Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1904-02-24
TIE MASSACHUSETTS, WAY.

lib MASSACHUSETTS, MAY.
At the Hartford convention of the
American RoadmakerS' AsSocia-
: ton, Mr.. w. f.. McClntock. chair
f man OF the Massachusetts, Highway
: Commission, read paper in which
he discussed the subject of road
making in its financial. physical
and social conditions, and described
the work a carried on in MasSa-
l chuSettS. The State is divided into
fourteen counties. and there are
321 towns and 36 cities. The
county road affairs are managed
by three commissioners i'm each
county, the road and street work
of cities by superintendent APP
pointed by the Mayors and CON
| irmed by the Aldermen, and the
town roads are in charge of
superintendent elected by the
Selectmen. With few excep-
tons all road work Is paid for
out of a general tax levied by boards
of assessors, and rarely Is any part
of the cost charged to abutting
property. No part of the road tax
Is worked out.
Roadmaking I'm Massachusetts
began with the building of turn
pixies by private corporations. a
toll being charged to oil who pas
Sed over the road. But these ven
lures failed to Ice profitable and the
turnpikes were passed over to the
towns to take care of.
The first appropriation by the
State was made in 1895. when
100000 was voted for roads.
This was increased the next wear
to $500, 900. and in each succeeding
wear further appropriations were
made. making the aggregate up to
the present time -. 100000 With
this money the commission has
built 505 miles of good. hard.
smooth road in various parts of
the Commonwealth. The first cost
of building these roads is paid by
the State. but one-fourth of the
money so expended Is repaid by
the counties. The roads are main
tanned 10y the commission out of
the State funds, the towns in which
they may lie paying back to the
State a sum not exceeding $50 a
mile in any one year. The aver
age cost of maintenance Is about
800 per mile.
BODYBUILDING in Massachusetts,
Is carried ON under the supervision
of a State commission, consisting
of three men appointed by the
Governor for three years. The
State Is divided into five divisions.
each division having local engi-
neer, who attends to constructing
and maintaining the State roads.
All roads built by the State are
upon petitions from the cities.
towns and counties. Five per
cent. of any appropriation made
by the Legislature Is set apart TO
be used in towns having a valua-
ton of 81, 900, OOO or less. and an
other reserve of five per cent. of
any appropriation may be used in
towns in which no State road has
been built. and with valuation of
more than 1000, 900.
The Massachusetts commission
builds standard road of broken
stone, six inches thick after roll
ing, whenever the traffic is not
over heavy or light, and the sub
grade composed ofporous material.
This thickness under certain con-
ditiOns may be increased to twelve
inches, or decreased to four inches.
according to the demands. What
ever the thickness of the surface
or the nature of the foundation.
the first course of broken stone in
all cases is spread on a carefully
prepared and thoroughly COM
pacted surface. The broken stone
is spread in courses and each course
Is rolled separately with a steam
roller. The surface of each course
is evened up with fragments of
rock of the same size that make
up the respective courses. The
State employs stone crushing ma
chinery at its quarries and supplies
It's own material for roadmaking.
Here it is again. Massachusetts
has a State commission which super
vises the work, and that is what
Virginia should have by all means.
The most popular plan seems TO
be cooperation between the State
and the county. The State appro-
PIRATES a part of tbp naOnov ond |