The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1903-09-11
THE HARTFORD ROAD PLAN.

1905.
THE HARTFORD ROAD PLAN.
"The road meeting in midsummer is
an encouraging sign. AS rule such
meetings occur in the winter orearly
spring when the public highways are
impossible. Later on the winds dry
up the mud, the farmers are able to
haul their wagons, and then they go
their way, straightway forgetting
what manner of roads they had. But
this time a road meeting takes place
at a time when the roads are at their
best, and this fact indicates that those
who composed the Carrollton Hotel
meeting in this city on Wednesday
are in earnest. They make their
movement at time when something
can be accomplished. Whatever the
plan that may be adopted, it will
probably require legislative action,
and should be formulated and thor
oughly discussed before the meeting
of the General Assembly in January,
and then submitted at the beginning
of the session.
cat Wednesdays meeting a draft
of a bill was presented for discussion
by Mr.. Crosby, the road engineer Of
Baltimore county. His plan is to put
the permanent road Improvement, to
certain extent under the supervision
of the State Geological Survey. One
half the cost of making good roads
is put upon the State, and the other
half on the county, and it is left to
the discretion of the several Boards
of County Commissioners to decide
whether there should be any improve
lnent, and if so, what road shall be
improved. The sum of 100000 is
mentioned as starter. A fatal de-
feet in this plan is probably that the
law is not self-acting. At the last
session of the Legislature of Pennsyl-
vania, $4,000, 900 was appropriated
for permanent roads in the State, to
be expended, not more than 81 ,OOO,-
600 in one year. With this sum the
State is to pay two-thirds the cost of
improved roads, the county one-sixth
and the township one-sixth. The
township in Pennsylvania CORE
spends to some extent with the
election district in Maryland. The
estimated cost of making a stone
road in Pennsylvania is about S., 900
a mile. This would put about 1888
per mile upon the township, and even
that sum the township objects to
paying. Up to the present time there
has been requisition for very little
money from the State treasury under
the law from which so much was ex-
pected. 1t would probably be the
same thing under such law as Mr.
Crosby proposes. The County Com
missioners would be unwilling to
provide by local taxation for one-half
the cost, and there would be constant
disagreement as to which road
should be first improved.
"Tbe Democratic convention of
Hartford county, which was held last
Tuesday, undoubtedly declared for
the proper and perhaps the only
practicable method for advancing
the great improvement. That plan
is for the State to promote the oys-
ter industry and to divide up the
revenues among the counties, to be
devoted to road making. This would
leave Baltimore City out in distribut-
ing the revenues to be received from
leased oyster bottoms, but at the last
session, when this plan came up in
the form of the modified Hannah bill,
the three Senators and many Of the
delegates from the city favored it.
They were willing to concede this to
the counties in order to revive a great
oyster packing industry, which FORM
erly thrived there, employing thous-
ands of people. Senator Robinson,
of Hartford, took leading part in the
patriotic effort for good roads and
the oyster industry, and the con-
vention very properly commended
him and the Hartford men in the
House who co-operated with him in
that great work. "-Baltimore Sun.
MARYLAND AT THE ST. LOUIS EX-
POSITION.