EDWIN WARFIELD, ESQ., GOVERNOR.

467

the purpose set forth in the petition ; and if said Board of Road

Directors shall judge that the public interest will be promoted

thereby, they may direct the expenditure of an amount not ex-

ceeding three hundred dollars per mile for such improvements,

but the petitioner shall first pay into the treasury of the county

an amount not less than equal to that appropriated by the Road

Directors. All of said money to be then expended for said im-

provements under the direction of said Road Directors.

216H. Whenever any owner of any property in Allegany

County shall have paved, laid out or graded any avenue or

Dedicating
roads for

road for the public convenience and is willing to dedicate the

public use.

same to public uses by good and sufficient deed, duly recorded,

the Board of Road Directors is authorized to accept the same,

if in the opinion of said Board the same be convenient for

public use, and upon acceptance, the said avenue or road so

dedicated shall be kept in good order and repair by said Road

Directors; provided, however, that previous to such acceptance,

said road shall be not less than thirty feet in width and duly and

properly graded in the judgment of the Roads Engineer. All

such deeds shall grant such avenues or roads to the Road

Directors of Allegany County, and shall be recorded among

the Land Records of said county.

216I. Whenever any road shall have been in public use for

twenty years, though the same may not have been condemned

Public high-
ways.

or granted as a public highway, the Road Directors, if they

deem public convenience so requires, may declare said road to

be a public highway, and shall have full power to relocate and

straighten the same, in their discretion, and shall publish notices

to that effect once a week in one or more newspapers published

in Allegany County; provided that said road shall not be less

than thirty feet in width, and such road so declared to be a

public highway shall be kept in good order and repaid as other

public roads.

216J. Whenever any doubt exists as to the proper location

or width of a road, the Road Directors may cause the same to be

Proper location

surveyed and make such alterations as the public convenience

may require, subject to the rights of any person under the pro-

visions contained in this Act for the opening of new roads.

216K. All applications for opening, altering or closing roads

shall be by petition to the Road Directors, and whenever any

Opening and
closing roads.

person or persons shall intend to petition said directors foropen-

ing, altering or closing any road, he or they shall give twenty

days' notice thereof in one or more newspapers published in Al-

legany County, setting forth as near as may be the length and