day of April
following. And it is hereby further enacted, that an elec-
tion be held in the said county of Northampton on the nine-
teenth day of March, eighteen hundred and ninety-two, to
determine whether or not three thousand dollars of the
Glebe fund of said county shall be expended under this act
in waking and repairing the roads of the said county; and
it shall be the duty of the sheriff of the said county to
post notices of such election at all the election precincts
of said county at least fifteen days before the day of such
election. The ballots to be used in said election shall be
as follows: “ For expending three thousand dollars of the
Glebe fund in improving the roads of the county under the
act of ——, eighteen hundred and ninety-two,” and
“ Against expending three thousand dollars of the Glebe
fund in improving the roads of the county under the act
of ——, eighteen hundred and ninety-two.” The manner
of receiving and canvassing the ballots and making returns
and abstracts thereof shall conform in all respects to the
general election law, except that the certificates of the
judges of election shall be as follows: We hereby certify
that at the election held on the nineteenth day of March,
eighteen hundred and ninety-two, votes were cast
at precinct for expending three thousand dollars of the
Glebe fund in the improvement of the roads, and that
votes were cast against expending said sum for said purpose.

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