The Town Board. The town board consists of the supervisor, town clerk, and two or more justices of the peace. Its duties are to appoint inspectors of election, to pass upon all bills and accounts of the town officers, and to consider charges and accounts presented against the town. The board has certain joint duties with the town superintendent of highways. The members receive two dollars per day for services rendered. Appeals may be taken from the decision of the town board to the county board of supervisors, which has power to reverse decisions. Town Auditors. If the voters at the town meeting so desire, they may elect three auditors to perform the duties otherwise performed by the town board. It is not, however, the custom to do this. Fence Viewers. The superintendent of highways and the assessors constitute a board of fence viewers in each town. Their duties consist in adjusting disputes over line fences between adjoining owners and over the killing of sheep by dogs. They receive a fee for such services. School Directors. Two school directors are elected in each town for a term of five years. They receive two dollars per day for actual service, and are allowed traveling expenses. All the directors of a supervisory school district, which may include several towns, meet and organize, after which they elect by ballot a district superintendent of schools for a term of five years. There are about 2000 school directors in the state. In their choice of a district superintendent, directors are limited by law to candidates who hold a license to teach in any of the public schools of the state, that is, in city and village schools as well as in country schools. The candidates in addition must have passed the state examination covering the teaching and supervising of courses in agriculture. Inspectors of Election. The number of inspectors of election depends upon the number of election districts in the town. There are four inspectors for each district, chosen by the town board in each year in which a town meeting is held.1 They are representatives of the two political parties casting the highest number of votes in the previous November election. Their duty is to serve at the election, checking off the name, from the registered list of voters, of each voter as he casts his ballot. They also count the votes after the polls have been closed, and certify to the correctness of the returns. They serve for two years and are paid $4 to $6 per day for actual service. Vacancies. Vacancies in any of the offices of the town may be filled by the town board. QUESTIONS ON THE TEXT 1. Briefly state the history of town government in this country. 2. What business is transacted at a town meeting? 3. Who may vote at a town meeting? 4. What are the qualifications for holding office in the town government? Are there any exceptions to these qualifications? 5. Name the officers elected at a town meeting. 6. When is the supervisor a town officer and when a county officer? 7. Compare the executive power of the supervisor with that of the sheriff and governor. 8. What are the duties of the assessors? Explain fully. What is meant by the expressions "grievance day," "swearing off"? 1 As provided by paragraph 311 of the election law, 1914 edition. 9. How is the total tax which the town is to raise made up? 10. To whom does the collector of the total tax assessed against the property of the town turn over the moneys thus collected? 11. Why is a bond required of the collector for the faithful performance of his duty? 12. What principle is involved in paying the collector a commission rather than a salary in the collection of taxes? 13. How many constables are there in your town? What are their duties ? 14. Who owns the roads and bridges in the town? Why are they of special concern to the people of the town? to the people of the county? to the people of the state? 15. What part do the state and county take in the building of good roads in the town? Is this justifiable? Why? 16. What is the name of the officer who has charge of the roads and bridges in the town? How is he elected? For how long? What is his compensation? 17. Why should a town be charged with the care of its poor? To what officers is this work intrusted? 18. Outline the proceedings in a justice court. 19. What officers of the town constitute the town board? Mention the duties of the town board. 20. If town auditors are elected at a town meeting, what body of town officers do they supplant? 21. What are the duties of the fence viewers, and what town officers constitute this board? 22. How many school directors are elected in each town? What are their duties? CHAPTER IV THE VILLAGE Why we have Villages. You have probably noticed that many villages are situated upon some body of water; frequently this body of water is a running stream furnishing water power. As the country became settled, this water power was utilized for the purpose of grinding the grain to save its being done by hand, as was the custom before we had gristmills. The miller exchanged his labor with farmers for food and clothing for his family, which of course he could not produce while attending the mill. The growing need of the farmers for wagons. and sleighs made the wheelwright necessary. He located on the same stream with the miller, that he too might use the water power to assist him in turning spokes and hubs for wheels and in shaping other parts of his wagons and sleighs. The blacksmith followed the wheelwright to iron the wagons and sleighs and to shoe the farmers' horses. Thus the surrounding country journeyed to the miller, the wheelwright, and the blacksmith, and we had the nucleus of the village. Soon it was found more economical to have the foodstuffs and clothing which could not be raised or manufactured in the community brought there by one man rather than for each to journey long distances for himself. Thus the merchant located near the miller and the wheelwright, and the village grew. process of time the schoolmaster and the preacher fol lowed, manufactories increased, and the surplus goods and products were taken to other places and exchanged for things not produced by the community. Thus the little settlement grew into a village. Because of a large number of families thus settling upon a comparatively small area, certain necessities arose, such as the need of fire and police protection, sidewalks, streets, health regulations, schools, etc., which did not exist before such settlements were formed. Hence the necessity for some organization and agreement concerning these matters. Relation of Village to Town. A village, whether or not it is incorporated, still remains a part of the town or towns in which it is located. Its residents pay taxes to the town government and are subject to the laws passed at the town meeting, in which they may take part. For their own special purposes, however, a separate government may be formed, providing, of course, the village is sufficiently large to meet the requirements under state law, for villages, like towns, are created by state law, which strictly limits what a village may or may not do. Why a Separate Village Government is Needed. By the collection of a large number of buildings and the massing of people together on a small area, the dangers to life and property correspondingly increase, and special precautions have to be taken in order to reduce this risk as much as possible. One of the means for reducing the risk to property is the procuring of an abundant water supply to be used in case of fire. In order to use this water supply in case of fire, it becomes necessary to bring the water in pipes into the village, distribute it through the streets, and provide fire apparatus. It has been found more economical for all to contribute toward a general supply and apparatus than for each one to have |