764 LAWS OF MARYLAND.

Commissioners shall have full power to determine how
the roads of the County and any special road or roads
thereof may be worked, repaired and maintained, and to regu-
late the wages that shall be paid employees engaged in such
work and the prices to be paid for material to be used on the
same, and to provide for such clerical or other assistants as may
be required by them or the Roads Engineer of the County
for the efficient performance of their several duties. Such
Commissioners shall have the power to let out the re-
pair or maintenance of any road or portion of a road by
contract, when in the judgment of said Roads Engineer such
course is deemed advisable, in which case preference shall be
given where practicable to the owners of land directly inter-
ested in the proper care of such road or roads, and such work
shall be done under the supervision of road supervisors of the
district. Whenever any taxpayer of the County shall offer to
haul stone or other hard material upon any public road of his
district at the price paid for the same on such road
or in such locality, the County Commissioners or road
supervisor of the district shall give such taxpayer the pref-
erence, provided such stone or other hard material is
in condition for spreading on the road when hauled,
if so required by the County Commissioners or road super-
visor for the district, and that its quality is approved by
the Roads Engineer for use on the road upon which it is
proposed to be used. All contracts made by the County
Commissioners for the repair or construction of roads
or bridges or for materials to be used on the roads,
shall be reduced to writing, and all payments thereunder shall
be subject to the approval by the Roads Engineer of the work
done or materials furnished under such contract. Whenever
work on any road or bridge involves an outlay of five hundred
dollars or more, plans and specifications therefor shall
be prepared by the Roads Engineer and bids for work in-
vited by reasonable publication in such papers as the Com-
missioners may designate; but it shall not be obligatory
upon the said Commissioners to have such work done
by contract if it be found after receiving bids therefor that
the same can be done more cheaply by direct employment of re-
quired labor. All material and supplies to be used on the roads
and bridges involving a cost of more than two hundred and
fifty dollars shall be contracted for after requesting bids for the
same, by reasonable publication in the County papers as
the said Commissioners may designate; all such material