The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-11-23
MARYLAND COUNTY ROADS.
Work So Far Done This Year in This
State Under the Shoemaker Bill,

(frOm the GOOD Roads Magazine. J
Work is progressing very en-
couragingly in Maryland although
the state aid law was not declared
constitutional until about Febru-
airy I of this year, and the organ
izatiOn of the highway department
under it was not completed until
May I.
The act under which MARYLAND
is securing the development of a
system of first class modern roads
is known as the Shoemaker Law, ="
and was passed by the General
Assembly OF 1904. It provides for
an annual appropriation of $500,
900, or of such part thereofas NAV
be needed. to be expended under
the direction Of the existing Geo
logical Survey Commission in those
counties Of the state requesting
such aid and willing to meet one
half Of the cost Of the proposed i'm
provements. No county, however,
can receive a larger amount from
the state than that proportion
which its public road mileage
bears to the total road mileage of
the state, unless one or more Coun-
ties do not desire to take advan-
tage of the state aid act, i'll which
case there is a reapportionment
among those counties desiring to
do additional road work.
There was under contract on
October a little over 50 miles of
road, the improvement of which
will cost in the neighborhood of
$4,000. These contracts call
for the completion of the work be-
fore the close of the year. Since
October contracts for several ad-
ditional miles of improved roads
have been let, and these will be
completed as quickly as the wealth
er will permit and the work can
be done.
In response to the applications
received from IS Of the % coun-
of the state, surveys have been
made on over IoS miles of road,
and plans and estimates of thecost
of improving II miles of the roads
surveyed furnished the counties.
Of the IS counties applying for es-
Inmates, IA will build at least one
mile of modern road each. One
county, that of Baltimore, will
probably complete about eight
miles. Had it been possible to
prepare the plans and estimates in
advance Of the working season of
1905, the amount of modern road
completed this year would un-
doubtedly have been nearly
doubled. Owing however to the
questions raised Concerning the
validity of the state aid act, the
fact that in any event the act did
not become operative until Jan
nary I, 1905, and the subsequent
time required for organizing a
working force, making surveys
and plans, advertising for bids, ETC.,
no construction was really begun
until after the middle of June, ex-
cept in the case of one county.
that Of Hartford, where work was
commenced upon two pieces of
road about May I. Since the work
was started, however, good, prog
ress has been made, as will be
readily seen. Another case of de
lay, and reason for not only slow
work, but for a certain increase in
cost, is due to the limited number
of parties equipped for doing and
ready to bid on this work. I'm
equaled building operatives. in Bal
timore city as a result of the fire,
the great demand for labor
throughout the state, the unusual
amount of wet weather in some
sections during the summer, have
all contributed toward delay and
increased expense. Still, when it
is remembered that the average
cost per mile of such roads in the
pioneer states ofNew Jersey, Mass
achusetts, Connecticut and New
York has been from So, COO to SIo.-
900 per mile, it may be said that