Democratic messenger., 1905-07-29
State AID ROAD Law.
Counties That Are Taking Advantage
Of The Law And Some That Are Not
Doing II.

Of The Law And Some That Are Not
Doing 1t.
Owing to the fact that certain of the
counties of Maryland to which the High
way Commission of the State has fur
nished estimates for the construction of
modern roads under the provisions of
the state aid road law, have neglected
to fully designate the portions of the
roads which they wish improved and
the total amount of the state aid fund
which they desire to take up this year,
State Highway Engineer, Walter w.
Crosby has just sent to the county COM
of each county applying for
state aid letter announcing that all
counties desiring the full amounts of
their allotments must so notify the
Highway Commission on or before Au-
gust 5, 1905. After this date, the ap-
portionments of the counties failing to
take advantage of the law, will under
the provision of the law be reappOr-
toned among those counties desiring to
take up more than their original allot-
ment, but as it is hoped that as many
counties as possible will share in the
advantages of good roads, every en-
cOuragement to the counties to announce
the amount of aid desired is being given
by the Highway Commission.
The county commissioners are earnest
ly urged not to delay in replying to the
communication of Mr.. Crosby as there
is now no time to be lost and the COM
missioners who hesitate will simply put
their counties behind their more pro-
gressive neighbors. Nor should county
commissioners, who generally hold one
meeting in the month, wait until their
next regular meeting which may be
too late, but in such instance should
call special meetings at once.
Mr.. Crosby's letter is as follows:
Gentlemen:-Th State Aid Road Law
Acts of 1904, Chapter 225, Section II,
provides that in the event of any county's
refusing to take the full allotment to it
under the Act, the balance shall be al
lotted to those counties desiring more
than their original allotment As your
allotment for this year cannot be con-
sidered as applying to any work not un-
dertaken this year with reasonable pros
poets of its completion before Dec lst,
after which date it is ordinarily imprac-
ticable to carry on work upon the roads,
and as this means that the contracts
for such work must be executed by
Sept. lst, you are respectfully request
ed to advise me Immediately as to the
total amount of State Aid that will be
desired by your County this year
You are hereby respectfully notified
that in the absence of this information
or failure of the same to reach me on
or before August 5th, it will be consid-
cred by this Commission that your Coun-
ty desires no further aid from the State
this year than it has contracted for at
that date, and a reallotment will there
fore then be made among those coun-
ties desiring more than their present
in accordance with this un-
1t is respectfully urged upon your
Board that the opportunity offered by
the State at this time be availed of by
you to the fullest extent practicable
1t is the intention and desire of this
Commission to distribute the benefits of
the Act through the State as widely and
equable as may be possible for them to
do so, and it is firmly believed that the
more general the application of the Act
may become, the greater will be the
benefit to the State, as well as to the
localities themselves.
Trusting that your reply will indicate
that your County is desirous of receiv-
ing the full amount of its allotment,
am, Very respectfully.
w. w. CROSBY.
Chief Engineer
In order that the residents of the
may know just how far this an
affects their respective in
terest, it may be well to review what
the counties have done since the origin
al petitions for state aid were sent to
the Highway Commission last spring
Of the total number of Maryland coun-
ties, Is applied for state aid last spring,
in quantities varying from to 60 miles.
Garrett, Somerset, Wicomico, Calvert
which failed to apply at all. Since the
ties of the cost of the roads petitioned
for, intimation has qeen received in
some cases that the county authorities
have decided not to proceed any further
under the law. In the case of Caroline
county which asked for estimates for
four miles of road, it has been impossi-
Dic 10 nave tHe pieces vi TOdu ueSlSH-
ated closely enough to have the surveys
made, and the estimates could not there
fore be given. Estimates have been
submitted to Anne Arundel County for
2 miles, and to Charles county for
mile, but nothing further has been heard
from the county commissioners. st.
Mary's county was given rough esti-
mates to assist the authorities in decid-
ing where they wanted the surveys to
be made; no definite pieces of road have
been designated, however, and no de-
tailed estimates have been given. Tai
bott county applied for 3 miles in one
piece of road, but the county commits
sioners have delayed in the matter and
it has been impossible thus far to fur
nish the plans and estimates. Dorches-
ter county applied for % miles. the
estimates have been submitted, and the
Highway commission is waiting to hear
what the commissioners are going to do.
Among the counties Interested. how
ever, a number are now well on toward
the achievment of the work. Allegany
will will take all the state aid which it
applied for and Baltimore county will
be glad to build at least 10 miles if it
can get the money. Carroll county will