The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1903-06-17
MILLIONS FOR ROADS
LARGE APPROPRIATION FOR IMPRov-
ING PENNSYLVANIA HIGHWAYS.

iNd Pennsylvania HIGHWAYS.
How the keystone State Will Aid In
building Good Ronds-over s6,OOO,-
900 to He Expended During the
Next Few Years.
The leaven of road improvement
seems to be working In all parts of the
United States. An eastern man who
has recently taken trip through Tex
as says the enthusiasm with which the
people have taken up the good roads
Idea is wonderful. In some countries
they are In danger of "going wild" on
the subject. Funds are being raised
mainly by issue of county bonds.
The state of Pennsylvania is going in
for good roads on large scale, and if
money counts for anything In this
work the keystone State will have
many miles of improved highways in
the near future. The Sproul good roads
bill which recently became law In
Pennsylvania carries an appropriation
of S6,5O0000, the largest appropra-
ton ever made by any state in the
Union for road Improvements.
The bill provides for the establish
ment of Il state highway department
The governor Is TO appoint commits
sioner who shall he a civil engineer
and receive salary of So, 800 a year.
The commissioner sha appoint one
assistant at $1,000 year, chief clerk
at 81, 800 and a stenographer at 81 900.
The state highway commissioner shall
supervise the expenditure of the mon
ely appropriated for good roads.
The state is TO bear two thirds the
expense of road building, the counties
one-sixth and the townships one-slXth.
The state aid is TO be apportioned
among the counties according to the
mileage of township roads in each
county, and county commissioners have
the right to select the kind of road to
be built.
The $1,000 900 appropriated Is to be
spent as follows: First and second
years, 100000 each; third and fourth
years, $l,250000 each; fifth and sixth
years, 81 800, 600 each.
The loss to farmers and other eoun-
try residents from difficult transporta-
ton over the roads, the resulting wear
and tear and the waste of bad work
manship and ineffective repairs Is
serious burden that presses upon the
whole population and keeps the coun-
try poor. On the other hand. the pros
perlty TINT has come to rural commu-
mites that have substituted good roads
for bad Is SO conspicuous us to incite
emulation. But many counties and
townships have not the means nor the
proper equipment TO undertake the Inn
proyement of main roads on compre-
hensiye scale. The state, therefore,
comes to their support.
The principle involved In the state
aid plan is exactly the same as that in
volved In the scheme for national aid
-rriesc;chhuy. The 'rTndaSnssiht 4 popularity
both Is that road Improvement IS nh
merely matter of local Interest and
responsibility, but matter of Interest
and concern TO the whole people, or, tC
put It another way, road building Is
"lnternal Improvement" belonging Ii
the same class as river and harbor I'M
provcments.
Another reason why national and
state mid Is becoming so popular Is
the realization that unless something
of the kind Is adopted the burden of
bad roads, like the poor, will be al
ways with us. The bottomless roads
of the country constitute n sort of
Slough of dcspond" In which the peo-
ple are destined to founder until some
one comes along TO help them out. In
fact, the expense for improving the
roads In many localities Is burden
which the local population Is wholly
unable to benr. 1t Is believed that
whenever the state or the nation reach
es out helping hand to such commit
mites they will grasp 1t and bend all
their energies to the great work of I'M
proving their highways, but they Will
never undertake the job without help
from the outside.
The frequent rains of the past few
weeks have made the roads almost linz
passable in majority of the local
communities throughout the eastern
half of the United States. Perhaps this
IL one of the reasons why the good
roads idea IS uppermost In SO many
minds.