3108 ARTICLE 14.

county commissioners shall have power, in their discretion, upon the
petition of thirty or more land owners within any road district, to levy
upon the assessable property within such road district, an additional spe-
cial tax of not more than ten cents in the hundred dollars, to be collected
as other county taxes, and to be expended under the direction of the
county commissioners in the improvement of the roads within said district.

P. L. L., 1888, Art. 14, sec. 111. 1870, ch. 142.

250. Any supervisor may be sued before any justice of the peace in
an action of debt, in the name of the county commissioners, for any dere-
liction of duty under this subtitle of this article, the amount to be recov-
ered not to exceed in any case the sum of one hundred dollars, according
to the aggravation of the case, either party having the right of appeal to
the circuit court, as in other cases of small debts; and all sums so recov-
ered shall be applied in aid of the road fund of the district where such
supervisor acts; or he shall be liable to indictment in the circuit court

for said county, and may be fined at the discretion of the court, and the
fines imposed shall likewise be applied to the road fund of his said district.

P. L. L., 1888, Art. 14, sec. 112. 1870, ch. 142.

251. The several supervisors shall have power, with the assent of the
county commissioners, to contract with the proprietor of any lands adja-
cent to any public road, for the keeping of said road, or any designated
part thereof, in repair for the term of one year; and said contractor shall,
during the time covered by his contract, be liable to be proceeded against
for any dereliction of duty in respect to repairing said roads, in the same
manner as is above provided in respect to supervisors, in addition to his
common law liability for breach of his contract.

P. L. L., 1888, Art. 14, sec. 113. 1870, ch. 142.

252. If any person shall encroach upon any public road by fences or

other obstructions, or shall purposely destroy or injure any bridge or

culvert, or destroy or injure any guide post or guide boards, or dig any
ditch or drain across any road, and not keep such ditch or drain secure
and well covered and in good repair for the passage of all vehicles over
the same, to the full width of said road; or if any person shall drain any
water into or upon any public road, each and every such person for every
such offence, and for each and every day any such ditch or drain shall be
suffered to remain out of repair and injurious to such road, shall be liable
to be sued in an action of debt, before a justice of the peace, in the name

of the county commissioners, in which said action the amount recoverable
shall not be less than five nor more than fifty dollars; either party shall
have the right of appeal to the circuit court, as in other cases of small

debts, and the sums recovered in any such action shall be applied in the
same manner as hereinbefore provided.