The herald., 1896-11-24
THE BUREAU OF HIGHWAYS
Valuable Synopsis Of the Full Annual
Report
Matters of Importance to Those Inter-
ested in the Improvement
Of the Roads.

OF tne bureau OF highways Will De 1OunQ
Of interest to all those who wish to see
better roads. The full report is we'll
worth reading, but to those who have
not the time for that purpose, the syn
opsis is of value, and is given as fol-
lows
Expenditures on roads-Expenditure
for 1S94-1S95, s1,7s9, ,25964; expenditures
1SS5-1S95, inclusive, s17,919,s2 s242s.
Natural conditions favorable to road
truction-Climatic, geological, to-
biographical.
Actual condition. of roads-Scarcely
any permanent highway construction
in the state.
Cause of our bad roads-Work car
ried on without method or system.
Money wastefully and injudiciously ex-
pended.
The remedy-Introductio of a def
mite system of highway construction
throughout the entire state.
Classification of roads-Division Of
roads into three distinct classes: State
highways, county thoroughfares and
district roads. State highways con-
structed and maintained by the state,
main arteries of a road system, from
which should branch out minor high
ways County thoroughfares most i'm
portant roads in each county, under di-
rection of board of supervisors. Dis
trict roads to serve needs of particular
localities.
Decadence of road construction
Road building neglected during the pc
riod of great railroad construction.
Utility of and demand for good roads
Necessary to the further industrial de-
velopment of our state. Promote pros
perity.
Duties of the bureau of highways
Study of laws of this and other states,
of physical features of the state and
their relation to a system of roads, of
the economic and legal status of high
way conditions in each county.
Trips of inspection and visits to coun
ties-Travels by commissioners over the
roads and into every county of the
state.
Difficulty of securing accurate data
Lack of system of general book and
record keeping in the counties.
Rock crushing plant-Cash orders for
nearly $1,000 tons of rock received
Revision of road laws-Harmonizing
Of conflicting sections; changes and
prescription of penalties for non-com-
pliance with statutory regulations.
Road laws of other sta tates-Massachu-
setts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Con-
necticutt, where state highway con-
struction is in vogue.
Extent of highway expenditures in
California-Figures given do not include
numerous payments for bridges out Of
funds other than those set apart for
highway purposes, nor subscriptions of
cash, labor and material by private in
dividuals.
Reforms Observation-Disclosures Of
the limit of taxation for highway pur-
poses in each county, now fixed by law at
40 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation Of
outside property, from 40 cents to 50
cents. State levy of one-fourth of mill
per 81 of total assessed valuation for the
state highway fund The bureau is of
the opinion that better results can be ac-
complished through system and econo-
my with this lesser expenditure than is
now accomplished with the greater tax
levy.
Tne state highways to traverse great
belts of wealth-Minerai, agricultural
timber, fruit.
Commercial necessities for state high
ways-Inablity of counties travers cd
by important roads to construct and
maintain them, on account of lack cf
funds and lack of direct benefit
The proposed state highways and the
principles of state highway location
% Laid out along those lines which the
physical features of the state forever
fix as the easiest lines of communication
(2) Traverse the great belts of natural
wealth of the state. (3) Connect all the
large centers Of population within the
limits of our state. 4) Reach the county
seat of every county and tap the lines
county roads, so as to fully utilize them
Construction and maintenance of
state NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. $500 miles Of
road. varying in cost from $500 to $500
per mile.
County thoroug:Ifares-The main
roads of each county, to serve the gen.
eral interests of the county constructed
under the direction of the supervisors
and to serve as feeders to the state high
ways.
District roads-Constructed by people
of particular localities to serve their i'm
mediate necessity. The people to or
ganize themselves into road districts,
after the manner of the organization of
school districts, and to construct such
roads as they desire.
Wide tres-Three inches minimum
width of tire for the ordiNlry farm and
road wagon; four inches for wagons in
tended for load between four and ~
tons: five inches for loads more than six
and less than eight tons; six inches for
wagons more than eight tons. Law not
to go into effect Immediately. After
January l. 1899, fine for having wagons
on sale not in conformity with the wide
tire law. After January 1,1900, use of
wagons not conformable with law to be
subject to license.
Road structures.-Substituti of