Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1901-02-28
EMPIRE STATE ROADS
SMALL PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE ~
THEIR BETTERmEkT.

Few Sections Have Taken Adxan-
tage of Good Roads Aid-wOrk In
other States-COst OF Construction.
signs of Awakening.
The New FORK Tribune ia recent
editorial, discussing the progress II
road improvement IN the Empire state,
expresses the hope that recent develop
ments may slgnalize an awakening of
the people 10 the needs Of better high
ways II calls attention To the mea-er
results Of the past three years and
urges n policy Of action. The Tribune
says:
The most noteworthy proposal for
action under the Higbie-ArmstrOng
good roads law which has thus far
been made is that Of the Oneida county
supervisors TO wit that the state shall
forthwith appropriate 100000. TO be
united with an equal sum 10 be contrib
uted by the individual counties. for a
general scheme Of improvement Of the
chief highways Of the state. We are
Informed that this is the first resolution
of the kind adopted by any county
/ board in the state. If 50, Oneida cOun-
| ty is entitled to credit for thus leading
the way in a beneficent enterprise. To
what extent the other counties viii fol
| low the example remains 10 be seen.
I 1t is almost too much to hope that all
| will do so and will declare their readi-
| ness to join pro rata in raising the
| 100000 required, though 1t IS earnestly
to be wished that they might, and ii is
| confidently to be believed that their
| doing so would be highly and directly
| profitable. If not, Oneida and other
! progressive counties may move on their
| own account, each receiving state aid
| proportionate to its self aid.
! The need Of road improvement in
! this state Is not to be denied. II is
obvious and urgent to such an extent
| that comparison Of conditions In New
York with those in neighbOring states
is intolerably odious. Down TO the
present time only 81 New York coun-
ties have moved for improved roads.
They have made petition for the i'm
provement Of only 600 miles, surveys
have been made for 407 miles, and less
than "a miles have been or are being
/ improved. Such is the petty result OF
three years work.
Meantime the small neighboring
state of Connecticut has built 200 miles
of good roads, or had done so a year
ago, not to mention what il may have
done in the last year. Massachusetts
down to two years ago had built more
than go miles. And New Jersey,
which was the pioneer and is still the
banner state in the good roads move
ment has built since 1898 no less than
SIS miles of good roads, including las
miles this year. Such comparisons, or
rather contrasts, are not creditable to
New York.
On one point we cannot altogether
agree with the Oneida county super
visors. They estimate the cost OF
building macadam roads at $1,000 the
mile, so that the S1,OOO,OOO which they
ask for would be sufficient for only
some 125 miles Of road. Their esti-
mate Of cost Is, we believe, too high. II
is true that the cost Of road building
is increasing But it has not yet reach.
ed $1,000 a mile. Last year the aver
age cost in New Jersey was only about
$4,000 a mile, for which price roads
were built as well as anybody could
wish them TO be. This year the cost
has risen to an average Of s.. 5.3S4 a mile
for first class stone roads. Now, there
is no good reason why the cost In New
York should be any higher.
This state has ample supplies Of stone
well distributed about the state and
ample means Of transportation, and tbs
average cost Of grading need be M
more here than In New Jersey. The
proposed fund ought therefore to Civ,
this state within year some l1J miles
Of good roads. That Of course IS only
tiny fraction of the roads that need
improving Oneida county alone ha:
, $50 miles of "main travelled roads
But constant policy Of building IL
miles n year would within the next
generation give the state n pretty good
skeleton system of improved highways
But what Is TO prevent building at 8
far more rapid rate?