Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-03-21

most ridiculous part of il is that some
b"dy up in AroostoOk county may come
Gown ard ask this theoretical engineer
no" To build Il road up III Aroostook on
!cnohScot county. It may bc argued that
IL Is Il step III the right dircction--that
we IRE on the road to better highways,
but II You draw Il bill drastic enough to
do some good / will not object to an
appropriation Of $500. but as Il friend to
public road building in the State Of Maine,
! cannot see how we are going to get amy
benefit from this bill. because it does not
point out any method whereby the COM
try towns. or the road commissioners can
be benefited by the measure. Five thous-
and dollars is quite IL sum to 30 .pprO-
priatctl DO you think any of your towns
are going to he benefited by this bill :!
! think You will be satisfied it is il meas
ure not adapted to the welfare Of our
towns in tn" State of Maine. We have not
arrived ut it yet. We appropriated this
year $4,000 for State roads, and ii is well
appropriated. | apprefend. and there are
men just good in every town and city.
Just as capable to build your roads: and
| move that the matter he Indefinitely
postponed.
Mir. SrCRGIS of Cumberland: Mr.
President, this bill w;ls prcst ntcd to the
committee on ways and bridges. and an
extended II airing was given here III THIS
ciianlher. All the members of the State
Beard OF Trade are in f.tNor 81 The pas
sage of this BILL Or Some BIZ! Oh !lkt ma
ture. We eXpend as much in the STATE
of Maine in Il single appropriation Tor
| roads by the different towns as for any
other ono thing, except schools '.nc al
| most everyone will agree that Il iafS'
portion of that money is wasted in the
different towns through a lack Of knowl-
edge how to build Il road properly. The
intention Of this bill is to provide someone
who may hc able to give til. towns some
information as regards the best way or
extending the money in IN" building and
repairing of highMHNS. TN" senator from
KNOX SAYS that if we would present Il
bill which would do something. he would
vote for il. We had another Dill which
called for an OPERATION OF *-o'~H "a
| oruer that we might haV" some money
to work with but it WAS not fClt That IN"
State ut this time would feel Ike strpro-
prtting $4,000 ana starting the matte"
with that: but it is felt that ~ may d."
Il large amount of work in inStructin%
road commissioners in various to-" -. and
he is obliged. as the senator read 10 give
them information without charge. IL is
to go there and advise them upon TIL"
building of the roads. There is a further
thing which he may do. and that Is IN the
cor struction of bridges. There Is hardly
any man in Il iowa who knows how much
il will cost to build an iron bridge. He
don't know TIE cost of angle iron. or
whether angle iron will be required: and
last year in this State. VIC bull, A. iron
bridges and one man got the contract iof
T. nj them. He got IL because he Dld rs
low as anybody else. everybody else know
inc exactly what he would bid. and no.
boiy knows whether they paid any mere
nclr what the bridge ought to have been
built for or not 1t would nave been the
duty OF this engineer to advise the towns
as regards the cost OF iron bridges and
5000 could be saved in ten towns of tins
State ten of the ordinary towns OF thus
State if Il man Were to go thrOJgh them
and give them good advice az to building
roads and they were t" build unfi,r his IN.
structions. His salary would be saved
in tan towns ir one year. People go ana
haul in IA little Dirt and along comes II
rain and washes it out 1t is ny opinion
that IL road properly built with the sol
that lays bTsluc 1t. barrinS eNtraordln,:s
freShets etc. is good for thee Years: hut
there arc few towns in TINS State that
build roads in that way. Everybody knows
that ali the people IN the STAT are ask
ing and working for better roads: and
that we are appropriatins $4,000 which is
to be expended under the direction OF the
county commissioners. Now, county COM
mlSsioncrS no doubt do the best they can
and build what in their opinion is Il per-
mancnt road. 50 far as they 60 but they
haven't any knowledge OF road building
and they 90 there and lay out and deSiS
nat. Il certain road as Il State hlgnWa.
upun which the money is 10 be expended
continuously have talked with SOM"
county commissioners who have GGh' TINS
work. and they eXpcnd 4 certain amount
mere III permanent improvements anu
here they ind 4 piece that VIII pear SKIP
pirg. and they skip that. and go Gown and
put IN another piece Of permanent I'M
nr"v"mont in til" shape II :. stone Water
shall not hc spent in any such WAY. The
watcr-courses should be built by tn" town
itself The bill provides ut irst that tines"
commissioners should have charge OF IN"
money which the State appropriated 10:
state roads: but. in order to do that ii ne
, crssitated Il change Iii the statutes III re-
card to the control rs ut present vested III
thr county commissioners: and the com
r,ittcc thought il would he unwiSe I"
make that change at this time. as perhaps
two wears from now this man Noui'i MOI
have demon Strated hc was worth the $tyh.
ana we might not desire to continue IT,
and If we did not have to maze amy
ci:'nC,. in the statutes We couid pun tntH
tacE on the county commissioners again
brt thought that they would allow thiS
man for two years to act aS in ADVISOR 20
the road commissioners and In" S"lccl-
mer of the various towns and II ~ IN"
end OF that time he did not demonstrate
that it WAS worth S'@o = Year TO tnc St:ttt
they could do away with the commissions
and if he did the law could then he chanS-
Cd and the duty devolvc upon him Of SEQ
inc whether the highways Wer" built rs
vas the intention undcr the SDoC lotuS
appropriation. 80
Now there is not any question but with
in Il few years shall have an arrro-
pria ton from the United States govern
mcnt to be used for State roads If We
do il will then he necessary to have som"
such officer this to look after the c%,
receive from tho governments: and W"
shall ut the same time. probably. :ppro-
nri,tc something from the State, OF which
he will have charge.
If he demonstrates within two years
that he is of value. you can Keep hlm
II he docs not. you can discharge nm :
but there is not any doubt III my mind
that the office will be retained. The state
Of NV Hampshire this present year has
PASSED IN act creating u state engineer
of roads. and appropriating $l3lMo annu-
ally for five years. They propose TO have
some better roads. We did not feel that
the State would do anything of that kind
at the present time. but we felt that this
was Il step in the right direction ana /
hone that the motion to indefinitely post
Dnnc will not prevail.
MIR STABLES Of Knox: Mr.. President:
tho State roads are nov in the hands OF
the county cOmmissi ouer of each county,
and + do not believe that anybody can be
annojnt ed in the State of Maine Who has
any better knowledge tfan the county
commissioners of the several counties
that is, so TAR as the State roads are
concerted
Now it is taking it out Of their hands
virtually by appointing this commission.
and am not in favor of "A commissioner
at this time believing it should be left
in the hands of the county commissioning
so far as the State roads are concerned.
1t is "A fact that in the State of Maine
the last two or three years as GOOD ana
permanent reads have been constructed
rs in any state of the union, and you
c.npot find an engineer whom Won could