Page:America's Highways 1776–1976.djvu/13

 Rolling tobacco to market.

The other colonies had similar provisions for keeping their roads in repair, and all of them authorized the local authorities to require compulsory road service or its equivalent in cash. This “statute labor” was for years the principal resource available to local governments for road work in the colonies and later in the States, but other resources, such as private subscriptions, donations by public spirited citizens, assessments on adjacent property, or the proceeds of public lotteries, were occasionally available.

There were hundreds of private ferries on the rivers. These ranged from canoes and small rowboats to flat-bottomed barges capable of carrying a wagon or several cattle. The right to operate a ferry was obtained from the colonial legislature or the county by a grant or contract, under which the ferry owner was allowed to collect fixed fees in compensation for his services and the use of his property. Ferry proprietors were considered to be public carriers, responsible for the life and property of their passengers.

The English practice, begun in 1663, of permitting the local authorities or private persons to raise money for roadbuilding and maintenance by charging user tolls did not spread to the colonies. Except for payment of ferry fees, a traveler could freely use the roads, such as they were, from Maine to Georgia.

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