State

Grandpa Worked the Roads Four days a year had lo be spent in helping improve (lie roads, and if he refused to do so. he eilli€‘r had to go to jail or else pay out the sum of four dollars. ft*/ PAMKLA and ANNA llll. I, TIIKKK was a sound of horses' hoofs ill the var<l ami limn a knock on ilu> door of grandfather'-* house. mu' rold. frosty morning nearly sixty years ago, when grand- father was a young man. “Why. good morning !" grand- father greetc«l the man on the poreh. "This new jolt of «list lift road super¬ visor gets you out early!" "I've route lit give you two «lavs' notice to гони* to work on the road* Oil Thursday of this week." said the man. "I wa« passing, so I just thought I'd stop ami notify you iu person in¬ stead of writing. I ran do either one you know, according to law." Rather Inconvenient "I'm not sure that I eon make it this week." said grandfather. "I’m going to haul two loads of tobacco to Winston ami I expect that will tak«* most of the week. Tin- roads are pretty muddv. yon know." "Well," »lli*i the supervisor. "I guess I call move the time up a little, hut if you want to. you ran •«•ml some- Iwdy to work in your place <«r you can just give me four dollars to pay for the four days work. Doesn't make any «li iTercnre, you know, just so you carry out the law." “Have you got much work to d«« on the roads right now f" grand* father asked. "Y«*s. We’ve got to rill son»' brush ami till up the holes and then I've got to g«>t Mime gravel and dirt from some «»f iIum* folks along the road and cover the brush. Then we’ve got In put up some signs showing the way and distiunv to different places, and build a footbridge or two." Then, as an afterthought the road supervisor asked. “How about letting us use your oxen for a few «lays?" "All fight," grandfather agreed. "Hut g«*t somebody wlm knows how to handle them. I won't have my .t«ick abused. What time do you want them !«• come to work and w here ?" "Have them at Phillips' store hv seven o'clock Thursday moniing," said the supervisor. “Pretty early for these cold winter mornings, but tin- law says seven, you know." "Huh!" grumbled grandfather. "I don't like all these new laws. They'll ruin the country. We've got too many laws, as it is. It's all we ran do to keep up with the old once in these days. I tell you we're living too fast." How the Law Worked So grandfather went to work him¬ self on the roads of hi* county at seven o'clock on the appointed «lav. or he sent someone with the required stork and tools, <»r he had to pay four dollars, the equivalent "f four days labor, as required by tile law passed by the (leuernl Assembly of I Kverv able-bodied man in tin* ooiiuti«*s of Stokes, Forsyth and Mecklenburg. !--• tween the ages of eighteen and forty- live except those permanently dis¬ abled by military service, hud to work the n»a*l« of his county four «lay* a year, hire someone t«» |M*rform this duty iu bis place, or pay to the county four dollars, a dollar for «•aeh «lay’s work. The law requited that this work I** «lone sometime between the first day of March and the first «lay «»f 1 December. Section 1 provides: "That tin* county coniiniftsioiicrs of I In* several counties of this state shall on the first Monday «»f dune next «livide their respective counties into suitable road districts and annually thereafter may make such alterations therein as they may deem proper, ami cause a brief description tliereof to lx* made on the township n-cords ami aim» to furnish each sU|HTvisor with a plat of his road «li-triet and shall cause the same notice t«i Im- given as is now required by law for the election of county officers of tin* election of as many >ii|imisor» of roads as there are road «listricts in each township. Section '2. There shall la* elected in each township iu this slate, at the November «-h-etion one thousand eight hundred and eighty, and every two year» thereafter, one supervisor of highways for each said road dis¬ tricts. wlm shall reside therein : and no «*l«4*tor shall vote for more than one supervisor at such election, and each «-h-elor shall l«o a resident of the same «list rict in which the person so voted for shall reside. . . . Section 7. That any person called ii|K>n to |ierform any labor upon the public road» and highway* under any provision of this act, shall be himself or substitute appear at the place ap¬ pointed by tin- supervisor at the hour of seven o'clock in the forenoon with *ueh necessary tools ami implements ns the supervisor may direct ; and the supervisor may. if m-cessnry for the improvement of the road, order any |N*r*on ow ning the same to furnish a I «‘am of mul«-s. Ьогчч or oxen ami wagon, ««art, plow or .scraper, to lie employcl and used on the roads under the direction of the supervisor. The county com in issiouers were aiithori-ed to purchase plows ami scrapers for the use of the road dis¬ tricts Inn these implements were t«« I"- returned to the commissioners on th«* first Monday of April, each year. Payment for Supplies Supervisors who took stone, gravel or timber for the repair of roads were K-quii-ed to give the owner a certificate showing flu- quantity of material taken "with the value thereof respectively and the time ami purpose for which the same were taken." This was to be presentcil to the county eoiiiinissioners within twelve months, "ami the com¬ missioners being satisfied that tin* amount as aforesaid is just and equit¬ able. shall cause the same to be paid out ««f the county treasury; hut if not -•> satisfi«*«l they shall determine what 'inn in their opinion would !«• just." Section 2«*. . . . each supervisor shall receive for his sen-iecs not ex¬ ceeding two dollars per day for the time actually employe»! on the roads, (Coni in ut<tl on page niwleen)