The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-02-05
GOOD ROADS PROCEDURE
COMMISSIONER MACD0NALD,S IN
S1RUCTIONS TO SELEOTMEN.


has issued the following circular letter
to selectmen, advising them how to
proceed under the good roads law:
Gentlemen:-So that you may have
ments of the law, which enclose with
this circular. send out thus early my
first circular.
To those who have not taken advan-
tage of this law, and received an allot-
ment from the state of Connecticut,
for the Improvement Of their roads, al
low me to say that it is very essential
and necessary that you read the law
very carefully, so as to familiarize
yourselves with all it's requirements.
This will not only save great deal Of
your time, but will also very material
ly assist the commissioner. The
course to be pursued by each town in
the state, as required by the law, is as
follows:
LIST. Call a town meeting, and make
an appropriation, in accordance with
the blank which I enclose. Then fill
III AZ h,a,,. 80 49, - +,o oor,-
CIV se--N
missioner; also the resolution passed
at the meeting, making the appropria-
tion.
Let me call your attention specially
to one feature Of the law which causes
considerable trouble and annoyance.
If your town desires to spend, we will
say, for example, five hundred dollars,
on the part of the town, it naturally
might be understood that a vote of
your town, appropriating five hundred
dollars, would be all that would be ne
cessary on the part Of the town to do
one thousand dollars worth of work.
This amount. if 50 voted, would only
insure to your town two hundred and
fifty dollars from the state, as the law
says that the state shall pay one-half
of the money spent, up to a certain
amount, limiting the total amount to
two thousand dollars. Now if you de-
sire to do one thousand dollars worth
of work, it will be necessary for you to
appropriate one thousand dollars.
This will cover the entire contract for
Z the work. The state then reimburses
the town for the money spent after the
work Is completed between December
rs and December 81.
I'd. Select main highway, leading
from one town to another, to be i'm
proved.
Sd. Have survey made
4th. Draw up specification.
5th. Send the survey and speciflca-
tion to the highway commissioner.
9Th. After the approval, advertise for
bids for two weeks in two daily papers,
circulating in the county. Send the
first newspaper advertisement to the
commissioners office
7th. Award the contract to the lowest
4 bidder.
9Th Send a copy of the contract with
the bidders name and the price for
which the work was contracted, to the
B highway commissioner So as to re-
dnce expenses, I have copies in my Of
flee. Of macadam, telford and gravel
specifications; also grading specifica-
lions. which I will send to you when
YOU notify me what kind Of improve
nlent YOU desire to make on your
roads.
II these instructions are followed
closely there is no danger of any mis-
understanding or mistake occurring.
All of these requirements are unaltera-
BE. and no matter how much the COM
missioner might desire to change some
OF them, he is compelled by law to
have them complied with
If the work you desire to do is sim
pIy grading. cutting down hills to re-
duce grades. a profile will be all that
viii be necessary. The other roads
the commissioner will have to have a
geographical plan Of and a profile.
If there should be any nisapprehen-
sion or misunderstanding existing, the
commissioner would like to have it dis
tinctly understood that the wish of the
peor,le residing in the several towns of
fhe state will be met by him in every
Way that he can in regard to the i'm
provement of roads, and that the
choice Of the kind of road that YOU de-
sire to have laid will be left entirely to
+he vote of the town or to the select
81 men. whether it be macadam, telford
~. gravel or. If YOU do not desire. or
cannot afford. to Law ,nacadam tel
ford or gravel road. the commissioners
wifi allow the towns who desire to use