A New Sidewalk Law

There are but a very few cities in Michigan that have poorer sidewalks than Ann Arbor, and at every meeting of the counoil the aldermen struggle away with the question how to get them repaired. Some time ago the marshal was instruoted to notify property owners, where the walk was defective in front of their property, to repair them, and was nnsuccessful in getting a number of them repaired, but there yet remain a number of places where every person who walks over them is in danger of sustainine serious injuries. We give below the sub8tance of an act that was passed by the Michigan Legislature last winter, which took immediate effect, "to provide for the recovery of damages for injuries caused or sustained by reason of defective highways, streets, bridges, Bidewalks, cross-walks, or culverts." Section one provides that any pergon sustaining bodily injury upon any of the public highways or streets, by reason of neglect to keep such public highway or streets, and all bridges, sidewalks, crosswalks and culverts on the same in reasonable repair, and the corporate authority whose duty it is to keep the same in 'repair shall be Hable, and shall pay to the person injured, just damages, to be recovered in an action of trespass on the case before any court of competent jurisdiction. Section two, of the act, provides for recovering damages sustained to any horse, or vehicle, where the corporate authori'y has neglected to keep in repair any public highway, street, bridge, sidewalk, crosswalk, or culvert, providei, that in all actions brought under this act it must be shown that such corporate body has had reasonable time to repair the same after having received notice of such defects. Section three, in full is as follows: "It is hereby made the duty of townships, villages, cities, or corporations to keep in reasonable repair, so that they shall be reasonably safe and convenient for public travel, all public highways, streets, bridges, sidewalks, cross-walks and culverts that are within their jurisdiction, and under I their care and control, and which are open to public travel, and when the means now provided by law are not suffioient to enablo arcy township, village or city to keep its public highwaye, streets, bridges, sidewaks, cross-walks and culverts in good repair, such township, village or city is hereby authorized to levy such additional sum upon the taxable property of such township, village or city, not exceeding five milis on the dollar, in any one year, as will enable such township, village or city to keep its public highways, streets, bridges, sidewalks, cross walks and culverts in good repair at all times. Highway coromissioners, street comtnissionere, and all other officers having special charge of highways, streets, bridges, sidewalks, cross-walks, and culverts, and the care or repairing thereof, are hereby made and declared to be the officers of the township, village er city, or Corporation wherein they are elected or sppointed, and shall be subiect to the general direction of such towDBhip, village, city or corporate authorities in tbe diecharge of their several duties." Section four reads : "The provisions of this act shall not apply to public highways which have not been in use f or ten years ; but nothing in this section shall be conBtrued as exempting townships, villages and cities irom maintaining their Btreets, bridge?, sidewalks, cross-walks an? culverts, and the approaches to bridges, in a safe condition for public travel. Section five provides that no township, village or city shall be hable lor any damages sustained except under the provieions of this act, all other laws being repealed.