Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-12-27
ROAD enforcement in New Jersey.


New Jersey has State Aid Road
law, the operations of which are bring
ing the public roads Of that State to
high condition of efficiency. The work
is in charge of State Road Com
missioner, and the seventh annual re-
port of Commissioner Budd, which was
presented to Gov. Voorhees, yesterday,
contains much interesting information.
1t reviews the work of the past year
under the law, and shows that 14S
miles of stone and gravel roads were
constructed. With but few exceptions,
and these in Atlantic, Burlington and
Monmouth counties, the roads built
were constructed of stone.
OF the l4S miles of roads constructed
during the year. the annual appro-
priation by the Legislature of $3.50, 600
was only sufficient to pay the States
share Of the cost of SO miles. State aid
on the remaining 60 miles will have to
be met out OF next years appropria-
ton. The demand for State aid for
stone road-building is becoming so
great that Commissioner Bndd recon-
mends that the annual appropriation be
increased from $3.50, 900 to 5000, 900.
Mr.. Budd also recommends that the
amount that, county may spend in
any one year for permanent road build
| ing be increased from ne-quarter of l
per cent to one.half of J. per cent of
the ratables.
Mr.. Budd laments that the increase
in the cost OF labor and material as
we'll as freight rates for hauling stone
during the last year made the annual
appropriation of $3.50, 900 only sufficient
to pay the States one-third of the cost
Of construction OF SO miles Of road, as
against ia miles in 1899, The in.
crease in thei price of stone, he says,
was from so to 100 per cent and this
he attributes to combination on tbs
part OF the owners of stone quarries.
The increase in the price of transpor
tation of stone. he says, was from ter
to twenty cents per ton. In on'
county alope," he says, 1.-THE Pennsyl
vania Railroad Co. this year has trans
ported for the State-aid roads owe
Al, eco tons OF crushed stone, receiving
for freight on the same, at the rate o
So cents ton, about S26, 000-an in
crease over last year Of about 81, 600
and the distance did not average owe
twenty-five miles from the quarry t
points of delivery. The freight charge,
amounted to about one. third of tn
cost of the roads.
In his comments Mr.. Budd says
"We think that although the quarrie
claimed they were losing money at th
old rates, it was great mistake 10
them to combine to increase thei
prices beyond fair profit" He goe
into the Trust question at length, an
asserts that call great Trusts have onl
succeeded in maintaining a continuou
commanding position by boing grea
business upon very small profit upo
each individual unit OF their product.
The increase in the cost of labo
. material, and transportation during th
: last year, Mr.. Budd says, brought tt
average cost per mile for constructin
stone roads up to 1884, as compare
with an average cost OF about "a, 0t
per mile in 1899. This increase,
says, is developing demand for ii
g use of gravel instead of stone in I'll
II building OF permanent roads.
l. The number of miles Of permanel
roads built in New Jersey since Il
'r passage of the State Aid Road Law
. 1893 is 5sS. This includes Il
"a miles built during the year, +
l. which State aid will be provided out
a. the 1901 appropriation. The numb
Q; of mile of roads built during the ye
II for which State aid was furnished W
No 523. Al, for which the State aid amount
m to $3.50, 318. 80.
These interesting facts and figul
g. should be carefully studied by t
to members of the Delaware Legislatui
VI who will be called upon to give attic
d, tion to the road question at their CO
"a ipu easaion