The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-02-25
srkrE AlpEp ROADS.

oIhiE e htbEp HOAOos
president Uhie in Good Roads Maya.
zine)
The highways in New York state
: are generally worked by the farmers
living along the roads. ns they have
been since colonial times. This Is the
50 allied labor system of repairing
roads. and IS haphazard and altogeth.
re unsatisfactory to all good roads ad.
vocates To induce the towns (the
local division OF the state charged
with the maintenance OF the high
ways) to repair their roads by the
money system OF assessing a highway
tax In money as cities and villages do.
the state has promised since 1898 to
devote 10 each town an annual sum,
now equal TO one-half the money tax.
Not one.fourth OF the towns in the
state have accepted this offer though
the recent diminution of the state tax
on the farmers makes the offer nearly
the donation Il purports TO be. For II
the state derives It's income from tax.
es not assessed on tho farmer, any
sum received from the state is a YER
table gift. Some towns are 80 con
servatlye that they will not avail
themselves OF the state aid. but many
more undoubtedly would but for an
unfortunate limitation caused by this
sentence at the very end OF the sta.
tute; THE sum paid by the state TO
any town by virtue OF this section
shall not exceed in any one year one
tenth OF one per centum Of the taxable |
property Of such town" Somewhat |
more than half the towns have so lit |
tie taxable property as to suffer from
this limitation, and II thcy changed |
from the labor system to the money
system would not receive one-half
"of the amount 80 levied in each |
town This Is an obvious reversal
OF the safe maxim that the state
should always care for the bottom, be
cause the ton can care for itself.
Poor roads are often excused by the
poverty Of the town and the cause for
state aid Is the inability of locality,
by It's own eXertions. 10 maintain such
roads as the public highways ought to
be. The sentence quoted ought there
fore to be removed from the law
There is no necessity for any al.
mlnution OF the state aid at present
As a matter Of practical finance the
legislature appropriates to mainten-
ance and for reconstruction OF the
highways all the income not needed
for the schools, the courts, the state
government and the small state debt.
An increase In the number Of towns
receiving the full hfty per centum
state aid for maintenance would un.
dolibtedly stop state aid for rebuild.
ing the highways; but the state aid
even now for rebuilding is SO much
less than Il should be that probably
no road entered this year for improve
ment could receive state aid for sew.
eral years. Consequently a state loan.
for comprehensive Improvement OF
the highways Is advocated and the
annual charges for interest and sink.
ing fund payments are expected 20 be
derived frpm indirect taxation not
now the source OF state aid for the
roads
AZ the very worst. the limitation
should be reversed, and II the state
cannot aid IN the maintenance OF the
town roads. then the aid should be ok
tended hrst 70 the town having the
smallest valuation upon lis taxable
property, and proceed In regular order
from town 20 town OF greater and
greater valuation until the annual ap-
OF funds Is exhausted.