Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-13

the counties interest ON it's installments
at the same rate.
Section II is taken from the State
road law of two years ago, except the
provision for the disposition of unex-
pended balances. Section IL gives au-
thority to the counties to make loans
for purchase and construction. Re-
pairs must be met by taxation each
year.
So much for the frame of the bill.
Now as to the Gust of putting 1t INTO
execution. First: payment for existing
bridges. The cost of the iron and steel
bridges, as reported to the State as
SCISSORS, is $1,310.18S. This must rep
resent nearly their present value, as by
far the greater part of them are COM
paratively new, and the annual depre-
clifton is not large. This sum, after de-
Quoting for depreciation, Is PROBABLY
large enough to cover any bridges
omitted through oversight OF the mu-
nicipal officers. From that amount is
to be deducted $35,S00 previously paid
by the State in the construction OF
these bridges, leaving the total cost,
under this bill, $1,274,3SS. One-th1rd OF
this, to be paid by the State, is $424,796,
or S42479 per year for 10 years. The
counties jointly pay an equal amount,
but the amount to be paid by each
county depends upon the value OF the
bridges in that county. An illus
tration of the result. take the county
of Androscoggin, simply because it
stands alphabetically at the head of the
list. 1t has almost exactly IL per
cent of the valuation of the State. It's
steel bridges are valued at $256.924.
One third of this sum, $S5,641, is paid
by the State to the county, the same
amount is paid by the county to the
cities and towns in which the bridges
are located and the other third remains
with those cities and towns.
If Androscoggin paid in 10 equal an
nual installments she would pay annu-
ally as follows:
10 of $S5 Gal paid by the county to
tv U 1890 sS,564OO
81 per cent of $s564 paid by the
State to the county, I3Seo
Sla per cent: of the amount TO be
paid by the State to the other
counties, viz: $42479 less $S564,
or Sih per cent. of $33,9l5, 2,2S.o0
Total navment sn,5S4Oo
But Androscoggin receives from
the State 1854 of which it has
contributed but Sc per cent.
There should, therefore, be de-
Quoted from the above total 9112
per cent OF So564, i,ooooo
T' rrnso S3,74S00
The report does not show any toll-bridge
to be taken over under the provisions of
n bridges
rests with the towns and cannot. of
course be estimated in advance. For re-
pairs, from all the information I can OBJ
tain, should be allowed per cent. per
annum of the construction cost, on wood
en- bridges, and per cent. on steel bridges
This would amount in AndroscogSin coun-
ty to $2759 per year. One-half paid by the
county is S1373; the county also pays S}2
per cent. of the States One-half, or $ll7, q
total of $1436 for maintenance, and total
for purchase and maintenance OF $52l4. On
the present valuation of Androscoggln
county this would represent an increase
in the county tax of practically .00o2. one
fifth of a mill. After the expiration of ID
years the item of purchase would be elm
mated, the only charges remaining being
maintenance and such construction as
was authorized from time to time 1t
should be further noted that of the $1l,5S4
per year raised by Androscoggin, for the
item of purchase. $92O2 is returned directly
to cities and towns in that county. 1t is
not new burden but an equalization
throughout the whole country of an exist
ing one.
A careful computation on the same lines
shows the following results for the other
counties: