It shall be the duty of the county highway engineer to call a meeting at the county seat each year of all road overseers of the county, for consultation and conference touching the conditions and needs of the roads and bridges of the county and methods of improving same. Such meeting shall be held at a time designated by the highway engineer, between the first and fifteenth day of March. At such meeting of road overseers the county highway engineer shall instruct the overseers in the best and most economical plans for the working and improving roads, collecting and expending the district road funds, and, if practicable, adopt a uniform system of road work for the county. Any overseer failing to attend any such annual meeting without reasonable excuse shall, upon complaint of the county highway engineer, be removed from office by the county commission or by the township board, as the case may be.