New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-04-04
IN THE CYCLING WORLD.
ROADS OF NETWORK STATE AS THEY
ARE AND MIGHT BE.
FREDERICK J. r. MERRILL. DIRECTOR OF THE
NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM DISCUSSES THE
suBJECT-ROAD IMPROVEMENT on
LONG 1srAND-NoTEs AND
COMMENTS

Frederick II Merrill. o, the New-York State
Museum, has spoken al length on road materials
and road building. In reference 70 the roads o,
this State no says: "Tt being generally conceded
tina, better roads are necessity in New-fork. and
there being no economi' al way o. Obtaining good
roads except by building the best. tae question
arises as to the source Of the money necessary 20
do this work.
'lI!ch.class roads n not built by the State. can
nj present De afforded only In regions inhabited 10y
persons % moro wealth than the average farmer
Near the large cities great areas toran'el by
those who have business in the city but prefer 20
live In tho country There the property values are
much higher than IN regions exclusively devoted 20
agricultural interests. and the taxes being proper
tonatey higher. II "a possible 70 spend more money
IN road building Under the present system OF road
tax prevalent over the greater part % the State
the equivaen, OF about 81 milo per is sup
posed be raised In an road district outside OF
tho village corporation limits. and It frequently
happens that the whole OF the tax Is not worked
out Moreover. In many districts the people work
out their road tax without Intelligent supervision.
often only IL the LABOR wasted but the
roads made worse.
The State o, New York having an area SIX
times as great that o. Massachusetts, has proba-
bly, six times as many miles OF important roads
there being yet no complete map o, our State
II is impossible to make accurate measurement
The total mileage o. important roads In New
figure. while only an approximate maximum. IS
sufficiently accurate FOR purposes Of estimate.
~ It decided 10 Improve 10 per OF this
total. according 10 the Massachusetts plan. there
would be 10 800 miles o. road 10 build While Mas
snchuse;,s now appropratcs $500 40 year FOR road
building New-York. II doing this work at the same
rate in proportion to her size. would appropriate
81 10000 a year. This sum would be than
ono third 81 the total amount raised In New-York
by direct taxation. which Is now. in round numbers.
SeoUe.O This is undoubtedly too large bur
den to be carried bat could safely afford 10
spend from sOo0o TO 100000 n year In this work
which canno, be avoided and must or later
be undertaken
"In Senate bill No $3.50 o, 's91 introduced by Rich
ard Higbie IT proposed to levy In the general
appropriation act of each year tax rated at
tenth OF mill upon the entire valuation OF tho
state TO he known as the State highway tax The
total value OF taxable property tor the current year
sum when taxed at the rate u tenth OF mill
would yield an annual amount OF Si0tgs - availa-
bic FOR the construction OF STATE highways on this
basis each taxpayer would contribute only 10 cents
each Sl.eo OF assessed valuation.
ut is thought 10y many that the wiser method
would lie to divide the cost between the State the
county and the locality benefited The proportionate
Is hall by the State and one-halt by the coun-
~: it being also provided that the amount paid by
Supervisors that 81 per cent Of the cost shall be
I IA general county charge and Is per cent charge
upon the town In which the improved highway is
! located. or be assessed upon and paid by the
owners of the land benefited. according as the re-
quest for the Improvement comes from the Board
OF Supervisors of the county from the owners OF
one-third OF the lineal feet frontage.
las il is to be expected that the cost OF road
| building In New-York would be about the same "a
I'm Massachusetts,. VIZ. $4,000 per mile. the cost
OF rebuilding at State expense the great system OF
public highways mentioned would be about sl93
0O6 100
! ''If so large sum rs 81. 500 900 year were ap-
proprlated and Il found possible with this
! sum build $50 miles OF road per year. a period
| OF $50 years must elapse before the completion
OF the work On the other hand. II New York
were 10 appropriate exactly the same amount as
Massachnset viz. $4,000 per year. and could
build eighty miles per year. II would require 1888 Is
years 10 complete the system Of 1890 miles Dur
Ing all OF this time and for all time TO there
would remain In New York n vast network OF 10 :
200 miles OF road nadequatey cared for. AZ at pres
ent unless plan FOR intelligentt supervision
and repair provided In addition to that for
the work Of constructing State highways.
The apparent difficulty OF enacting legislation In
volving work of such great expense and cover
ing long period OF time leads To the belief
| il to be found In the division OF the expense OF
the State road construction between the State the
! county and the locality benefited, as already men
toned Allowing 100000 for the construction of
100 miles OF road per year. la3 years would be re-
qured for the completion OF the undertaking."
| Road Improvement throughout Long Island Is ad-
| vancins 30 rapidly under the auspices OF the new
branch sections Of the Good Roads Association that