268

A TREATISE ON ROADS.

The country gentlemen of England, in point offact, are alone responsible for the defective state ofthe roads, because the business of managing themhas been vested by the legislature exclusively intheir hands.

Dr. Adam Smith bears testimony to the badmanagement of road trustees in his time. Hesays: “ The money levied is more than double ofwhat is necessary for executing, in the completestmanner, the work, which is often executed in avery slovenly manner, and sometimes not executedat all.” This remark, in too many cases, is just asapplicable now as it was when first made, sixtyyears ago.

In those instances where a turnpike road is usedmerely for local purposes, however defective it maybe, those persons only are put to inconveniencewho live near it; but, where a turnpike road formsthe communication between populous cities ortowns at a considerable distance from each other,then the misconduct of trustees, whether arisingfrom negligence, ignorance, or corruption, is ofserious importance, and calls loudly for correctionand control.

We shall now proceed to state what appear to bethe principal errors in legislation which have beencommitted in giving effect to the turnpike system.

According to the provisions of every turnpikeact, a great number of persons are named astrustees: the practice is to make almost everyopulent farmer or tradesman a trustee, residing inthe vicinity of a road, as well as all the nobility and